Shloka 47
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
भीष्म उवाच क्षत्रियस्यापि भायें द्वे विहिते कुरुनन्दन । तृतीया च भवेच्छूद्रा न तु दृष्टान्तत: स्मृता
bhīṣma uvāca | kṣatriyasyāpi bhārye dve vihite kurunandana | tṛtīyā ca bhavec chūdrā na tu dṛṣṭāntataḥ smṛtā ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai kebanggaan Kuru, bagi seorang kṣatriya pun śāstra menetapkan dua istri yang sah (dari varṇa yang lebih tinggi). Seorang istri ketiga dari golongan Śūdra dapat pula terjadi dalam praktik; namun hal itu tidak diingat sebagai preseden śāstrika yang patut dijadikan teladan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between what is explicitly sanctioned by śāstra (two wives for a Kshatriya from the higher varṇas) and what may occur in practice (a Śūdra wife), noting that the latter is not presented as an authoritative scriptural exemplar.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he addresses the Kurunandana (the royal listener) while discussing marriage norms and the limits of scriptural endorsement regarding inter-varṇa unions.