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Shloka 39

Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)

यथा न सदृशी जात_ु ब्राह्म॒ण्या: क्षत्रिया भवेत्‌

yathā na sadṛśī jātu brāhmaṇyāḥ kṣatriyā bhavet

ビーシュマは言った。「クシャトリヤの女が、決して真にブラーフマナの女と等しくなり得ないのと同じである。」この教えにおいてビーシュマは、ダルマに基づくヴァルナ(varṇa)の伝統的序列と、各社会秩序に求められる別個の理想を強調し、それを個人の好みではなく、行為と身分に関する倫理規範として示している。

यथाjust as / as
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
सदृशीsimilar / equal
सदृशी:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसदृश
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
जातुever / at any time
जातु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootजातु
ब्राह्मण्याa Brahmin woman
ब्राह्मण्या:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootब्राह्मण्या
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
क्षत्रियाa Kshatriya woman
क्षत्रिया:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootक्षत्रिया
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
भवेत्would be / could become
भवेत्:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormOptative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
B
Brahmana woman (brāhmaṇī)
K
Kshatriya woman (kṣatriyā)

Educational Q&A

The verse asserts a traditional dharma-based distinction between varṇas, stating that a Kṣatriya woman is not regarded as comparable to a Brāhmaṇa woman, reflecting the text’s normative view of social hierarchy and role-based ideals.

Bhīṣma is delivering didactic counsel in the Anuśāsana Parva, framing social and ethical norms; here he uses a general maxim about varṇa distinctions to support his broader instruction on dharma and proper conduct.