Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 56
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
शूद्रस्य स्थात् सवर्णव भार्या नान्या कथंचन । समभागाश्र पुत्रा: स्युर्यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्
śūdrasya syāt savarṇā bhāryā nānyā kathaṃcana | samabhāgāś ca putrāḥ syur yadi putraśataṃ bhavet ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಶೂದ್ರನಿಗೆ ತನ್ನದೇ ವರ್ಣದ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯೇ ಇರಬೇಕು; ಬೇರೆ ಯಾವ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲೂ ಅಲ್ಲ. ಅವನ ಪುತ್ರರು, ಅವರು ನೂರಾದರೂ, ಪಿತೃಧನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಾನ ಪಾಲಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಹರು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states two normative rules: (1) a Śūdra’s marriage is prescribed within the same varṇa (savarṇa), and (2) all sons have equal entitlement to the father’s estate, regardless of how many there are.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Bhīṣma is laying down social and legal norms concerning marriage eligibility and the distribution of inheritance among sons.