Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 396
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
क्षत्रियायास्तथा वैश्या न जातु सदृशी भवेत् । जैसे क्षत्रिया कभी ब्राह्मणीके समान नहीं हो सकती वैसे ही वैश्या भी कभी क्षत्रियाके तुल्य नहीं हो सकती
kṣatriyāyās tathā vaiśyā na jātu sadṛśī bhavet |
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ເຊັ່ນດຽວກັບທີ່ນາງກະສັດຕຣິຍະບໍ່ອາດເທົ່າທຽມນາງພຣາຫມະນະໄດ້, ນາງໄວສະຍະກໍບໍ່ອາດເທົ່າທຽມນາງກະສັດຕຣິຍະໄດ້ເຊັ່ນກັນ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That, within the text’s varṇa-dharma framework, different social classes (varṇas) are not regarded as interchangeable in status and prescribed function; Bhīṣma emphasizes fixed distinctions rather than equivalence.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-heavy setting, Bhīṣma continues advising on dharma and social norms, using a comparison among varṇas (Kṣatriya, Brāhmaṇa, Vaiśya) to underline hierarchical differentiation.