Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 50 Shloka 59 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 59

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

Devanagari script

समवर्णासु जातानां विशेषो<स्त्यपरो नृप । विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृत: पूर्वपूर्वो विशिष्यते

Transliteration

samavarṇāsu jātānāṁ viśeṣo 'sty aparo nṛpa | vivāhavaśiṣṭyakṛtaḥ pūrvapūrvo viśiṣyate nareśvara ||

Translation

ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ໃນບັນດາລູກຊາຍທີ່ເກີດຈາກຍິງທີ່ມີວັນນະດຽວກັນ ຍັງມີຄວາມແຕກຕ່າງອີກປະການໜຶ່ງທີ່ຄວນພິຈາລະນາ. ເນື່ອງຈາກສະຖານະພິເສດຂອງການແຕ່ງງານ ຈຶ່ງເກີດລຳດັບຊັ້ນໃນບັນດາລູກເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ: ລູກທີ່ເກີດຈາກການແຕ່ງງານກ່ອນ ຖືກນັບວ່າສູງກວ່າ; ລູກທີ່ເກີດຈາກການແຕ່ງງານພາຍຫຼັງ ຖືກນັບວ່າເປັນຜູ້ນ້ອຍ.

Word by Word

समवर्णासुamong women of the same varna

जातानाम्of those born (sons)

विशेषःa distinction, special status

अस्तिis/exists

अपरःanother, further

नृपO king

विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृतःcaused by the special status of the marriage

पूर्वपूर्वःeach earlier one (the one from the earlier marriage)

विशिष्यतेis distinguished/excels

नरेश्वरO lord of men (king)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

King (addressed as nṛpa/nareśvara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when mothers are of the same varṇa, Bhishma states that the social-legal standing of sons can differ based on the precedence and recognized status of the marriages: the son of the earlier marriage is treated as senior/superior, and the son of a later marriage as junior.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma to the king, he is clarifying rules of familial and social precedence—how lineage ranking among sons is determined not only by varṇa but also by the order and distinct status of marriages.