Shloka 14
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
वर्णे तृतीये जातस्तु वैश्यायां ब्राह्णादपि । द्विरंशस्तेन हर्तव्यो ब्राह्मणस्वाद् युधिष्ठिर
varṇe tṛtīye jātastu vaiśyāyāṃ brāhmaṇād api | dvir-aṃśas tena hartavyo brāhmaṇasvād yudhiṣṭhira ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ യുധിഷ്ഠിര! മൂന്നാം വർണമായ വൈശ്യസ്ത്രീയിൽ ബ്രാഹ്മണനിൽ നിന്ന് ജനിച്ച പുത്രൻ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ സ്വത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഇരട്ട വിഹിതം കൈക്കൊള്ളണം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states a dharma-based inheritance rule: a son born from a Brāhmaṇa father and a Vaiśyā mother is entitled to a double portion from the Brāhmaṇa’s estate, indicating graded shares tied to varṇa-based norms discussed by Bhīṣma.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social/legal duties. Here he answers a question about entitlement to property and the appropriate share for a son born of a mixed-varṇa union (Brāhmaṇa father, Vaiśyā mother).