Shloka 9
Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)
भार्यापत्योर्हि सम्बन्ध: स्त्रीपुंसो: स्वल्प एव तु । रति: साधारणो धर्म इति चाह स पार्थिव:
bhāryāpatyor hi sambandhaḥ strīpuṃsoḥ svalpa eva tu | ratiḥ sādhāraṇo dharma iti cāha sa pārthivaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Ikatan antara isteri dan suami—bahkan antara wanita dan lelaki—adalah halus dan terbatas ruang lingkupnya. Persetubuhan (rati) ialah dharma bersama mereka; demikian juga dinyatakan oleh raja itu, Sukratu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that conjugal intimacy (rati) is not outside dharma but a shared, regulated duty within household life; the marital bond must be understood ethically, with restraint and responsibility rather than mere indulgence.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhīṣma continues advising on norms of conduct; here he cites a royal statement to characterize the nature of the man–woman (husband–wife) relationship and its place within dharma.