Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
आपसट्यमानमृक्थं तु सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि भारत
āpasatyamānam ṛkthaṃ tu sampravakṣyāmi bhārata
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Bharata, kini akan aku jelaskan hal warisan yang dirampas secara zalim—harta yang diambil dengan alasan palsu—agar implikasi etika dan hukumnya dapat difahami.”
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma signals a dharma-based exposition on inheritance (ṛktha), especially cases where rightful property is distorted or seized through false claims. The ethical focus is that ownership and succession must rest on truth and justice, not deception.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he transitions into a specific topic: explaining rules and moral considerations regarding inheritance and wrongful appropriation of ancestral property.