Shloka 12
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
शेष तु दशधा कार्य ब्राह्मणस्वं युधिष्ठिर । तत्र तेनैव हर्तव्याक्ष॒त्वारों3शा: पितुर्धनात्
śeṣa tu daśadhā kārya brāhmaṇasvaṁ yudhiṣṭhira | tatra tenaiva hartavyāś catvāro 'ṁśāḥ pitur dhanāt ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Adapun selebihnya, wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, hendaklah diatur menjadi sepuluh bahagian sebagai harta milik para Brāhmaṇa. Daripadanya, orang yang sama itu hendaklah mengambil empat bahagian daripada harta si bapa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes dharmic regulation of inheritance and wealth: remaining property is to be apportioned in a prescribed way, recognizing Brāhmaṇa entitlement (brāhmaṇasva) and specifying a rule of shares (four parts) to be taken from the father’s wealth.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, he lays down a technical rule about how a remainder of property should be divided into ten portions as Brāhmaṇa property, and how a designated person is to take four shares from the paternal estate.