Shloka 56
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
शूद्रस्य स्थात् सवर्णव भार्या नान्या कथंचन । समभागाश्र पुत्रा: स्युर्यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्
śūdrasya syāt savarṇā bhāryā nānyā kathaṃcana | samabhāgāś ca putrāḥ syur yadi putraśataṃ bhavet ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Bagi seorang Śūdra, isterinya hendaklah hanya daripada varṇa yang sama—tidak sekali-kali selainnya. Dan semua anak lelakinya, walaupun sampai seratus orang, berhak atas bahagian yang sama dalam harta bapa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse states two normative rules: (1) a Śūdra’s marriage is prescribed within the same varṇa (savarṇa), and (2) all sons have equal entitlement to the father’s estate, regardless of how many there are.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Bhīṣma is laying down social and legal norms concerning marriage eligibility and the distribution of inheritance among sons.