Shloka 8
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
वैषम्यादथवा लोभात् कामाद् वापि परंतप । ब्राह्मणस्य भवेच्छूद्रा न तु दृष्टान्तत: स्मृता
vaiṣamyād athavā lobhāt kāmād vāpi paraṃtapa | brāhmaṇasya bhavec chūdrā na tu dṛṣṭāntataḥ smṛtā ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai pembakar musuh, sama ada kerana berat sebelah, kerana ketamakan, atau kerana nafsu, seorang wanita Śūdra boleh menjadi isteri seorang Brāhmaṇa; namun hal itu tidak diingati dalam śāstra sebagai suatu teladan atau peraturan yang diiktiraf.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between what may happen in practice due to bias, greed, or desire and what is actually authorized by śāstra: an occurrence does not automatically become dharma unless supported by recognized scriptural precedent.
In his instruction to the king, Bhishma discusses norms of conduct and social regulation, noting that certain cross-varṇa marital outcomes can occur through human failings, but he denies that such cases are upheld as a formal rule in the remembered tradition.