Shloka 31
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
यद्च्छयोपसम्पन्नैर्यज्ञसा धुबहिष्कृतै: । बाह्या बाह्ौौश्व जायन्ते यथावृत्ति यथाश्रयम्
yadṛcchayopasampannair yajñasādhubahiṣkṛtaiḥ | bāhyā bāhyauś ca jāyante yathāvṛtti yathāśrayam ||
Bhishma disse: “Daqueles que, movidos por mero capricho, se unem a mulheres de outras ordens sem considerar nascimento e decoro—e que são excluídos dos ritos sacrificiais e afastados da convivência dos virtuosos—nascem apenas grupos de fora e proscritos. Essa descendência mista então assume variados meios de vida e busca amparo onde melhor lhe convém, agindo segundo seus próprios hábitos e circunstâncias, e não segundo o dharma estabelecido.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links social and ritual exclusion to disregard for prescribed marital and ethical norms, stating that unions formed merely by personal whim and outside accepted dharma lead to socially marginal offspring who then live by varied, self-chosen livelihoods and supports.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he comments on the outcomes of improper inter-varṇa unions and the resulting communities’ social position, occupations, and dependence, framing it as a consequence of being barred from yajña and from the company of the righteous.