Shloka 4
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
पतितस्य तु भार्याया भर्त्रा सुसमवेतया । तथा दत्तकृतौ पुत्रावध्यूदक्ष तथापर:
patitasya tu bhāryāyā bhartṛā susamavetayā | tathā dattakṛtau putrāv adhyūdakṣa tathāparaḥ ||
Bhishma disse: “Ainda que um homem tenha caído (da conduta justa), se sua esposa permanece devidamente unida ao marido, então os filhos—quer venham por adoção/nomeação formal (dattakṛta), quer de outro modo—devem ser tidos como aptos aos ritos e às oferendas (como a oferta de água), tal como nos demais casos aceitos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse addresses dharma concerning family and ritual continuity: even when the husband is ‘patita’ (fallen), if the marital union is duly maintained, sons recognized through accepted means (including adoption/authorized arrangements) remain qualified for essential ancestral rites such as the udaka-offering.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharmaśāstric norms. Here he clarifies the status of sons and their ritual eligibility in a household where the husband is considered fallen, emphasizing lawful marital association and recognized forms of sonship.