Shloka 9
Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)
भार्यापत्योर्हि सम्बन्ध: स्त्रीपुंसो: स्वल्प एव तु । रति: साधारणो धर्म इति चाह स पार्थिव:,पति और पत्नीका अथवा स्त्री और पुरुषका सम्बन्ध बहुत ही घनिष्ठ एवं सूक्ष्म है। रति उनका साधारण धर्म है। यह बात भी राजा सुक्रतुने कही थी
bhāryāpatyor hi sambandhaḥ strīpuṃsoḥ svalpa eva tu | ratiḥ sādhāraṇo dharma iti cāha sa pārthivaḥ ||
भार्यापत्योर्हि सम्बन्धः स्त्रीपुंसोः स्वल्प एव तु । रतिः साधारणो धर्म इति चाह स पार्थिवः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that conjugal intimacy (rati) is not outside dharma but a shared, regulated duty within household life; the marital bond must be understood ethically, with restraint and responsibility rather than mere indulgence.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional discourse, Bhīṣma continues advising on norms of conduct; here he cites a royal statement to characterize the nature of the man–woman (husband–wife) relationship and its place within dharma.