Shloka 56

Devanagari script

शूद्रस्य स्थात्‌ सवर्णव भार्या नान्या कथंचन । समभागाश्र पुत्रा: स्युर्यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्‌

Transliteration

śūdrasya syāt savarṇā bhāryā nānyā kathaṃcana | samabhāgāś ca putrāḥ syur yadi putraśataṃ bhavet ||

Translation

शूद्रस्य स्यात् सवर्णैव भार्या नान्या कथंचन। समभागाश्च पुत्राः स्युः यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्।

Word by Word

• शूद्रस्य: of a Shudra
• शूद्रस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• स्यात्: should be / may be
• स्यात्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सवर्णा: of the same varna/caste
• सवर्णा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सवर्ण
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• अन्या: another (woman)
• अन्या: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• कथंचन: in any way / at all
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथंचन

• समभागाः: having equal shares
• समभागाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समभाग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुत्राः: sons
• पुत्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्युः: should be / may be
• स्युः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada

• यदि: if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि

• पुत्रशतम्: a hundred sons
• पुत्रशतम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रशत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: should be / were to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Śūdra
• wife (bhāryā)
• sons (putrāḥ)
• paternal property/inheritance (implied by samabhāga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.