Shloka 20
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
अतश्नायोगवं सूते वागुराबन्धजीवनम् | मैरेयकं च वैदेह: सम्प्रसूतेडथ माधुकम्
bhīṣma uvāca | ataśnāyogavaṃ sūte vāgurābandhajīvanam | maireyakaṃ ca vaidehaḥ samprasūte ’tha mādhukam |
Bhishma said: From the union that produces an Ataśnāyogava is born one whose livelihood is the setting of snares and nets (vāgurā), living by trapping animals. And from a Vaideha is born the Maireyaka—one associated with the preparation of intoxicating liquor; and thereafter (is mentioned) the Mādhuka as well. In this section Bhishma is describing, in the context of social and ethical order (dharma), traditional classifications of mixed unions and the occupations ascribed to their offspring, presenting them as part of a normative scheme of duties and livelihoods.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma is outlining a traditional dharma-śāstra style mapping between certain mixed unions and the named offspring-types, along with the livelihoods conventionally assigned to them. The ethical thrust is the presentation of a regulated social order where birth-category and occupation are treated as linked within a normative framework.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he lists specific categories (Ataśnāyogava, Maireyaka, Mādhuka) and describes the kind of work associated with them—such as living by trapping animals or producing intoxicants—within a broader catalogue of social classifications.