Shloka 46
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें विवाहधर्मके प्रसंगमें स्त्रीकी प्रशंभानामक छियालीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | uktaṃ te vidhivad rājan brāhmaṇasya pitāmaha | itareṣāṃ tu varṇānāṃ kathaṃ vai niyamo bhavet ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O Hari, O Lolo! Naipaliwanag mo na nang wasto ang tuntuning ayon sa batas tungkol sa paghahati ng yaman ng isang Brāhmaṇa. Ngayon, sabihin mo sa akin—anong tuntunin ang dapat sundin sa pamamahagi ng yaman para sa iba pang mga varṇa?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as procedure-bound and differentiated by social role: Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a consistent, rule-governed standard for inheritance/wealth-division not only for Brāhmaṇas but for all varṇas, emphasizing fairness through prescribed norms rather than personal preference.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, after Bhīṣma has described the proper rule for dividing a Brāhmaṇa’s wealth, Yudhiṣṭhira follows up with a clarifying question, requesting the corresponding regulations for the other varṇas.