Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 48
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
एष एव क्रमो हि स्यात् क्षत्रियाणां युधिष्ठिर अष्टधा तु भवेत् कार्य क्षत्रियस्वं जनाधिप,राजा युधिष्ठिर! क्षत्रियोंके लिये भी बँटवारेका यही क्रम है। क्षत्रियके धनको आठ भागोंमें विभक्त करना चाहिये
eṣa eva kramo hi syāt kṣatriyāṇāṃ yudhiṣṭhira | aṣṭadhā tu bhavet kāryaṃ kṣatriyasvaṃ janādhipa ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O Yudhiṣṭhira, ito nga ang wastong tuntunin para sa mga Kṣatriya. Ngunit, O panginoon ng mga tao, ang yaman na pag-aari ng isang Kṣatriya ay dapat hatiin sa walong bahagi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma states a normative rule for Kṣatriyas: their property is to be divided according to an established procedure, specifically into eight shares, emphasizing orderly, dharma-based distribution rather than arbitrary allocation.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising King Yudhiṣṭhira on social and royal norms, here specifying how Kṣatriya wealth should be apportioned.