Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वमें विवाहधर्मके अन्तर्गत पैतृक धनका विभागनामक सैंतालीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ ४७ ॥ अपना बछ। जि: - 'दार' शब्दकी व्युत्पत्ति इस प्रकार है--“आद्रियन्ते त्रिवर्गार्थिभि: इति दारा'। धर्म
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
arthāl lobhād vā kāmād vā varṇānāṃ cāpy aniścayāt |
ajñānād vāpi varṇānāṃ jāyate varṇasaṅkaraḥ ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O Lolo, maging dahil sa pang-akit ng yaman, dahil sa kasakiman, dahil sa pagnanasa, o dahil sa pagkalito tungkol sa varṇa—maging dahil pa sa kamangmangan ukol dito—sumisilang ang halong lahi (varṇasaṅkara). Kapag, dahil sa gayong mga dahilan, ang isang babae mula sa mas mataas na uri ay nakipag-ugnayan sa isang lalaking mula sa mas mababang uri, ang halong supling ay isinisilang. Ipagpaumanhin ninyo at sabihin sa akin: ano ang dharma ng mga taong isinilang sa ganitong paghahalo ng mga uri, at anu-ano ang mga tungkulin at hanapbuhay na itinakda para sa kanila?”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames varṇasaṅkara as arising from ethically charged motives (greed, desire) as well as from epistemic/social confusion (ignorance or uncertainty about varṇa). It sets up a dharma-inquiry: how society should assign duties and moral expectations to those born from irregular unions, emphasizing responsibility, social regulation, and the need for clear ethical guidance.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira questions the Grandsire (Bhīṣma) about the origin of mixed progeny and asks for a detailed account of their dharma and prescribed occupations—preparing the ground for Bhīṣma’s normative explanation in the subsequent verses.