Shloka 4
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
पतितस्य तु भार्याया भर्त्रा सुसमवेतया । तथा दत्तकृतौ पुत्रावध्यूदक्ष तथापर:
patitasya tu bhāryāyā bhartṛā susamavetayā | tathā dattakṛtau putrāv adhyūdakṣa tathāparaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kung ang isang lalaki’y nalugmok (mula sa matuwid na asal), ngunit ang kanyang asawa’y nananatiling wastong kaisa ng kanyang asawa, kung gayon ang mga anak—maging yaong dumating sa pamamagitan ng pormal na pag-ampon/pagtatalaga (dattakṛta) o sa iba pang paraan—ay dapat ituring na may karapatan sa mga ritwal at handog (gaya ng pag-aalay ng tubig), tulad sa iba pang kinikilalang mga kaso.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse addresses dharma concerning family and ritual continuity: even when the husband is ‘patita’ (fallen), if the marital union is duly maintained, sons recognized through accepted means (including adoption/authorized arrangements) remain qualified for essential ancestral rites such as the udaka-offering.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharmaśāstric norms. Here he clarifies the status of sons and their ritual eligibility in a household where the husband is considered fallen, emphasizing lawful marital association and recognized forms of sonship.