Shloka 114
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
शद्राश्न ब्राह्मणीं भार्यामुपयास्यन्ति निर्भया: । वियोनिषु विमोक्ष्यन्ति बीजानि पुरुषा यदा
śūdrāś ca brāhmaṇīṁ bhāryām upayāsyanti nirbhayāḥ | viyoniṣu vimokṣyanti bījāni puruṣā yadā ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Kapag ang mga lalaki, itinakwil ang takot at pagpipigil, ay lalapit sa isang babaeng Brāhmaṇa upang gawing asawa kahit sila’y mula sa uring Śūdra, saka nila ilalagak ang binhi sa mga sinapupunang di nararapat. Ang ganitong paglabag sa hanggahang panlipunan at etikal ay inihaharap bilang tanda ng kaguluhang asal at pagkalito ng dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames unrestrained crossing of prescribed marital boundaries as a symptom of adharma, warning that ethical and social norms around marriage and procreation, when disregarded, lead to disorder and confusion of duties.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is describing signs and consequences of societal decline, using the example of men entering unions deemed improper and begetting offspring through ‘unsuitable’ relations.