Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 53
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
पज्चधा तु भवेत् कार्य वैश्यस्वं भरतर्षभ । तयोरपत्ये वक्ष्यामि विभागं च जनाधिप
pañcadhā tu bhavet kārya vaiśyasvaṃ bharatarṣabha | tayor apatye vakṣyāmi vibhāgaṃ ca janādhipa ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多族中的雄牛啊，吠舍的职责与职分当分为五种明确的门类。至于他们的子嗣，噢，国王啊，我也将说明其应有的分类与分配。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames Vaiśya-dharma as a structured, fivefold set of prescribed duties, emphasizing that social responsibilities should be clearly defined and ethically ordered; he also signals that rules concerning progeny and their proper classification will be explained to maintain dharmic stability.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma. Here he transitions into a systematic description of the Vaiśya’s duties, announcing a five-part division and indicating a forthcoming discussion on offspring and their categorization.