without producing any consequences.  On the other hand, that other goodness of understanding which, according to its measure, has ordained the status in which the person has been born, shows itself in his acts[301].  If a person happens to belong to a superior order but still if he happens to be divested of good behaviour, he should receive no respect or worship.  One may worship even a Sudra if he happens to be conversant with duties and be of good conduct.  A person proclaims himself by his own good and acts and by his good or bad disposition and birth.  If one’s race of birth happens to be degraded for any reason, one soon raises it and makes it resplendent and famous by one’s acts.  For these reasons they that are endued with wisdom should avoid those women, among these diverse castes mixed or pure, upon whom they should not beget offspring.’

“Yudhishthira said, ’Do thou discourse to us, O sire, upon the orders and classes separately, upon different kinds of sons begotten upon different types of women, upon the person entitled to have them as sons, and upon their status in life.  It is known that disputes frequently arise with respect to sons.  It behoveth thee, O king, to solve the doubts that have taken possession of our minds.  Indeed, we are stupefied with respect to this subject.’

“Bhishma said, ’The son of one’s loins is regarded as one’s own self.  The son that is begotten upon one’s wife by a person whom one has invited for the task, is called Niruktaja.  The son that is begotten upon one’s wife by somebody without one’s permission, is Prasritaja.  The son begotten upon his own wife by a person fallen away from his status is called Patitaja.  There are two other sons, viz., the son given, and the son made.  There is another called Adhyudha.[302] The son born of a maiden in her father’s house is called Kanina.  Besides these, there are six kinds of sons called Apadhwansaja and six others that are Apasadas.  These are the several kinds of sons mentioned in the scriptures, learn, O Bharata!

“Yudhishthira said, ’Who are the six that are called Apadhwansajas?  Who also are the Apasadas?  It behoveth thee to explain all these to me in detail.’

“Bhishma said, ’The sons that a Brahmana begets upon spouses taken from the three inferior orders, those begotten by a Kshatriya upon spouses taken from the two orders inferior to his own, O Bharata, and the sons that a Vaisya begets upon a spouse taken from the one order that is inferior to his,—­are all called Apadhwansajas.  They are, as thus explained, of six kinds.  Listen now to me as I tell thee who the Apasadas, are.  The son that a Sudra begets upon a Brahmana woman is called a Chandala.  Begotten upon a Kshatriya woman by a person of the Sudra order, the son is called a Vratya.  He who is born of a Vaisya woman by a Sudra father is called a Vaidya.  These three kinds of sons are called Apasadas.  The Vaisya, by uniting himself with a woman of the Brahmana order, begets a son that is called a Magadha, while the son that he gets upon a Kshatriya woman is called a Vamaka.  The Kshatriya can beget but one kind of son upon a woman of a superior order.  Indeed, the son begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Brahmana woman, is called a Suta.  These three also are called Apasadas.  It cannot be said, O king, that these six kinds of sons are no sons.’