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