Shloka 15
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यस्यास्तु न भवेद् भ्राता पिता वा भरतर्षभ । नोपयच्छेत तां जातु पुत्रिकाधर्मिणी हि सा
yasyāstu na bhaved bhrātā pitā vā bharatarṣabha | nopayacchet tāṃ jātu putrikādharmiṇī hi sā ||
قال بهيشما: «يا ثورَ آلِ بهاراتا، إن كانت الفتاة لا أخَ لها ولا أبَ، فلا ينبغي قطّ قبولُها زوجةً؛ لأنها تُعَدّ خاضعةً لواجبِ البوترِكا (putrikā)، حيث تقوم الابنة مقام الوسيلة لاستمرار السلالة.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse advises caution in marriage: a maiden without father or brother is treated as putrikādharmiṇī—bound to a special lineage-continuation duty—so marrying her may entail obligations regarding offspring and inheritance; therefore one should not accept such a marriage.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma, including norms of marriage and family continuity. Here he states a rule about not marrying a woman who lacks paternal or fraternal guardianship because she is considered under putrikā-related obligations.