Shloka 49
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
पाणिग्रहीता वान्य: स्यादत्र नो धर्मसंशय: । तन्नश्छिन्धि महाप्राज्ञ त्वं हि वै प्राज्ञसम्मत:
pāṇigrahītā vānyaḥ syād atra no dharma-saṁśayaḥ | tan naś chindhi mahāprājña tvaṁ hi vai prājña-sammataḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «في هذا الأمر نحن في شكٍّ من جهة الدارما: إذا مات من كان قد ظفر بالعروس، أفَيَصِحّ لرجلٍ آخر أن يكون “آخذَ اليد” (pāṇigrahītā)، أي الزوج الشرعي؟ أيها العظيم الحكمة، اقطع عنا هذا الارتياب، فأنت مُعترَفٌ بك ومُكرَّمٌ عند أهل العلم.»
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-question: when customary arrangements (such as securing a bride) are disrupted by death, one must seek authoritative guidance to determine what is righteous and socially valid—especially regarding who may lawfully perform pāṇigraha (the marriage hand-taking).
Bhīṣma presents a case of legal-ethical uncertainty about marriage: whether, after the intended bridegroom (who had secured the bride) dies, another man may take her hand in marriage. He asks a recognized authority to resolve the doubt.