Shloka 10
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
ब्राह्मः क्षात्रो5थ गान्धर्व एते धर्म्या नरर्षभ । पृथग् वा यदि वा मिश्रा: कर्तव्या नात्र संशय:,नरश्रेष्ठ! ब्राह्य, क्षात्र (प्राजापत्य) तथा गान्धर्व--ये तीन विवाह धर्मानुकूल बताये गये हैं। ये पृथक् हों या अन्य विवाहोंसे मिश्रित--करने ही योग्य हैं। इसमें संशय नहीं है
brāhmaḥ kṣātro ’tha gāndharva ete dharmyā nararṣabha | pṛthag vā yadi vā miśrāḥ kartavyā nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “O bull among men, the Brāhma, the Kṣātra, and the Gāndharva—these are declared to be marriages in accordance with dharma. Whether performed separately in their distinct forms or combined in mixed forms, they are to be undertaken; there is no doubt about this.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma affirms that three forms of marriage—Brāhma, Kṣātra, and Gāndharva—are dharmically acceptable, and that even when their features appear in combination, such marriages remain permissible and should be performed without doubt.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on conduct and social duties, Bhīṣma addresses the listener (Yudhiṣṭhira) and clarifies which marriage forms are considered righteous, emphasizing their legitimacy whether practiced in pure or mixed modes.