Shloka 26
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यस्त्वत्र मन्त्रसमयो भारयपत्योर्मिथ: कृत: । तमेवाहुर्गरीयांसं यश्चासौ ज्ञातिभि: कृत:,पति और पत्नीमें भी परस्पर मन्त्रोच्चारणपूर्वक जो प्रतिज्ञा होती है वही श्रेष्ठ मानी जाती है, और यदि उसके लिये बन्धु-बान्धवोंका समर्थन प्राप्त हो तब तो और उत्तम बात है
yas tv atra mantrasamayo bhāryāpatyor mithaḥ kṛtaḥ | tam evāhur garīyāṁsaṁ yaś cāsau jñātibhiḥ kṛtaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Among the forms of marital commitment, the pledge made mutually by husband and wife in due ritual manner—accompanied by sacred recitation—is regarded as the weightiest. And if that very bond is further affirmed and supported by one’s kinsmen, it is considered even more commendable, for it unites personal vow with social sanction and stability.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A marital bond is strongest when it is a mutual vow solemnized through proper ritual (mantra-recitation). Its ethical force becomes even firmer when the wider family (kinsmen) also affirms it, joining personal commitment with social responsibility.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma-related norms, explaining which kind of marital commitment is considered most authoritative: the spouses’ ritually sanctified mutual pledge, especially when supported by relatives.