Shloka 14
Kurukṣetra–Samantapañcaka Māhātmya: King Kuru’s Ploughing and Indra’s Boon (प्रजापतेरुत्तरवेदिः समन्तपञ्चकं)
इत्युक्ते चास्या जग्राह पार्णिं गालवसम्भव:,यद्येकरात्र॑ वस्तव्यं त्वया सह मयेति ह । उसके ऐसा कहनेपर सबसे पहले गालवके पुत्र शृंगवान् ऋषिने उसका पाणिग्रहण करनेकी इच्छा प्रकट की और सबसे पहले उसके सामने यह शर्त रखी--'शोभने! मैं एक शर्तके साथ आज तुम्हारा पाणिग्रहण करूँगा। विवाहके बाद तुम्हें एक रात मेरे साथ रहना होगा। यदि यह स्वीकार हो तो मैं तैयार हूँ”
ity ukte cāsyā jagrāha pārṇiṃ gālava-sambhavaḥ | yady eka-rātraṃ vastavyaṃ tvayā saha mayeti ha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When she had spoken thus, the son of Gālava at once expressed his wish to take her by the hand in marriage, but he set a condition first: “If you will dwell with me for a single night, then I will marry you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds an ethical dilemma in marital arrangements: a sacred social institution (pāṇigrahaṇa) is being tied to a private condition. It invites reflection on dharma—how consent, intention, and social duty should govern marriage rather than coercive or transactional demands.
After the woman speaks, Gālava’s son steps forward first to accept her hand in marriage, but he proposes a شرط: she must stay with him for one night. This sets up the ensuing tension about whether such a condition is acceptable within the story’s moral framework.