Shloka 26
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यस्त्वत्र मन्त्रसमयो भारयपत्योर्मिथ: कृत: । तमेवाहुर्गरीयांसं यश्चासौ ज्ञातिभि: कृत:
yas tv atra mantrasamayo bhāryāpatyor mithaḥ kṛtaḥ | tam evāhur garīyāṁsaṁ yaś cāsau jñātibhiḥ kṛtaḥ ||
Bhishma dijo: «Entre las formas de compromiso conyugal, el voto que esposo y esposa se hacen mutuamente conforme al rito, acompañado de recitación sagrada, es tenido por el más grave y decisivo. Y si ese vínculo es además afirmado y respaldado por los parientes, se considera aún más loable, pues une el juramento personal con la sanción social y la estabilidad.»
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.