Shloka 36
प्रतिगृह्नाम्यहं राजन् स्नुषां दुहितरं तव । युक्तश्नावां हि सम्बन्धो मत्स्यभारतयोरपि,राजा विराटके ऐसा कहनेपर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरने कुन्तीनन्दन अर्जुनकी ओर देखा। भाईके देखनेपर अर्जुनने मत्स्यराजसे इस प्रकार कहा--“राजन्! मैं आपकी पुत्रीको अपनी पुत्रवधूके रूपमें स्वीकार करता हूँ। मत्स्य और भरतवंशका यह सम्बन्ध सर्वथा उचित है'
pratigṛhṇāmy ahaṃ rājan snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ tava | yuktaś cāyaṃ hi sambandho matsya-bhāratayor api ||
Arjuna dijo: «Oh rey, acepto a tu hija como mi nuera. En verdad, esta alianza entre la casa real de los Matsyas y los Bhāratas es por completo apropiada». En el marco ético del poema, la propuesta resguarda la corrección: Arjuna, que fue su maestro de danza y música, rehúsa un matrimonio directo y establece, por medio de su hijo, un vínculo conforme al dharma, preservando honor, linaje y orden social, y fortaleciendo la amistad política.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic restraint and propriety: even when a marriage is offered, one must consider ethical boundaries (teacher–student decorum, protection of reputation) and choose a course that preserves honor and social order—here, by forming a legitimate alliance through the next generation.
After Virāṭa offers his daughter Uttarā, Arjuna responds that he will accept her not as his own wife but as his daughter-in-law, implying her marriage to his son Abhimanyu, thereby creating a fitting alliance between the Matsya and Bharata houses.