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 dit : «Parmi les formes d’engagement conjugal, le vœu que l’époux et l’épouse se font mutuellement selon le rite, accompagné de récitation sacrée, est tenu pour le plus lourd de sens. Et si ce lien est encore confirmé et soutenu par les parents, il est jugé plus louable encore, car il unit le serment personnel à la sanction sociale et à la stabilité.»
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.