Shloka 28
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
युधिछिर उवाच कन्यायां प्राप्तशुल्कायां ज्यायांश्वैदाव्रजेद् वर: । धर्मकामार्थसम्पन्नो वाच्यमत्रानृतं न वा
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kanyāyāṃ prāptaśulkāyāṃ jyāyān vai dāvrājed varaḥ | dharmakāmārthasampanno vācyam atrānṛtaṃ na vā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ô aïeul, lorsqu’à propos d’une jeune fille on a déjà reçu le prix nuptial (et que le mariage est tenu pour conclu), mais qu’ensuite se présente un prétendant supérieur—plus éminent, pourvu de dharma, de prospérité et d’un désir légitime—, faut-il dire une contre-vérité en cette affaire ou non ? Autrement dit, est-il permis d’éconduire le premier prétendant et de refuser de lui donner la jeune fille après avoir accepté le prix ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: whether truthfulness and honoring an accepted marital agreement outweigh the practical advantage of choosing a later, superior match. It asks if falsehood or denial can ever be justified when prior commitment (sealed by accepting śulka) exists.
Yudhiṣṭhira, in dialogue with Bhīṣma (the grandsire), poses a legal-ethical question about marriage customs: after accepting a bride-price and thereby confirming a match, can the family retract the promise if a better-qualified suitor appears, and would such retraction require or constitute untruth?