Shloka 29
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
तस्मिन्नुभयतोदोषे कुर्वन् श्रेय: समाचरेत् । अयं नः सर्वधर्माणां धर्मश्षिन्त्यतमो मत:
tasminn ubhayato-doṣe kurvan śreyaḥ samācaret | ayaṃ naḥ sarva-dharmāṇāṃ dharmaś cintyatamo mataḥ ||
Lorsque la faute semble naître des deux côtés, il faut agir de manière à assurer le plus grand bien. À notre avis, parmi tous les devoirs, celui-ci—qui concerne le don d’une jeune fille en mariage—est celui qui mérite le plus une réflexion attentive.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
When every available option carries some fault, one should choose the course that best serves śreyas—the higher, long-term good—after careful deliberation; duties around marriage arrangements are presented as especially sensitive and worthy of deep thought.
Yudhiṣṭhira raises a dilemma: if a marriage promise is reversed, it risks the fault of breaking one’s word; if a better match is rejected, it risks harming the maiden’s welfare. He asks what action makes the giver of the maiden a participant in what is truly auspicious, emphasizing that this dharma demands the most careful consideration.