Shloka 40
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
अब्रवीदितरां कन्यामावहेति स कौरव: । अप्यन्याननुपप्रच्छ शड्कमान: पितुर्वच:
abravīd itarāṁ kanyām āvaheti sa kauravaḥ | apy anyān anupapraccha śaṅkamānaḥ pitur vacaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Cet aîné des Kaurava déclara : “Épouse l’autre jeune fille.” Mais, doutant du bien-fondé de l’injonction de l’aîné, je questionnai aussi d’autres personnes.»
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic caution in marital matters: when a woman is already pledged—by formal acceptance or by a binding prior choice—reassigning her is ethically suspect. Bhishma models responsible conduct by doubting a potentially problematic instruction and seeking wider counsel rather than acting solely on expediency.
Bhishma reports that a Kuru elder instructs him to marry ‘the other maiden.’ Because the instruction involves a delicate question of whether a maiden is already committed, Bhishma becomes doubtful and consults other authorities/people to clarify what dharma requires.