Shloka 46
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
न चैतेभ्य: प्रदातव्या न वोढव्या तथाविधा । न होव भार्या क्रेतव्या न विक्रय्या कथंचन
na caitebhyaḥ pradātavyā na voḍhavyā tathāvidhā | naiva bhāryā kretavyā na vikrayyā kathaṃcana ||
Bhishma dit : « On ne doit pas donner une fille en mariage à de tels hommes, ni épouser une jeune fille qu’on “vend” de cette manière ; car une épouse n’est jamais, en aucune circonstance, un objet qu’on achète ou qu’on vend. »
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that marriage must not treat a woman as property: a wife is not a commodity, so buying or selling in the context of marriage is ethically condemned, and alliances with those who practice it should be avoided.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he lays down a rule about proper marital conduct: do not give one’s daughter to men of such conduct, and do not accept a bride through a transaction resembling sale, because it violates the moral status of marriage.