Shloka 53
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
लिखन्त्येव तु केषांचिदपरेषां शनैरपि । इति ये संवदन्त्यत्र त एतं॑ निश्चयं विदु:
likhanty eva tu keṣāṃcid apareṣāṃ śanair api | iti ye saṃvadanty atra te etam niścayaṃ viduḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Les uns le consignent aussitôt par écrit, d’autres ne le font que peu à peu. Ceux qui débattent ici de cette question finissent par connaître cette décision arrêtée.»
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma notes that authorities differ in procedure and interpretation, but dharma is to be settled by arriving at a clear niścaya (final determination) after examining competing views—especially in sensitive matters like marriage-rites and their legal-ethical consequences.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is addressing contested opinions about marital procedure and validity; he remarks that some authorities document or formalize rules differently, yet those who debate the issue ultimately converge on a definitive conclusion.