Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यस्यास्तु न भवेद् भ्राता पिता वा भरतर्षभ । नोपयच्छेत तां जातु पुत्रिकाधर्मिणी हि सा
yasyāstu na bhaved bhrātā pitā vā bharatarṣabha | nopayacchet tāṃ jātu putrikādharmiṇī hi sā ||
भीष्म ने कहा—भरतश्रेष्ठ! जिस कन्या का पिता अथवा भाई न हो, उसे कभी विवाह में स्वीकार नहीं करना चाहिए; क्योंकि वह पुत्रिका-धर्मवाली मानी जाती है।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse advises caution in marriage: a maiden without father or brother is treated as putrikādharmiṇī—bound to a special lineage-continuation duty—so marrying her may entail obligations regarding offspring and inheritance; therefore one should not accept such a marriage.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma, including norms of marriage and family continuity. Here he states a rule about not marrying a woman who lacks paternal or fraternal guardianship because she is considered under putrikā-related obligations.