Shloka 24
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
नैकान्तो दोष एकस्मिंस्तदा केनोपपद्यते | धर्मतो यां प्रयच्छन्ति यां च क्रीणन्ति भारत
naikānto doṣa ekasmiṁs tadā kenopapadyate | dharmato yāṁ prayacchanti yāṁ ca krīṇanti bhārata ||
Bhishma berkata: “Kesalahan tidaklah timbul secara mutlak pada satu pihak saja—maka bagaimana cela dapat ditegakkan dalam perkara seperti ini? Wahai Bharata, bila seorang gadis diberikan menurut dharma melalui tata cara pāṇigrahaṇa, atau bahkan diserahkan setelah menerima pembayaran, maka pria yang menikahinya sesuai aturan—atau yang telah membayar harga itu—bila membawanya ke rumahnya, tidak menanggung cela moral. Dalam keadaan demikian, bagaimana mungkin dikatakan ada kesalahan?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma argues that moral blame cannot be assigned absolutely to one party when a marriage occurs through socially recognized means—whether by lawful gifting of the bride or by a transaction accepted in that context; thus, taking the bride home in such a case is not, by itself, a doṣa.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and social conduct. Here he addresses a question about the legitimacy and fault (doṣa) in certain forms of marriage acquisition, asserting that in the described circumstances culpability does not arise.