Shloka 35
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
तस्मादा ग्रहणात् पाणेर्याचयन्ति परस्परम् । कन्यावर: पुरा दत्तो मरुद्धिरिति न: श्रुतम्
tasmād āgrahaṇāt pāṇer yācayanti parasparam | kanyāvaraḥ purā datto marudbhir iti naḥ śrutam ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Karena itu, sebelum upacara pāṇigrahaṇa (pengambilan tangan mempelai) diselesaikan, sang pria dan sang gadis boleh saling mencari—masing-masing boleh memohon kepada yang lain. Kami mendengar bahwa pada zaman dahulu para Marut mengesahkan ‘pilihan timbal balik antara gadis dan pelamar’ sebagai suatu hak. Maka, hingga hand-taking dilakukan, permohonan timbal balik diperbolehkan.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Until the pāṇigrahaṇa rite is performed, the prospective bride and groom are not yet ritually bound; therefore, mutual seeking/asking is allowed. The passage grounds this permissibility in traditional authority attributed to the Maruts.
Bhīṣma is explaining norms of marriage-dharma: he clarifies when a match becomes binding and cites an old tradition—said to be granted by the Maruts—to justify that prior to the hand-taking ceremony, the parties may still request or choose one another.