Shloka 1
Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)
/ अपन का बा | अपर ३-स्मृतियोंमें निम्नलिखित आठ विवाह बतलाये गये हैं--ब्राह्म
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | kanyāyāḥ prāptaśulkāyāḥ patiḥ na jñāyate kaścana | tatra kā pratipattiḥ syāt tan me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Kakek yang mulia, bila harga pengantin seorang gadis telah diterima, namun kini tiada calon suami yang tersedia—sebab orang yang membayarnya telah pergi ke negeri lain, dan karena takut kepadanya tak seorang pun berani menikahi gadis itu—jalan apakah yang patut ditempuh oleh ayahnya? Mohon jelaskan kepadaku.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-legal dilemma: once a bride-price has been accepted, the father’s freedom to remarry the daughter is ethically constrained. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a principled procedure that protects the maiden’s welfare while respecting obligations created by accepting śulka.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma on rules of conduct. Here he presents a specific case: the bride-price has been taken, but the intended groom is absent and others fear marrying her; he asks Bhīṣma what the father should do next according to dharma.