Shloka 11
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113 — Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī
कुलधर्म: स नो वीर प्रमाणं परमं च तत् | तेन त्वां न ब्रवीम्येतदसंदिग्ध॑ वचोडरिहन्,“वीर! वह हमारा कुलधर्म है और हमारे लिये वही परम प्रमाण है। शत्रुदमन! इसीलिये मैं आपसे निश्चितरूपसे यह नहीं कह पाता कि कन्या दे दूँगा”
kuladharmaḥ sa no vīra pramāṇaṃ paramaṃ ca tat | tena tvāṃ na bravīmy etad asaṃdigdhaṃ vaco 'rihan ||
“O hero, our family’s dharma is our highest authority and final standard. Therefore, O subduer of foes, I cannot give you an unequivocal promise in these words—that I will give you the maiden.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Personal desire or immediate requests are subordinated to kuladharma: lineage-based duty is treated as the highest pramāṇa (decisive authority), so one should not make absolute promises that might violate established dharma.
In the course of a marriage-related negotiation, the speaker explains that because family law and tradition govern their decision, he cannot give a definite assurance that he will hand over the maiden, even when addressed by a powerful ‘subduer of foes’.