Shloka 18
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113 — Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī
तत इष्टेडहनि प्राप्ते मुहूर्ते साधुसम्मते । जग्राह विधिवत पार्णिं माद्रया: पाण्डु्नराधिप:,तदनन्तर श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणोंके द्वारा अनुमोदित शुभ दिन और सुन्दर मुहूर्त आनेपर राजा पाण्डुने माद्रीका विधिपूर्वक पाणिग्रहण किया
tata iṣṭe ’hani prāpte muhūrte sādhusammate | jagrāha vidhivat pāṇiṁ mādryāḥ pāṇḍunṛpādhipaḥ ||
Then, when the auspicious day had arrived and the well-approved, proper moment was at hand, King Pāṇḍu—lord among rulers—took Mādrī’s hand according to the prescribed rites, with the assent of the foremost brāhmaṇas. The narrative underscores dharma as social and ethical order: marriage is framed not as private desire but as a sanctified act performed at the right time, under learned guidance, and in conformity with ritual law.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma through proper conduct: major life-acts like marriage are to be performed at an auspicious time, with the sanction of the learned, and in accordance with prescribed rites—linking personal life to ethical and social order.
At an auspicious day and approved muhūrta, King Pāṇḍu formally performs pāṇigrahaṇa—taking Mādrī’s hand—thereby completing the ritual act of marriage under brāhmaṇical approval.