Shloka 11
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
अहंकृतावलिप्तैश्व प्रार्थ्यमानामिमां सुताम् । अयुक्तैस्तव सम्बन्धे कथं शक्ष्यामि रक्षितुम्,जो आपके यहाँ सम्बन्ध करनेके सर्वथा अयोग्य हैं, ऐसे अहंकारी और घमंडीलोग जब मुझसे इस कन्याको माँगेंगे, तब मैं उनसे इसकी रक्षा कैसे कर सकूँगी
ahaṅkṛtāvaliptaiś ca prārthyamānām imāṁ sutām | ayuktaiḥ tava sambandhe kathaṁ śakṣyāmi rakṣitum ||
The brāhmaṇa said: “When arrogant and conceited men—who are wholly unfit to be allied with you—come to me seeking this daughter of mine, how shall I be able to protect her from them?”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic concern: guardianship must consider suitability (yogyatā) and character. Prideful, unfit suitors threaten social and moral order, and a responsible guardian worries about the practical ability to protect a daughter from coercion or improper claims.
A brāhmaṇa expresses anxiety that, if a marital alliance is proposed in an improper context, arrogant men who are not fit for that connection will begin to demand his daughter; he asks how he could realistically safeguard her against such pressure.