Shloka 22
Khāṇḍava-dāha: Indra’s Countermeasures and the Nāga Aśvasena’s Escape (आदि पर्व, अध्याय २१८)
प्रसह हरणं चापि क्षत्रियाणां प्रशस्यते । विवाहहेतु: शूराणामिति धर्मविदो विदु:,बलपूर्वक कनन््याका हरण भी शूरवीर क्षत्रियोंके लिये विवाहका उत्तम हेतु कहा गया है; ऐसा धर्मज्ञ पुरुषोंका मत है
prasaha haraṇaṃ cāpi kṣatriyāṇāṃ praśasyate | vivāhahetuḥ śūrāṇām iti dharmavido viduḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Even the forcible taking away (of a bride) is praised among kṣatriyas. The knowers of dharma hold that, for the valorous, such an act can serve as a legitimate ground for marriage.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a traditional dharma-śāstra viewpoint: within kṣatriya norms, even a forceful carrying off of a bride can be socially commended and treated as a basis for marriage, as held by authorities on dharma.
Vāyudeva is speaking and justifying a kṣatriya-accepted practice regarding marriage—specifically, that forcible abduction may be regarded as an approved marriage-ground for the brave—framing it as the opinion of dharma-knowers.