Shloka 26
ययातेर्वानप्रस्थतपःस्वर्गारोहणम् | Yayāti’s Vānaprastha Austerities and Ascent to Heaven
दुराधर्षतरो विप्रस्तस्माद् भीरु मतो मम । अतोउतदत्तां च पित्रा त्वां भद्रे न विवहाम्यहम्,ययाति बोले--भटद्रे! सर्प एकको ही मारता है, शस्त्रसे भी एक ही व्यक्तिका वध होता है; परंतु क्रोधमें भरा हुआ ब्राह्मण समस्त राष्ट्र और नगरका भी नाश कर देता है। भीरु! इसलिये मैं ब्राह्मणको अधिक दुर्धर्ष मानता हूँ। अतः जबतक आपके पिता आपको मेरे हवाले न कर दें, तबतक मैं आपसे विवाह नहीं करूँगा
durādharṣataro vipras tasmād bhīru mato mama | ato ’tadattāṃ ca pitrā tvāṃ bhadre na vivahāmy aham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Therefore, O timid one, I consider a brāhmaṇa the most unassailable. Hence, O noble lady, until your father formally gives you to me, I will not marry you.” (The sense is that a single serpent or a single weapon may kill one person, but an enraged brāhmaṇa—through the power of wrath and curse—can bring ruin upon whole towns and kingdoms; thus the speaker insists on a lawful, father-sanctioned marriage.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma in marriage: even when desire or circumstance presses, a lawful union requires the guardian’s formal giving (kanyādāna). It also highlights the ethical warning that uncontrolled anger—especially when backed by spiritual authority—can cause disproportionate harm.
The speaker (in the surrounding narrative, Yayāti addressing the maiden) refuses to proceed with marriage until her father formally bestows her. He justifies this caution by stressing how formidable a brāhmaṇa can be when angered, implying fear of the consequences of violating proper marital procedure.