Shloka 33
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
तमब्रवीद् राजा तया समर्थी सा मे दीयतामिति,तब राजाने मण्डूकराजसे कहा--'मैं तुम्हारी उस पुत्रीको चाहता हूँ, उसे मुझे समर्पित कर दो”
tam abravīd rājā tayā samarthī sā me dīyatām iti
Vaiśampāyana said: The king addressed him, saying, “I am fit to take her; therefore let that daughter be given to me.” In the narrative frame, this is a direct request for a maiden in marriage, raising the ethical question of rightful consent and proper procedure in giving a daughter, which in dharma-literature is ideally governed by guardianship, suitability, and sanctioned marital norms rather than mere desire or power.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic scrutiny around marriage: a king’s claim of ‘eligibility’ is not, by itself, the full ethical basis for receiving a daughter. In Mahābhārata’s moral universe, giving a daughter is ideally regulated by dharma—proper guardianship, suitability, and sanctioned forms of marriage—so the scene invites reflection on power, propriety, and consent.
Vaiśampāyana reports that a king speaks to another party (the guardian/other king in context) and formally asks that the daughter be given to him, asserting his fitness to receive her.