Shloka 2
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
अयं हि सर्वधर्माणां धर्मश्चिन्त्यतमो मतः । कीदृशस्य प्रदेया स्थात् कन्येति वसुधाधिप,पृथ्वीनाथ! सब धर्मोंसे बढ़कर यही चिन्तन करने योग्य धर्म माना गया है कि कैसे पात्रको कन्या देनी चाहिये?
ayaṁ hi sarvadharmāṇāṁ dharmaś cintyatamo mataḥ | kīdṛśasya pradeyā syāt kanyeti vasudhādhipa ||
ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದನು— ಓ ಭೂಪತೇ! ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಧರ್ಮಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಇದು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಚಿಂತಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಧರ್ಮವೆಂದು ತಿಳಿಯಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ— ಯಾವ ವಿಧದ ಪುರುಷನಿಗೆ ಕನ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ವಿವಾಹವಾಗಿ ನೀಡಬೇಕು?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
That the duty of giving a daughter in marriage (kanyā-pradāna) is not a mere formality but a highly deliberative ethical responsibility, requiring careful judgment of the prospective groom’s character and fitness.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a question to a royal authority/teacher figure, asking what kind of man is truly worthy to receive a daughter in marriage, framing it as one of the most subtle and important matters of dharma.