Shloka 28
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
युधिछिर उवाच कन्यायां प्राप्तशुल्कायां ज्यायांश्वैदाव्रजेद् वर: । धर्मकामार्थसम्पन्नो वाच्यमत्रानृतं न वा
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kanyāyāṃ prāptaśulkāyāṃ jyāyān vai dāvrājed varaḥ | dharmakāmārthasampanno vācyam atrānṛtaṃ na vā ||
ຢຸທິສຖິຣະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະອາວຸໂສ, ເມື່ອໄດ້ຮັບຄ່າສິນສອດຂອງສາວນ້ອຍແລ້ວ (ຈົນຖືກນັບວ່າການແຕ່ງງານໄດ້ຕົກລົງແນ່ນອນ) ແຕ່ຕໍ່ມາກັບມີເຈົ້າບ່າວທີ່ດີກວ່າ—ຜູ້ພ້ອມດ້ວຍທຳມະ ຄວາມຮັ່ງມີ ແລະຄວາມປາຖະໜາອັນຊອບທຳ—ໃນເລື່ອງນີ້ຄວນເວົ້າຄຳເທັດຫຼືບໍ່? ຫຼືວ່າ ຈະປະຕິເສດຜູ້ມາຂໍກ່ອນ ແລະບໍ່ຍອມມອບສາວໃຫ້ ຫຼັງຈາກຮັບຄ່າແລ້ວ ໄດ້ຫຼື?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: whether truthfulness and honoring an accepted marital agreement outweigh the practical advantage of choosing a later, superior match. It asks if falsehood or denial can ever be justified when prior commitment (sealed by accepting śulka) exists.
Yudhiṣṭhira, in dialogue with Bhīṣma (the grandsire), poses a legal-ethical question about marriage customs: after accepting a bride-price and thereby confirming a match, can the family retract the promise if a better-qualified suitor appears, and would such retraction require or constitute untruth?