Shloka 26
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
कुर्वतः शपथं तेन य: कृतो मिथुनेन तु । विपुलं वै समुद्दिश्य तेडपि वाक्यमथाब्रुवन्
kurvataḥ śapathaṁ tena yaḥ kṛto mithunena tu | vipulaṁ vai samuddiśya te ’pi vākyam athābruvan |
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ആ സ്ത്രീ-പുരുഷ ദ്വയം എടുത്ത ശപഥം തന്നെയാണ് ഇവരും വീണ്ടും ഉച്ചരിച്ചത്. പിന്നെ വിപുലനെ ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച് അവർ സംസാരിച്ചു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores ethical vigilance: harmful vows and unrighteous conduct can be replicated by others when vice is normalized. It cautions that greed, excitement, and public example can draw more people into adharma, so one should guard one’s senses and avoid corrupting influences.
Bhishma narrates that others repeat the same oath earlier taken by a man-woman pair. Then, directing their words toward Vipula, they address him; in the immediate context, Vipula witnesses men gambling with dice and acting under greed and elation, reinforcing the scene’s moral tension.