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 ||
ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— ਹੇ ਧਰਤੀ ਦੇ ਨਾਥ! ਸਭ ਧਰਮਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਇਹ ਧਰਮ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਵਿਚਾਰਯੋਗ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਧੀ ਨੂੰ ਕਿਹੋ ਜਿਹੇ ਪੁਰਖ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਆਹ ਕੇ ਦੇਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।
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.