Shloka 19
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
युधिछिर उवाच शुल्कमन्येन दत्तं स्याद् ददानीत्याह चापर: । बलादन्य: प्रभाषेत धनमन्य: प्रदर्शयेत्
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca— śulkam anyena dattaṃ syād dadānīty āha cāparaḥ | balād anyaḥ prabhāṣeta dhanam anyaḥ pradarśayet |
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó Avô, num caso em que um homem já pagou o preço da noiva, outro assegurou o enlace prometendo: ‘Eu pagarei’, um terceiro fala em levar a moça à força, e outro ainda tenta conquistar os seus parentes exibindo maior riqueza—enquanto um quinto já realizou o rito de tomar-lhe a mão em casamento (pāṇigrahaṇa)—de quem, segundo o dharma, deve essa donzela ser considerada esposa? Desejamos conhecer o verdadeiro princípio nesta matéria. Sê nossos olhos e nosso guia.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-legal problem: when multiple men assert competing claims over a maiden through payment, promise, wealth inducement, coercion, or completed ritual, which claim is valid. It invites a principled hierarchy of legitimacy—privileging lawful procedure and completed sacramental acts over mere promises, bribery, or force.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira consults Bhīṣma on subtle points of conduct. Here he presents a complex marriage dispute with several claimants and asks Bhīṣma to determine, according to dharma, who should be regarded as the rightful husband.