Shloka 49
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
पाणिग्रहीता वान्य: स्यादत्र नो धर्मसंशय: । तन्नश्छिन्धि महाप्राज्ञ त्वं हि वै प्राज्ञसम्मत:
pāṇigrahītā vānyaḥ syād atra no dharma-saṁśayaḥ | tan naś chindhi mahāprājña tvaṁ hi vai prājña-sammataḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Neste assunto, estamos em dúvida quanto ao dharma: se morre aquele que havia assegurado a noiva, pode outro homem tornar-se o ‘tomador da mão’ (pāṇigrahītā), o marido legítimo? Ó sapientíssimo, dissipa esta incerteza, pois és reconhecido e honrado pelos eruditos.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-question: when customary arrangements (such as securing a bride) are disrupted by death, one must seek authoritative guidance to determine what is righteous and socially valid—especially regarding who may lawfully perform pāṇigraha (the marriage hand-taking).
Bhīṣma presents a case of legal-ethical uncertainty about marriage: whether, after the intended bridegroom (who had secured the bride) dies, another man may take her hand in marriage. He asks a recognized authority to resolve the doubt.