Shloka 52
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
देवरं प्रविशेत् कन्या तप्येद् वापि तप: पुन: । तमेवानुगता भूत्वा पाणिग्राहस्य काम्यया,“शुल्क देनेवालेकी मृत्यु हो जानेपर उसके छोटे भाईको वह कन्या पतिरूपमें ग्रहण करे अथवा जन्मान्तरमें उसी पतिको पानेकी इच्छासे उसीका अनुसरण (चिन्तन) करती हुई आजीवन कुमारी रहकर तपस्या करे
devaraṃ praviśet kanyā tapyed vāpi tapaḥ punaḥ | tamevānugatā bhūtvā pāṇigrāhasya kāmyayā ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Se o homem que pagou o preço da noiva morrer, a donzela deve ou unir‑se ao seu irmão mais novo (como esposo, segundo o dharma), ou então retomar as austeridades—permanecendo devotada em pensamento àquele mesmo noivo, com o desejo de alcançá‑lo (ainda que em outro nascimento) e vivendo por toda a vida como donzela.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a marriage arrangement is disrupted by the death of the bridegroom (the one who paid the bride-price), dharma offers two sanctioned paths: accept the younger brother as husband to preserve familial continuity, or maintain chastity and practice austerity with steadfast fidelity to the intended husband, aspiring to reunion even beyond this life.
In Bhishma’s instruction on conduct and social-religious law, he addresses the proper course for a maiden whose intended husband dies after paying the bride-price, outlining either a substitute marriage within the same family (with the devara) or a life of ascetic fidelity.