Shloka 9
Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue
गान्धर्वो राक्षसश्वैव पैशाचश्चाष्टम: स्मृत: । तेषां धर्म्यान् यथापूर्व मनु: स्वायम्भुवोडब्रवीत्,धर्मशास्त्रकी दृष्टिसे संक्षेपसे आठ प्रकारके ही विवाह माने गये हैं--ब्राह्म, दैव, आर्ष, प्राजापत्य, आसुर, गान्धर्व, राक्षस तथा आठवाँ पैशाच।- स्वायम्भुव मनुका कथन है कि इनमें बादवालोंकी अपेक्षा पहलेवाले विवाह धर्मानुकूल हैं
gāndharvo rākṣasaś caiva paiśācaś cāṣṭamaḥ smṛtaḥ | teṣāṃ dharmyān yathāpūrvaṃ manuḥ svāyambhuvo 'bravīt ||
Душьянта сказал: «Также считаются гандхарва (Gāndharva), ракшаса (Rākṣasa) и пайшача (Paiśāca) — пайшача помнят как восьмой. Из этих видов брака Ману Сваямбхува (Manu Svāyambhuva) провозгласил, что названные ранее, в должном порядке, более дхармичны (одобрены и нравственно, и ритуально)».
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks marriage forms by dharma: while multiple types are recognized, Manu’s standard treats the earlier-listed forms as progressively more legitimate and ethically approved than the later ones, especially compared to coercive or violative unions.
Duṣyanta cites traditional dharmaśāstra authority (Manu Svāyambhuva) to define and evaluate recognized marriage types, emphasizing that not all socially known unions carry the same moral and legal standing.