Shloka 25
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
बन्धुभि: समनुज्ञाते मन्त्रहोमौ प्रयोजयेत् । तथा सिद्धयन्ति ते मन्त्रा नादत्ताया: कथंचन
bandhubhiḥ samanujñāte mantrahomau prayojayet | tathā siddhyanti te mantrā nādattāyāḥ kathaṃcana ||
भीष्म उवाच—बन्धुभिः समनुज्ञाते मन्त्रहोमौ प्रयोजयेत्। तथा सिद्ध्यन्ति ते मन्त्रा नादत्तायाः कथञ्चन। कन्यायाः कुटुम्बिजनानां संमतौ लब्धायां विवाहमन्त्रान् सह होमेन प्रयुञ्जीत; तदैव ते मन्त्रा सिद्धिं यान्ति। या तु मातापित्रोः सम्यग् नादत्ता, तस्याः कृते मन्त्रप्रयोगो न कथञ्चन सिद्ध्यति; न च स वैदिकविधिना संस्कृतो विवाह इति मन्यते।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual validity depends on rightful authorization: marriage mantras and homa are considered efficacious only when performed with the consent of the girl’s guardians/kinsmen and when she is duly ‘given’ in marriage; otherwise the rite is treated as not properly accomplished.
In Bhishma’s dharma-instruction discourse (Anushasana Parva), he lays down a rule about the proper performance of marriage rites, emphasizing consent and formal guardianship-based giving as prerequisites for the success of the Vedic mantras and homa.