Shloka 26
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यस्त्वत्र मन्त्रसमयो भारयपत्योर्मिथ: कृत: । तमेवाहुर्गरीयांसं यश्चासौ ज्ञातिभि: कृत:
yas tv atra mantrasamayo bhāryāpatyor mithaḥ kṛtaḥ | tam evāhur garīyāṁsaṁ yaś cāsau jñātibhiḥ kṛtaḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—यस्त्वत्र मन्त्रसमयो भार्यापत्योर्मिथः कृतः, तमेवाहुर्गरीयांसं यश्चासौ ज्ञातिभिः कृतः। भार्यापत्योः परस्परं मन्त्रपूर्वकः समयो यः कृतः स एव गरीयान् इति कथ्यते; स च यदि ज्ञातिभिः समर्थितः स्वीकृतश्च, ततोऽपि प्रशस्यतरः, यतः स व्यक्तिगतव्रतं सामाजिकस्थैर्येण सह योजयति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A marital bond is strongest when it is a mutual vow solemnized through proper ritual (mantra-recitation). Its ethical force becomes even firmer when the wider family (kinsmen) also affirms it, joining personal commitment with social responsibility.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma-related norms, explaining which kind of marital commitment is considered most authoritative: the spouses’ ritually sanctified mutual pledge, especially when supported by relatives.