Shloka 46
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
न चैतेभ्य: प्रदातव्या न वोढव्या तथाविधा । न होव भार्या क्रेतव्या न विक्रय्या कथंचन
na caitebhyaḥ pradātavyā na voḍhavyā tathāvidhā | naiva bhāryā kretavyā na vikrayyā kathaṃcana ||
அத்தகையோருக்கு கன்னியை அளிக்கக் கூடாது; மேலும், இவ்வாறு ‘விற்கப்படுகிற’ கன்னியையும் மணமுடிக்கக் கூடாது. ஏனெனில் மனைவி எந்நிலையிலும் வாங்கவும் விற்கவும் உரிய பொருள் அல்ல।
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that marriage must not treat a woman as property: a wife is not a commodity, so buying or selling in the context of marriage is ethically condemned, and alliances with those who practice it should be avoided.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he lays down a rule about proper marital conduct: do not give one’s daughter to men of such conduct, and do not accept a bride through a transaction resembling sale, because it violates the moral status of marriage.