Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, 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 ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Sa iba’t ibang anyo ng paninindigan sa pag-aasawa, ang sumpang ibinibigay ng mag-asawa sa isa’t isa sa wastong ritwal—na may kasamang banal na pagbigkas—ang itinuturing na pinakamabigat. At kung ang bigkis na iyon ay pinagtitibay at sinusuportahan pa ng mga kamag-anak, lalo itong kapuri-puri, sapagkat pinagbubuklod nito ang personal na panata at ang pagsang-ayon ng lipunan at katatagan.”
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.