Shloka 28
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
युधिछिर उवाच कन्यायां प्राप्तशुल्कायां ज्यायांश्वैदाव्रजेद् वर: । धर्मकामार्थसम्पन्नो वाच्यमत्रानृतं न वा
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: kanyāyāṃ prāptaśulkāyāṃ jyāyān vai dāvrājed varaḥ | dharmakāmārthasampanno vācyam atrānṛtaṃ na vā ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O lolo, kung ang isang dalaga ay napagkasunduan na at natanggap na ang kabayarang pangkasal (kaya’t itinuturing na tiyak na ang kasal), ngunit pagkaraan ay may dumating na mas dakilang mapapangasawa—higit na marangal at pinagkalooban ng dharma, kasaganaan, at wastong pagnanasa—dapat bang magsalita ng di-katotohanan sa bagay na ito o hindi? Ibig sabihin, maaari bang tanggihan ang naunang manliligaw at tumangging ibigay sa kanya ang dalaga matapos tanggapin ang kabayaran?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: whether truthfulness and honoring an accepted marital agreement outweigh the practical advantage of choosing a later, superior match. It asks if falsehood or denial can ever be justified when prior commitment (sealed by accepting śulka) exists.
Yudhiṣṭhira, in dialogue with Bhīṣma (the grandsire), poses a legal-ethical question about marriage customs: after accepting a bride-price and thereby confirming a match, can the family retract the promise if a better-qualified suitor appears, and would such retraction require or constitute untruth?