Shloka 34
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
क्योंकि इस प्रकार जो कन्याके लिये आभूषण लेकर कन्यादान किया जाता है, वह न तो मूल्य है और न विक्रय ही; इसलिये कन्याके लिये कोई वस्तु स्वीकार करके कन्याका दान करना सनातन धर्म है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | evaṃ hi yā kanyāyāḥ kṛte bhūṣaṇāni gṛhītvā kanyādānaṃ kriyate, na tat mūlyaṃ na ca vikrayaḥ; tasmāt kanyāyāḥ kṛte kiñcid vastu pratigṛhya kanyādānaṃ sanātano dharmaḥ || dāsyāmi bhavate kanyām iti pūrvaṃ na bhāṣitam | ye cāhuyeṃ ca nāhuyeṃ ye cāvaśyaṃ vadanty uta, teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ vacanāni kanyā-dānāt pūrvaṃ na uktavat-tulyāni ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: Kapag tumanggap ng alahas sa pagkakataon ng pag-aalay ng isang dalaga sa pag-aasawa, iyon ay hindi “halaga” at hindi rin “pagbebenta”; kaya ang pagtanggap ng isang kaugaliang handog para sa dalaga at saka siya ibigay ay itinuturing na sinaunang tuntunin ng dharma. Ngunit ang mga salitang, “Ibibigay ko sa iyo ang aking anak na babae,” ay hindi dapat ituring na matibay na naipangako na: maging sabihin man ng mga tao sa iba’t ibang manliligaw na “ibibigay ko,” o “hindi ko ibibigay,” o kahit “tiyak na ibibigay ko,” ang lahat ng gayong pahayag—hanggang hindi natatapos ang mismong pagbibigay ng dalaga—ay itinuturing na hindi pa tunay na nagbubuklod.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes customary marriage gifts (like ornaments for the bride) from a commercial sale: accepting such items does not make the maiden a commodity. He also teaches that verbal assurances about giving a daughter are not fully binding until the formal act of kanyādāna is actually performed.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he addresses norms around marriage arrangements: what counts as legitimate customary giving, and how to evaluate spoken promises about giving a maiden before the marriage rite is completed.