Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
अयं हि सर्वधर्माणां धर्मश्चिन्त्यतमो मतः । कीदृशस्य प्रदेया स्थात् कन्येति वसुधाधिप,पृथ्वीनाथ! सब धर्मोंसे बढ़कर यही चिन्तन करने योग्य धर्म माना गया है कि कैसे पात्रको कन्या देनी चाहिये?
ayaṁ hi sarvadharmāṇāṁ dharmaś cintyatamo mataḥ | kīdṛśasya pradeyā syāt kanyeti vasudhādhipa ||
یُدھِشٹھِر نے کہا— اے زمین کے مالک! تمام فرائض میں یہ سب سے زیادہ غور و فکر کے لائق فرض سمجھا گیا ہے کہ بیٹی کا نکاح کس قسم کے مرد سے کرنا چاہیے۔
युधिछिर उवाच
That the duty of giving a daughter in marriage (kanyā-pradāna) is not a mere formality but a highly deliberative ethical responsibility, requiring careful judgment of the prospective groom’s character and fitness.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a question to a royal authority/teacher figure, asking what kind of man is truly worthy to receive a daughter in marriage, framing it as one of the most subtle and important matters of dharma.