Shloka 8

Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue

Devanagari script

अष्टावेव समासेन विवाहा धर्मत:ः स्मृता: । ब्राह्मो दैवस्तथैवार्ष: प्राजापत्यस्तथासुर:,धर्मशास्त्रकी दृष्टिसे संक्षेपसे आठ प्रकारके ही विवाह माने गये हैं--ब्राह्म, दैव, आर्ष, प्राजापत्य, आसुर, गान्धर्व, राक्षस तथा आठवाँ पैशाच।- स्वायम्भुव मनुका कथन है कि इनमें बादवालोंकी अपेक्षा पहलेवाले विवाह धर्मानुकूल हैं

Transliteration

aṣṭāveva samāsena vivāhā dharmataḥ smṛtāḥ | brāhmo daivastathaivārṣaḥ prājāpatyastathāsuraḥ ||

Translation

Dushyanta nói: “Tóm lược theo truyền thống của Dharma, hôn nhân được thừa nhận có tám hình thức: Brāhma, Daiva, Ārṣa, Prājāpatya và Āsura (và theo hàm ý còn ba hình thức nữa—Gāndharva, Rākṣasa và Paiśāca).” Lời ấy đặt hôn nhân như một định chế đạo đức chịu sự phân loại của śāstra, trong đó có những hình thức được xem là thuận với dharma hơn những hình thức khác.

Word by Word

• {'aṣṭa': 'eight', 'eva': 'indeed

• only', 'samāsena': 'briefly

• in summary', 'vivāhāḥ': 'marriages

• forms of marriage', 'dharmataḥ': 'according to dharma

• from the standpoint of righteousness/law', 'smṛtāḥ': 'are remembered/recorded (in Smṛti tradition)

• are traditionally taught', 'brāhmaḥ': 'Brāhma marriage (gift of the bride to a worthy man, without bride-price)', 'daivaḥ': 'Daiva marriage (giving the bride to a priest in connection with a sacrifice)', 'ārṣaḥ': 'Ārṣa marriage (marriage with a token gift such as cattle, associated with ṛṣi-tradition)', 'prājāpatyaḥ': 'Prājāpatya marriage (giving the bride with a blessing for joint dharmic household life)', 'āsuraḥ': 'Āsura marriage (marriage involving payment/wealth given to the bride’s family)'}

Speaker

दुष्यन्त उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Duṣyanta

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that marriage is not a single undifferentiated act but is ethically evaluated in dharma-śāstra through recognized categories; the tradition remembers eight forms, implying a hierarchy of moral acceptability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Duṣyanta is speaking in a didactic mode, invoking dharma-tradition to classify forms of marriage, setting a normative framework for discussing marital legitimacy and conduct.