Shloka 33
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
यच्च तां च ददत्येवं न शुल्क विक्रयो न सः । प्रतिगृह्म भवेद् देयमेष धर्म: सनातन:
yac ca tāṃ ca dadaty evaṃ na śulka-vikrayo na saḥ | pratigṛhṇan bhaved deyaṃ eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Và khi gả nàng theo cách ấy, đó không phải là bán nàng để lấy giá cô dâu—người cha không phải kẻ buôn bán. Vật được trao nên được nhận như một lễ vật; ấy là quy tắc dharma muôn đời.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes righteous marriage-giving from commercial transaction: giving a maiden is not to be treated as a sale for a demanded bride-price; what is offered should be received as a gift, in keeping with enduring dharma.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially social and household norms), he clarifies the ethical boundary in marriage arrangements: payments must not turn the act into ‘selling’ the bride; acceptance should be in the spirit of a gift rather than purchase.