Shloka 20
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
तयोर्विस्पर्थतोरेवे शपथो5यमभूत् तदा । सहसोद्दिश्य विपुलं ततो वाक्यमथोचतु:
tayor vispartator eva śapatho 'yam abhūt tadā | sahasoddhiśya vipulaṃ tato vākyam athocatuḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：当他们二人仍彼此争竞不休之时，这誓言便在那一刻立下。其后，他们怀着大胆而强烈的意志，说出了分量极重的话语——这些话将束缚他们的行止，并塑造随后的一切。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how contention can culminate in binding vows, and how speech—especially an oath—creates moral and practical obligations. It implicitly warns that forceful words spoken in the heat of rivalry can determine future conduct and consequences.
Bhīṣma narrates that two individuals are engaged in a contest or dispute. In that context an oath is made, and then the two deliver a significant statement—suggesting a turning point where their rivalry becomes formalized through a vow.