Shloka 35
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
तस्मादा ग्रहणात् पाणेर्याचयन्ति परस्परम् । कन्यावर: पुरा दत्तो मरुद्धिरिति न: श्रुतम्
tasmād āgrahaṇāt pāṇer yācayanti parasparam | kanyāvaraḥ purā datto marudbhir iti naḥ śrutam ||
毗湿摩说：因此，在执取新娘之手的仪式（pāṇigrahaṇa）完成之前，男子与少女可以彼此求取——双方皆可向对方提出请求。我们听闻，远古之时，风神众（Maruts）曾将这种“男女择偶之权”作为被认可的权利而赐予。故在行执手礼之前，准新郎与准新娘之间的相互求婚是允许的。
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Until the pāṇigrahaṇa rite is performed, the prospective bride and groom are not yet ritually bound; therefore, mutual seeking/asking is allowed. The passage grounds this permissibility in traditional authority attributed to the Maruts.
Bhīṣma is explaining norms of marriage-dharma: he clarifies when a match becomes binding and cites an old tradition—said to be granted by the Maruts—to justify that prior to the hand-taking ceremony, the parties may still request or choose one another.