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Mahābhārata • Parva 13 (Anuśāsanaparva) • Adhyāya 44

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 44

अनुशासनपर्व • अध्यायः 44

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 44 of the classical Mahābhārata with 55 verses.

Total: 55 Verses • Citations: MBh 13.44.1–55 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 1 of 2 (Verses 30 shown)
यन्मूलं सर्वधर्माणां प्रजनस्य गृहस्य च । पितृदेवातिथीनां च तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥
English Translation
Yudhishthira said Tell me of that, O grandfather, which is the root of all duties, which is the root of kinsmen of home, of the departed manes and of guests.
अयं हि सर्वधर्माणां धर्मश्चिन्त्यतमो मतः । कीदृशाय प्रदेया स्यात्कन्येति वसुधाधिप ॥
English Translation
I think this should be considered as the foremost of all duties. Tell me, however, O king, to what sort of a person should one give his daughter.
शीलवृत्ते समाज्ञाय विद्यां योनिं च कर्म च । अद्भिरेव प्रदातव्या कन्या गुणवते वरे । ब्राह्मणानां सतामेष धर्मो नित्यं युधिष्ठिर ॥
English Translation
Having enquired into the conduct and nature of the person, his learning and acquirements, his birth, and his acts, good people should then confer their daughter upon accomplished bridegrooms.
आवाह्यमावहेदेवं यो दद्यादनुकूलतः । शिष्टानां क्षत्रियाणां च धर्म एष सनातनः ॥
आत्माभिप्रेतमुत्सृज्य कन्याभिप्रेत एव यः । अभिप्रेता च या यस्य तस्मै देया युधिष्ठिर । गान्धर्वमिति तं धर्मं प्राहुर्धर्मविदो जनाः ॥
English Translation
When the father of the girl, without consulting his wishes, confers his own daughter upon a person whom the daughter likes and who reciprocates the girl's sentiments, the form of marriage, O Yudhishthira, is called Gandharva by those versed in the Vedas.
धनेन बहुना क्रीत्वा संप्रलोभ्य च बान्धवान् । असुराणां नृपैतं वै धर्ममाहुर्मनीषिणः ॥
English Translation
The wise have declared, O king, to be the practice of the Asuras, viz., marrying a girl after buying her at a high cost and after gratifying the cupidity of her kinsmen.
हत्वा छित्त्वा च शीर्षाणि रुदतां रुदतीं गृहात् । प्रसह्य हरणं तात राक्षसं धर्मलक्षणम् ॥
English Translation
Killing and chopping off the heads of weeping kinsmen, the bridegroom sometimes forcibly takes away the girl he marries. Such marriage, O son, passes by the name of Rakshasa.
पञ्चानां तु त्रयो धर्म्या द्वावधर्म्यौ युधिष्ठिर । पैशाच आसुरश्चैव न कर्तव्यौ कथंचन ॥
English Translation
Of these five, (viz., the Brahma, the Kshatra, the Gandharva, the Asura, and the Rakshasa), three are righteous, O Yudhishthira, and two are unrighteous, The Paishacha and the Asura forms should, never be followed.
ब्राह्मः क्षात्रोऽथ गान्धर्व एते धर्म्या नरर्षभ । पृथग्वा यदि वा मिश्राः कर्तव्या नात्र संशयः ॥
English Translation
The Brahma, Kshatra, and Gandharva forms are righteous, O prince of men! Pure or mixed, these forms should forsooth be followed.
तिस्रो भार्या ब्राह्मणस्य द्वे भार्ये क्षत्रियस्य तु । वैश्यः स्वजातिं विन्देत तास्वपत्यं समं भवेत् ॥
English Translation
The Brahmana can take three wives. The Kshatriya can take two wives. The Vaishya should take a wife from only his own caste. The children born of these wives should all be considered as equal.
ब्राह्मणी तु भवेज्ज्येष्ठा क्षत्रिया क्षत्रियस्य तु । रत्यर्थमपि शूद्रा स्यान्नेत्याहुरपरे जनाः ॥
English Translation
Of the three wives of a Brahmana. She taken from his own caste should be considered as the foremost. Likewise, of the two wives permitted to the Kshatriya, she taken from his own caste should be considered as superior. Some say that persons belonging to the three higher castes may take, only for purposes of enjoyment, wives from the lowest or the Shudra caste. Others, however, forbid the practice.
अपत्यजन्म शूद्रायां न प्रशंसन्ति साधवः । शूद्रायां जनयन्विप्रः प्रायश्चित्ती विधीयते ॥
English Translation
The righteous condemn the practice of begetting children upon Shudra women. A Brahmana, by begetting children upon a Shudra women, becomes subject to the liability of performing an expiation.
त्रिंशद्वर्षो दशवर्षां भार्यां विन्देत नग्निकाम् । एकविंशतिवर्षो वा सप्तवर्षामवाप्नुयात् ॥
English Translation
A person of thirty years of age should marry a girl of ten years of age wearing a single piece of cloth. Or, a person of one and twenty years of age should marry a girl of seven years of age.
यस्यास्तु न भवेद्भ्राता पिता वा भरतर्षभ । नोपयच्छेत तां जातु पुत्रिकाधर्मिणी हि सा ॥
English Translation
That girl who has no brother nor father should not be married, O chief of Bharata's race, For she may be intended for giving birth to the heir of her father.
त्रीणि वर्षाण्युदीक्षेत कन्या ऋतुमती सती । चतुर्थे त्वथ संप्राप्ते स्वयं भर्तारमर्जयेत् ॥
English Translation
After puberty, it in, the girl (if not married) should wait for three years. On the fourth year, she should look for a husband herself.
प्रजनो हीयते तस्या रतिश्च भरतर्षभ । अतोऽन्यथा वर्तमाना भवेद्वाच्या प्रजापतेः ॥
English Translation
The children of such a girl do not lose their respectability, nor does union with such a girl become disgraceful. If, instead of selecting a husband for herself, she acts otherwise, she gets the reproach of Prajapati herself.
असपिण्डा च या मातुरसगोत्रा च या पितुः । इत्येतामनुगच्छेत तं धर्मं मनुरब्रवीत् ॥
English Translation
One should marry that girl who is not a Sapinda of his mother or of the same family with his father. This is the usage which Manu has declared.
शुल्कमन्येन दत्तं स्याद्ददानीत्याह चापरः । बलादन्यः प्रभाषेत धनमन्यः प्रदर्शयेत् ॥
पाणिग्रहीता त्वन्यः स्यात्कस्य कन्या पितामह । तत्त्वं जिज्ञासमानानां चक्षुर्भवतु नो भवान् ॥
यत्किंचित्कर्म मानुष्यं संस्थानाय प्रकृष्यते । मन्त्रवन्मन्त्रितं तस्य मृषावादस्तु पातकः ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said The deeds of men approved by the wise, are seen to yield good. False speech, however, is always sinful.
भार्यापत्यृत्विगाचार्याः शिष्योपाध्याय एव च । मृषोक्ते दण्डमर्हन्ति नेत्याहुरपरे जनाः ॥
English Translation
The girl herself who becomes wife, the sons born of her, the Ritvijas and preceptors and disciples and Upadhyayas present at the marriage all become liable to expiation if the girl gives her hand to a person other than he whom she had promised to marry. Some are of opinion that no expiation is necessary for such conduct.
न ह्यकामेन संवादं मनुरेवं प्रशंसति । अयशस्यमधर्म्यं च यन्मृषा धर्मकोपनम् ॥
English Translation
Manu does not speak highly of the practice of a girl living with a person whom she does not like. Living as wife with a person whom she does not like, produces disgrace and sin. No one commits sin in any of the following cases.
नैकान्तदोष एकस्मिंस्तद्दानं नोपलभ्यते । धर्मतो यां प्रयच्छन्ति यां च क्रीणन्ति भारत ॥
English Translation
In forcibly carrying away for marriage a girl that is bestowed upon the abductor by the girl's relatives with due rites, as also a girl for whom dower has been paid and accepted, there is no great sin.
बन्धुभिः समनुज्ञातो मन्त्रहोमौ प्रयोजयेत् । तथा सिध्यन्ति ते मन्त्रा नादत्तायाः कथंचन ॥
English Translation
Upon the girl's kinsmen having given their consent, Mantras and Homa should be restored to. Such Mantras truly accomplish their purpose. Mantras and Homa recited and performed in the case of a girl who has not been given away by her kinsmen, do not accomplish their purpose.
यस्त्वत्र मन्त्रसमयो भार्यापत्योर्मिथः कृतः । तमेवाहुर्गरीयांसं यश्चासौ ज्ञातिभिः कृतः ॥
English Translation
The engagement made by the relatives of a girl is, no doubt, binding and sacred. But the engagement that is made by the bride and bridegroom, with the help of Mantras, is very much, more so.
देवदत्तां पतिर्भार्यां वेत्ति धर्मस्य शासनात् । सा दैवीं मानुषीं वाचमनृतां पर्युदस्यति ॥
English Translation
According to the injunctions of the scriptures, the husband should regard his wife as an acquisition due to his own pristine deeds or to what has been ordained by God. One, therefore, commits no sin by accepting for wife a girl who had been promised to another by her kinsmen or for whom dower had been accepted by them from another.
कन्यायां प्राप्तशुल्कायां ज्यायांश्चेदाव्रजेद्वरः । धर्मकामार्थसंपन्नो वाच्यमत्रानृतं न वा ॥
English Translation
Yudhishthira said When after the receipt of dower for a girl, the girl's father more eligible sees a bridegroom,-one, who is endued with the threefold objects, does the girl's father commit sin by rejecting the person from whom dower had been received in favour of him who is more eligible?
तस्मिन्नुभयतो दोषे कुर्वञ्छ्रेयः समाचरेत् । अयं नः सर्वधर्माणां धर्मश्चिन्त्यतमो मतः ॥
English Translation
In such a case either alternative appears to be sinful, for to discard the person to whom the girl has been promised can never be honorable, while to reject the person who is more eligible can never be good. I ask, how should the father act so that he might be said to do that which is beneficial? To us, of all duties this seems to deserve utmost deliberation.
तत्त्वं जिज्ञासमानानां चक्षुर्भवतु नो भवान् । तदेतत्सर्वमाचक्ष्व न हि तृप्यामि कथ्यताम् ॥
English Translation
We are desirous of determining the truth. You, indeed, are our eyes. Do you explain this to us. I am never satiated vith listening to you.
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