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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 2 of 2 (Verses 25 shown)
न वै निष्ठाकरं शुल्कं ज्ञात्वासीत्तेन नाहृतम् । न हि शुल्कपराः सन्तः कन्यां ददति कर्हिचित् ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said The gift of the dower does not make the girl wife. This is wellknown to the person paying it. He pays it simply as the price of the girl . Then again the good never bestow their daughters, induced by the dowers that others may offer.
अन्यैर्गुणैरुपेतं तु शुल्कं याचन्ति बान्धवाः । अलंकृत्वा वहस्वेति यो दद्यादनुकूलतः ॥
English Translation
When the person desirous of marrying happens to be gifted with such qualities as do not go down with the girl's kinsmen, it is then that kinsmen demand dower from him. The person, however, who won over by another's accomplishments, says,—Do you marry my girl, adorning her with proper ornaments of gold and gems,—and that person who satisfies this request, cannot be said to demand dower or give it, for such a transaction is not a sale. The bestowal of a daughter upon acceptance of what may properly be considered as gifts is the eternal practice.
तच्च तां च ददात्येव न शुल्कं विक्रयो न सः । प्रतिगृह्य भवेद्देयमेष धर्मः सनातनः ॥
दास्यामि भवते कन्यामिति पूर्वं नभाषितम् । ये चैवाहुर्ये च नाहुर्ये चावश्यं वदन्त्युत ॥
English Translation
In matters of marriage, some fathers say-I shall bestow my daughter upon such and such a person; some say-~-I shall not bestow my daughter upon such a one:—Some, again, say forcibly—I must bestow my daughter upon such an individual.
तस्मादा ग्रहणात्पाणेर्याचयन्ति परस्परम् । कन्यावरः पुरा दत्तो मरुद्भिरिति नः श्रुतम् ॥
English Translation
These declarations are not tantamount to actual marriage. People are seen to solicit one another for the hands of maidens. Till the hand is actually taken with due rites, marriage does not happen. We have heard that even this was the boon granted to men formerly by the Maruts about maidens.
नानिष्टाय प्रदातव्या कन्या इत्यृषिचोदितम् । तन्मूलं काममूलस्य प्रजनस्येति मे मतिः ॥
English Translation
The Rishis have laid the command upon all men that maidens should never be bestowed upon persons unless the father are eligible. The daughter is the root of desire and of descendants of the collateral line. This is what I think.
समीक्ष्य च बहून्दोषान्संवासाद्विद्विषाणयोः । यथा निष्ठाकरं शुल्कं न जात्वासीत्तथा शृणु ॥
English Translation
The practice of sale and purchase of the daughter, has been known to human beings for a long time. On account of such familiarity with the practice, you may be able, upon careful examination, to find innumerable faults in it. The gift or acceptance of dower alone could not be considered as creating the relation of husband and wife. Listen to what I say on this head.
अहं विचित्रवीर्याय द्वे कन्ये समुदावहम् । जित्वा च मागधान्सर्वान्काशीनथ च कोसलान् । गृहीतपाणिरेकासीत्प्राप्तशुल्कापराभवत् ॥
English Translation
was Formerly, having defeated all the Magadhas, the Kashis, and the Koshalas, I bought away by force two maidens for Vichitravirya.
पाणौ गृहीता तत्रैव विसृज्या इति मे पिता । अब्रवीदितरां कन्यामावहत्स तु कौरवः ॥
अप्यन्यामनुपप्रच्छ शङ्कमानः पितुर्वचः । अतीव ह्यस्य धर्मेप्सा पितुर्मेऽभ्यधिकाभवत् ॥
ततोऽहमब्रुवं राजन्नाचारेप्सुरिदं वचः । आचारं तत्त्वतो वेत्तुमिच्छामीति पुनः पुनः ॥
English Translation
I then went to my father himself, O king, and addressed him these words from desire of Knowing something about the practices of pious people in respect of marriage: I wish, O sire, to know what in truth the practices are of righteous people! I repeatedly expressed my wish. Such was my eagerness and curiosity, that I expressed my desire several times.
ततो मयैवमुक्ते तु वाक्ये धर्मभृतां वरः । पिता मम महाराज बाह्लीको वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥
English Translation
After I had uttered those words that foremost of pious men, viz., my father Balhika, answered me, saying-If in your opinion the relation of husband and wife belongs to the gift and acceptance of dower and not to the actual taking of the maiden's hand with due rites, the father of the maiden would show himself to be the follower of a creed other than that which comes from the ordinary scriptures. This is what the accepted scriptures say.
यदि वः शुल्कतो निष्ठा न पाणिग्रहणं तथा । लाजान्तरमुपासीत प्राप्तशुल्का पतिं वृतम् ॥
न हि धर्मविदः प्राहुः प्रमाणं वाक्यतः स्मृतम् । येषां वै शुल्कतो निष्ठा न पाणिग्रहणात्तथा ॥
English Translation
Persons conversant with morality and duty do not hold that their words are at all authoritative who say that the relation of husband and wife arises from the gift and acceptance of dower, and not from the actual taking of the hand with due rites.
प्रसिद्धं भाषितं दाने तेषां प्रत्यसनं पुनः । ये मन्यन्ते क्रयं शुल्कं न ते धर्मविदो जनाः ॥
English Translation
The saying is well known that the relation of husband and wife is created by actual bestowal of the daughter by the father. The relation of wife is not formed through sale and purchase. They who consider such status to be due to sale and the gift of dower are persons who are certainly unacquainted with the scriptures.
न चैतेभ्यः प्रदातव्या न वोढव्या तथाविधा । न ह्येव भार्या क्रेतव्या न विक्रेया कथंचन ॥
English Translation
No one should bestow his daughter upon such persons. In fact, they are not men with whom one may marry his daughter. A wife should never be purchased. Nor should a father sell his daughter.
ये च क्रीणन्ति दासीवद्ये च विक्रीणते जनाः । भवेत्तेषां तथा निष्ठा लुब्धानां पापचेतसाम् ॥
English Translation
Only those sinful persons who possessed besides, by cupidity, and who sell and purchase female slaves for making them servants, consider the relation of wife as capable of originating from the gift and acceptance of dower.
अस्मिन्धर्मे सत्यवन्तं पर्यपृच्छन्त वै जनाः । कन्यायाः प्राप्तशुल्कायाः शुल्कदः प्रशमं गतः ॥
English Translation
On this subject some people on one occasion had asked prince Satyavat the are following question-If the giver of a dower to the kinsmen of a maiden happens to die before marriage, can another person take the hand of that maiden in marriage? We have doubts on this matter. Do you remove these doubts of ours for you are gifted with great wisdom and are honoured by the wise.
पाणिग्रहीता चान्यः स्यादत्र नो धर्मसंशयः । तन्नश्छिन्धि महाप्राज्ञ त्वं हि वै प्राज्ञसंमतः । तत्त्वं जिज्ञासमानानां चक्षुर्भवतु नो भवान् ॥
तानेवं ब्रुवतः सर्वान्सत्यवान्वाक्यमब्रवीत् । यत्रेष्टं तत्र देया स्यान्नात्र कार्या विचारणा । कुर्वते जीवतोऽप्येवं मृते नैवास्ति संशयः ॥
English Translation
ghaflat citantsura ya taifat HyrT:114 811 Be you the eyes to ourselves who are desirous of learning the truth.—Prince Satyavat answered, saying,-The kinsmen of the maiden should bestow her upon him whom they consider proper. There need be no scruples in this. The righteous act thus without caring for the giver of the dower even if he be alive! while, about the giver who is dead, there is not the slightest doubt.
देवरं प्रविशेत्कन्या तप्येद्वापि महत्तपः । तमेवानुव्रता भूत्वा पाणिग्राहस्य नाम सा ॥
English Translation
Some say that the virgin wife or widow, whose, marriage has not been consummated with her husband by actual sexual intercourse on account of his absence or death-may be allowed to unite herself with her husband's younger brother or such other relation. The husband dying before such consummation, the virginwidow may either surrender herself to her husband's younger brother or practise penances.
लिखन्त्येव तु केषांचिदपरेषां शनैरपि । इति ये संवदन्त्यत्र त एतं निश्चयं विदुः ॥
English Translation
In the opinion of some, the younger brother of the husband or such other relation may thus use the virgin wife or widow, though others hold that such practice, though it is frequent, originates from desire instead of being a scriptural ordinance. They who say so are clearly of opinion that the father of a maiden has the right to bestow her upon any eligible person, disregarding the dower previously given by another and accepted by himself. one
तत्पाणिग्रहणात्पूर्वमुत्तरं यत्र वर्तते । सर्वमङ्गलमन्त्रं वै मृषावादस्तु पातकः ॥
English Translation
If after the hand of a maiden has been promised all the initial rites before marriage be performed, the maiden may still be given to a person other than the one to whom she had been promised. Only the giver commits the sin of falsehood; so far, however, as the relation of wife is concerned, no injury can occur thereto.
पाणिग्रहणमन्त्राणां निष्ठा स्यात्सप्तमे पदे । पाणिग्राहस्य भार्या स्याद्यस्य चाद्भिः प्रदीयते ॥
English Translation
The Mantras of marriage accomplish their object of bringing about the indissoluble union of marriage at the seventh step. The maiden becomes the wife of him to whom the gift is actually made with water.
अनुकूलामनुवंशां भ्रात्रा दत्तामुपाग्निकाम् । परिक्रम्य यथान्यायं भार्यां विन्देद्द्विजोत्तमः ॥
English Translation
The gift of maidens should be made in the following way. The wise know it forsooth. A superior Brahmana should marry a maiden who is not unwilling, who belongs to a family equal to his own in purity or dignity, and who is given away by her brother. Such a girl should be married in the presence of fire, with due rites, causing her, amongst other things, to go round the bridegroom for the usual number of times.
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