Mahabharata — Volume IX (Dutt edition) — Chapter 45
MBh 9 45.1
युधिष्ठिर उवाच कन्यायाः प्राप्तशुल्कायाः पतिश्चेन्नास्ति कश्चन। तत्र का प्रतिपत्तिः स्यात् तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca kanyāyāḥ prāptaśulkāyāḥ patiścennāsti kaścana| tatra kā pratipattiḥ syāt tanme brūhi pitāmaha||
Yudhishthira said If a person, after having given dower for a maiden, goes away, how should the maiden's father or other kinsmen who can bestow her, act? Do tell me this, O grandfather?
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.2
भीष्म उवाच याऽपुत्रकस्य ऋद्धस्य प्रतिपाल्या तदा भवेत्। अथ चेन्नाहरेच्छुल्कं क्रीता शुल्कप्रदस्य सा॥
bhīṣma uvāca yā'putrakasya ṛddhasya pratipālyā tadā bhavet| atha cennāharecchulkaṃ krītā śulkapradasya sā||
Bhishma said Such a maiden, if she be the daughter of a sonless and rich father, should be maintained by the father. Indeed, if the father does not return the dower to the kinsmen of the giver, the maiden should be considered as belonging to the giver of the dower.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.3
तस्यार्थेऽपत्यमीहेत येन न्यायेन शक्नुयात्। न तस्मान्मन्त्रवत्कार्यं कश्चित् कुर्वीत किंचन॥
tasyārthe'patyamīheta yena nyāyena śaknuyāt| na tasmānmantravatkāryaṃ kaścit kurvīta kiṃcana||
She may even raise children for the giver by any of those means that are laid down in the scriptures. No person, however, can marry her according to due rites.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.4
स्वयंवृतेन साऽऽज्ञप्ता पित्रा वै प्रत्यपद्यता तत् तस्यान्ये प्रशंसन्ति धर्मज्ञा नेतरे जनाः॥
svayaṃvṛtena sā''jñaptā pitrā vai pratyapadyatā tat tasyānye praśaṃsanti dharmajñā netare janāḥ||
Commanded by her father, the princess Savitri had in days of old chosen a husband and united herself with him. This act of hers is praised by some; but others, conversant with the scriptures, condemn it'.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.5
एतत् तु नापरे चक्रुरपरे जातु साधवः। साधूनां पुनराचारो गरीयान् धर्मलक्षणः॥
etat tu nāpare cakrurapare jātu sādhavaḥ| sādhūnāṃ punarācāro garīyān dharmalakṣaṇaḥ||
Others who are righteous have not acted thus. Others maintain that the conduct of the righteous should ever be considered as the foremost evidence of duty or morality.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.6
अस्मिन्नेव प्रकरणे सुक्रतुर्वाक्यमब्रवीत्। नप्ता विदेहराजस्य जनकस्य महात्मनः॥
asminneva prakaraṇe sukraturvākyamabravīt| naptā videharājasya janakasya mahātmanaḥ||
Upon this subject, Sukratu, the grand son of the great Janaka, the king of the Videhas, has declared the following opinion.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.7
असदाचरिते मार्गे कथं स्यादनुकीर्तनम्। अत्र प्रश्नः संशयो वा सतामेवमुपालभेत्॥
asadācarite mārge kathaṃ syādanukīrtanam| atra praśnaḥ saṃśayo vā satāmevamupālabhet||
There is the wellknown injunction of the scriptures that women can enjoy freedom at any period of their life. If this were not the path of the virtuous, how could this scriptural saying exist? As regards the pious, therefore, how can there be any question or doubt about it? How can people condemn that saying by choosing to conduct themselves otherwise?
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.8
असदेव हि धर्मस्य प्रदानं धर्म आसुरः। नानुशुश्रुम जात्वेतामिमां पूर्वेषु कर्मसु॥
asadeva hi dharmasya pradānaṃ dharma āsuraḥ| nānuśuśruma jātvetāmimāṃ pūrveṣu karmasu||
The impious violation of eternal practice is considered as the practice of the Asuras. We never hear of such practice in the conduct of the ancients.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.9
भार्यापत्योर्हि सम्बन्धः स्त्रीपुंसोः स्वल्प एव तु। रतिः साधारणो धर्म इति चाह स पार्थिवः॥
bhāryāpatyorhi sambandhaḥ strīpuṃsoḥ svalpa eva tu| ratiḥ sādhāraṇo dharma iti cāha sa pārthivaḥ||
The relationship of husband and wife is very subtile. It is different from the natural relationship of male and female which consists only in the desire for sexual intercourse. This also was said by ihe king of Janaka's race.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.10
युधिष्ठिर उवाच अथ केन प्रमाणेन पुंसामादीयते धनम्। पुत्रवद्धि पितुस्तस्य कन्या भवितुमर्हति॥
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca atha kena pramāṇena puṃsāmādīyate dhanam| putravaddhi pitustasya kanyā bhavitumarhati||
Yudhishthira said Under what authority is the property of men inherited (by others when they happen to have daughters)? As for her father the daughter should be considered the same as the son.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.11
भीष्म उवाच यथैवात्मा तथा पुत्रः पुत्रेण दुहिता समा। तस्यामात्मनि तिष्ठन्त्यां कथमन्यो धनं हरेत्॥
bhīṣma uvāca yathaivātmā tathā putraḥ putreṇa duhitā samā| tasyāmātmani tiṣṭhantyāṃ kathamanyo dhanaṃ haret||
Bhishma said The son is even as one's own self, and the daughter is like the son. How, therefore, can another take the riches when one lives in his ownself in the form of his daughter?
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.12
मातुश्च यौतकं यत् स्यात् कुमारीभाग एव सः। दौहित्र एव तद् रिक्थमपुत्रस्य पितुर्हरेत्॥
mātuśca yautakaṃ yat syāt kumārībhāga eva saḥ| dauhitra eva tad rikthamaputrasya piturharet||
Whatever is the own property of the mother, is due to the maiden daughter. If the maternal grandfather happens to die without leaving sons, the daughter's son should inherit it.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.13
ददाति हि स पिण्डान् वै पितुर्मातामहस्य च। पुत्रदौहित्रयोरेव विशेषो नास्ति धर्मतः॥
dadāti hi sa piṇḍān vai piturmātāmahasya ca| putradauhitrayoreva viśeṣo nāsti dharmataḥ||
The daughter's son offers funeral cakes to his own father and the father of his mother. Hence, for the ends of justice, there is no difference between the son and their daughte son.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.14
अन्यत्र जामया साधु प्रजानां पुत्र ईहते। दुहितान्यत्र जातेन पुत्रेणापि विशिष्यते॥
anyatra jāmayā sādhu prajānāṃ putra īhate| duhitānyatra jātena putreṇāpi viśiṣyate||
When a person has got only a daughter and she has been invested by him with the position of a son, if he then happens to have a son, such son shares the inheritance with the daughter. When, again, a person has got a daughter and she has been invested by him with the position of a son, if he then happens to take a son by adoption or purchase, then the daughter is considered superior to such son.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.15
दौहित्रकेण धर्मेण नात्र पश्यामि कारणम्। विक्रीतासु हि ये पुत्रा भवन्ति पितुरेव ते॥
dauhitrakeṇa dharmeṇa nātra paśyāmi kāraṇam| vikrītāsu hi ye putrā bhavanti pitureva te||
In the following case I do not see any reason why the daughter's son should be considered as the proper heir. The case is that of the daughter who has been sold by her father. The sons born of a daughter who has been sold by her sire for actual price, belong exclusively to their father. Such sons can never belong, even as daughter's sons, to their maternal grandfather on account of his having sold their mother for price and lost all his rights in or to her by that deed.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.16
असूयवस्त्वधर्मिष्ठाः परस्वादायिनः शठाः। आसुरादधिसम्भूता धर्माद् विषमवृत्तयः॥
asūyavastvadharmiṣṭhāḥ parasvādāyinaḥ śaṭhāḥ| āsurādadhisambhūtā dharmād viṣamavṛttayaḥ||
Such sons, again, become full of malice, impious in conduct, the misappropriators of other people's riches, and full of deceit and cunning. Having originated from that sinful form of marriage called Asura, the offspring becomes wicked in conduct.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.17
अत्र गाथा यमोद्भीताः कीर्तयन्ति पुराविदः। धर्मज्ञा धर्मशास्त्रेषु निबद्धा धर्मसेतुषु॥
atra gāthā yamodbhītāḥ kīrtayanti purāvidaḥ| dharmajñā dharmaśāstreṣu nibaddhā dharmasetuṣu||
Persons acquainted with ancient history, conversant with duties, devoted to the scriptures and firm in maintaining the restrictions therein laid down, recite in this connection some verses sung in days of yore by Yama.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.18
यो मनुष्यः स्वकं पुत्रं विक्रीय धनमिच्छति। कन्यां वा जीवितार्थाय यः शुल्केन प्रयच्छति॥ सप्तावरे महाघोरे निरये कालसाह्वये। स्वेदं मूत्रं पुरीषं च तस्मिन् मूढः समश्नुते॥
yo manuṣyaḥ svakaṃ putraṃ vikrīya dhanamicchati| kanyāṃ vā jīvitārthāya yaḥ śulkena prayacchati|| saptāvare mahāghore niraye kālasāhvaye| svedaṃ mūtraṃ purīṣaṃ ca tasmin mūḍhaḥ samaśnute||
That man who acquires riches by selling his own son, or who bestows his daughter after accepting a dower for his own livelihood, has to sink in seven dreadful hells one after another, known by the name of Kalas. There that wretch has to feed upon sweat and urine and stools during that period.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.19
आर्षे गोमिथुनं शुल्कं केचिदाहुम॒षैव तत्। अल्पो वा बहु वा राजन् विक्रयस्तावदेव सः॥
ārṣe gomithunaṃ śulkaṃ kecidāhuma॒ṣaiva tat| alpo vā bahu vā rājan vikrayastāvadeva saḥ||
In that form of marriage which is called Arsha, the person who marries has to give a bull and a cow and the father of the maiden accepts the gift. Some characterise this gift as a dower (or price), while some are of opinion that it should not be considered in that light. The true opinion, however, is that a gift for such a purpose, be it of small value or large, should, O king, be considered as dower or price, and the bestowal of the daughter under such circumstances should be considered as a sale.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.20
यद्यप्याचरित: कैश्चिन्नैष धर्मः सनातनः। अन्येषामपि दृश्यन्ते लोकतः सम्प्रवृत्तयः॥
yadyapyācarita: kaiścinnaiṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ| anyeṣāmapi dṛśyante lokataḥ sampravṛttayaḥ||
Despite the fact of its having been practised by a few persons it can never be taken as the eternal practice. Other forms of marriage are seen, practiced by men, such as marrying girls after carrying them away by force from amidst their kinsmen.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.21
वश्यां कुमारी बलतो ये तां समुपभुजते। एते पापस्य कर्तारस्तमस्यन्थे च शेरते॥
vaśyāṃ kumārī balato ye tāṃ samupabhujate| ete pāpasya kartārastamasyanthe ca śerate||
Those persons who have sexual intercourse with a maiden, by force are considered as perpetrators of sin. They have to sink in darkest hell.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)
MBh 9 45.22
अन्योऽप्यथ न विक्रेयो मनुष्यः किं पुनः प्रजाः। अधर्ममूलैर्हि धनैस्तैर्न धर्मोऽथ कश्चन॥
anyo'pyatha na vikreyo manuṣyaḥ kiṃ punaḥ prajāḥ| adharmamūlairhi dhanaistairna dharmo'tha kaścana||
Even a human being who is not a relation of blood should not be sold. What need then be said of one's own child? With the riches that is acquired by doing sinful deeds, no meritorious deed can be performed.
— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)