Mahabharata 1.103.13 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 103, Shloka 13

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow

Devanagari script

अलंकृत्य यथाशक्ति प्रदाय च धनान्यपि । प्रयच्छन्त्यपरे कन्या मिथुनेन गवामपि

Transliteration

alaṅkṛtya yathāśakti pradāya ca dhanāny api | prayacchanty apare kanyā mithunena gavām api, rājan ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, manche schmücken die Jungfrau nach Kräften mit Gewändern und Schmuck und geben ihr zudem Gaben an Reichtum; dann geben sie sie zur Ehe. Andere geben die Jungfrau zusammen mit einem Paar Rindern.“

Word by Word

• अलंकृत्य: having adorned
• Type: Verb
• Root: अलंकृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• यथा: as, according to
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• शक्ति: in (one's) capacity/ability
• शक्ति: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• प्रदाय: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रदा (प्र + दा) (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धनानि: wealth, gifts
• धनानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• प्रयच्छन्ति: they give, they bestow
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + यम् (धातु)
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• अपरे: others
• अपरे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कन्याम्: a maiden/daughter (in marriage)
• कन्याम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मिथुनेन: with a pair/couple
• मिथुनेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मिथुन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• गवाम्: of cows (cattle)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• अपि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• rājan (King Janamejaya, implied addressee)
• kanyā (the maiden/bride)
• mithuna (a pair)
• gavām (cattle: cow/ox pair)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic marriage-giving as an act calibrated to one’s means: adorning the bride and giving wealth where possible, or following a simpler customary form involving a pair of cattle—both presented as socially recognized modes of kanyādāna.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains to the king differing accepted practices of giving a daughter in marriage: one involving adornment and gifts of wealth, and another involving the offering of a pair of cattle along with the maiden.