Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कुलीनाय सुरूपाय गुणज्ञाय मनीषिणे । सुलग्ने सुमुहूर्ते च दद्यात्कन्यामलंकृताम्

Transliteration

kulīnāya surūpāya guṇajñāya manīṣiṇe | sulagne sumuhūrte ca dadyātkanyāmalaṃkṛtām

Translation

Man sollte die geschmückte Jungfrau einem Mann von guter Abstammung, gefälliger Gestalt, Tugendkenntnis und Weisheit geben – zu einem glückverheißenden Hochzeitsmoment und einer günstigen Muhūrta.

Word by Word

• kulīnāya: to a noble-born man
• kulīnāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kulīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (recipient)

• surūpāya: to a handsome man
• surūpāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: surūpa (प्रातिपदिक; su+rūpa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सुन्दरं रूपं यस्य)

• guṇajñāya: to one who knows virtues
• guṇajñāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇajña (प्रातिपदिक; guṇa+jña)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (गुणान् जानाति)

• manīṣiṇe: to a wise man
• manīṣiṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manīṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sulagne: at an auspicious time (lagna)
• sulagne: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sulagna (प्रातिपदिक; su+lagna)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-लग्ने)

• sumuhūrte: at a good moment
• sumuhūrte: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sumuhūrta (प्रातिपदिक; su+muhūrta)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• dadyāt: should give
• dadyāt: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kanyām: a daughter
• kanyām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• alaṃkṛtām: adorned
• alaṃkṛtām: Qualifier (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alaṃ-kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘adorned’ (kanyām)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-khaṇḍa milieu

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the questioner

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wedding pavilion scene: the bride adorned; elders and priests; the groom depicted as noble and learned; an auspicious moment marked by ritual gestures and celestial signs (lagna).

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

That kanyādāna should be performed responsibly—offering the daughter to a worthy groom and at an auspicious time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it is a dharma-instruction within Revākhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To conduct the marriage-gift at a proper lagna and muhūrta, and to give the bride adorned, to a qualified groom.