Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19
कर्णोत्पलोवाच । यद्येवं स्मर मत्तातं तं गत्वा प्रार्थय स्वयम् । स्वच्छंदा स्याद्यतः कन्या न कथंचित्प्रवर्तिता
karṇotpalovāca | yadyevaṃ smara mattātaṃ taṃ gatvā prārthaya svayam | svacchaṃdā syādyataḥ kanyā na kathaṃcitpravartitā
Karṇotpalā sprach: „Wenn dem so ist, o Smara, dann geh selbst hin und bitte meinen Vater. Denn ein Mädchen soll in seiner Wahl frei sein und darf auf keinerlei Weise gezwungen werden.“
Karṇotpalā
Scene: Karṇotpalā speaks with calm firmness, advising Kāma to approach her father; her posture conveys dignity and autonomy, tempering Kāma’s urgency.
FAQs
Dharma requires proper conduct in marriage: respectful request to guardians and the principle that a maiden should not be coerced.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a larger tīrtha-māhātmya narrative frame.
A social-dharmic prescription: the suitor should formally seek consent through the father/guardian; coercion is rejected.