Shloka 1.32.3
कुशवंशवर्णनम् — The Line of Kuśa and the Disfigurement of Kuśanābha’s Daughters by Vāyu
दीप्तियुक्तान् महोत्साहान् क्षत्रधर्मचिकीर्षया।।।।तानुवाच कुश: पुत्रान् धर्मिष्ठान् सत्यवादिन:।
pitā hi prabhur asmākaṃ daivataṃ paramaṃ hi naḥ | yasya no dāsyati pitā sa no bhartā bhaviṣyati ||
Our father is indeed our lord; to us he is the highest divine authority. Whomever our father gives us to—he alone shall become our husband.
Kusa addressed his four brilliant sons who were highly enthusiastic, pious, truthful and were wedded to duties of the warrior race:
The verse upholds maryādā (social-ethical propriety): marital choice is framed within filial duty and the father’s guardianship, treated as a sacred trust.
When approached/pressured by Vāyu, the maidens assert their commitment to dharmic procedure: only their father may give them in marriage.
Chastity and steadfastness to family dharma—firm speech aligned with truth and propriety.