Shloka 22

पुंसां क्रिया-विभागः, संस्काराः, नामकरणम्, विवाहविधानम्

Devanagari script

न वामनां नातिदीर्घां नोद्वहेत् संहतभ्रुवम् न चातिच्छिद्रदशनां न करालमुखीं नरः

Transliteration

na vāmanāṃ nātidīrghāṃ nodvahet saṃhatabhruvam na cāticchidradaśanāṃ na karālamukhīṃ naraḥ

Translation

A man should not take in marriage a woman who is excessively short or excessively tall, nor one whose eyebrows meet; nor should he wed one with overly gapped teeth, nor one whose mouth appears fearsome.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• vāmanām: a dwarf/short (woman)
• vāmanām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण (qualifying ‘kanyā/strī’ implied)

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ati-dīrghām: an excessively tall (woman)
• ati-dīrghām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अतिदीर्घा = अत्यन्तं दीर्घा)

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• udvahet: should marry
• udvahet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√vah (वहँ)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; विधिलिङ्/आज्ञार्थे ‘उद्वहेत्’ (should marry)

• saṃhata-bhruvam: one with joined eyebrows
• saṃhata-bhruvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃhata (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + bhru (भ्रू, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (संहता भ्रू यस्याः/यस्या)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ati-cchidra-daśanām: one with very gapped/defective teeth
• ati-cchidra-daśanām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + chhidra (प्रातिपदिक) + daśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (छिद्रदशन = छिद्राणि दशनानि यस्याः; अतिशब्देन अत्यधिकत्वम्)

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• karāla-mukhīm: one with a frightful/ugly face
• karāla-mukhīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karāla (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (करालं मुखं यस्याः)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya, within dharma/nīti discourse)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Gṛhastha-dharma: appropriate criteria for selecting a bride (kanyā-lakṣaṇa)

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: authoritative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Marriage should be entered with discernment under dharma, avoiding unions deemed socially inauspicious by śāstric criteria.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Approach marriage with sobriety, shared values, and informed counsel rather than impulse.

Vishishtadvaita: Dharma as Bhagavat-ājñā: household life is a regulated āśrama meant for service to God and society, not mere personal preference.

FAQs

What is the significance of marriage guidelines in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames marriage as a dharmic institution meant to support social harmony and household stability, reflecting the Purana’s broader aim of sustaining order under Vishnu’s sovereignty.

How does Sage Parāśara explain proper conduct for household life here?

Through concise nīti-style rules, Parāśara lists traits to avoid when choosing a spouse, presenting household decisions as part of disciplined dharma rather than mere personal preference.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when the topic is practical ethics, the Vishnu Purana treats dharma as the mechanism by which Vishnu’s cosmic order is preserved—right conduct becomes a lived expression of that higher reality.