Shloka 48

चित्रसेनगन्धर्वैः कौरवसंनिपातः

Citrasena and the Kaurava engagement

Devanagari script

गृहाण दक्षिणं देव्या: पाणिना पद्मवर्चसा । एवमुक्त: स जग्राह तस्या: पार्णिं यथाविधि,फिर बलसंहारक इन्द्रने स्कन्दसे कहा--'सुरश्रेष्ठ! तुम्हारे जन्म लेनेके पहलेसे ही ब्रह्माजीने इस कन्याको तुम्हारी पत्नी नियत की है, अतः तुम वेदमन्त्रोंके उच्चारणपूर्वक इसका विधिवत पाणिग्रहण करो। अपने कमलकी-सी कान्तिवाले हाथसे इस देवीका दायाँ हाथ पकड़ो। “इन्द्रके ऐसा कहनेपर स्कन्दने विधिपूर्वक देवसेनाका पाणिग्रहण किया

Transliteration

gṛhāṇa dakṣiṇaṃ devyāḥ pāṇinā padmavarcasa | evam uktaḥ sa jagrāha tasyāḥ pāṇiṃ yathāvidhi ||

Translation

マールカンデーヤは言った。「蓮華のごとく輝く汝の手で、女神の右手を取れ。」そう告げられると、スカンダは定めの儀礼に従って彼女の手を受けた。

Word by Word

गृहाणtake, accept

दक्षिणम्right (hand)

देव्याःof the goddess

पाणिनाwith (your) hand

पद्मवर्चसाwith lotus-like radiance

एवम्thus

उक्तःhaving been addressed/said to

सःhe

जग्राहtook, grasped

तस्याःof her

पाणिम्hand

यथाas, according to

विधिrule, prescribed rite

विधिin the prescribed manner (i.e., duly)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Devī (the goddess/bride)

Skanda (implied by narrative context)

Devaseṇā (implied by narrative context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes dharma as disciplined action: even a divinely significant union is to be undertaken through proper procedure (yathāvidhi), highlighting respect for sacred order, consent expressed through ritual, and the ethical value of acting within prescribed norms.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya narrates an instruction to accept the bride’s right hand; following this directive, the groom (contextually Skanda) performs the formal act of pāṇigrahaṇa—taking the bride’s hand—thereby completing the key marriage rite in accordance with tradition.