Shloka 23
The Glory of Charity: Land-Gifts, Śālagrāma Donation, and Food–Water as Supreme Gifts
कन्याविक्रयिणो नास्ति नरकान्निष्कृतिः पुनः । कन्यादानकृतो नास्ति स्वर्गादागमनं पुनः
kanyāvikrayiṇo nāsti narakānniṣkṛtiḥ punaḥ | kanyādānakṛto nāsti svargādāgamanaṃ punaḥ
കന്യയെ വിൽക്കുന്നവന് നരകത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വീണ്ടും മോചനമില്ല; കന്യാദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവന് സ്വർഗത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വീണ്ടും മടങ്ങിവരികയുമില്ല.
Unspecified (narratorial/teaching voice within Brahma-khaṇḍa context)
Concept: Treating a daughter as merchandise is a grave adharma with enduring hellish consequence; kanyādāna is praised as a supremely meritorious dharmic act.
Application: Reject commodification in relationships and rites; keep marriage arrangements free from coercion/transaction, and prioritize consent, dignity, and dharmic responsibility.
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A split-panel moral allegory: on one side, a grim marketplace scene where a father exchanges coins for his daughter’s hand, shadows thickening into a yawning naraka abyss. On the other, a serene wedding-gift scene with blessings and lamps, rising into a luminous svarga pathway lined with lotuses and celestial attendants.","primary_figures":["father (as seller)","maiden (kanyā)","buyer/groom figure","Yama’s attendants (naraka side)","celestial beings (svarga side)"],"setting":"Diptych composition—earthly market turning into hell on the left; sacred marriage pavilion opening into heaven on the right.","lighting_mood":"dramatic chiaroscuro","color_palette":["ash gray","blood red","midnight blue","golden white","lotus pink"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: moral diptych with embossed gold borders—left panel shows a dark transactional exchange with Yama’s messengers emerging, right panel shows kanyādāna with radiant gold leaf halos and svarga archway; rich reds/greens, gem-like ornamentation, and clear iconographic contrast between adharma and dharma.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: narrative split scene with delicate linework—left side muted and stormy with anxious faces and looming naraka imagery, right side airy and luminous with refined wedding gestures and celestial ascent; subtle symbolism through color temperature and landscape transitions.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlined two-register composition—upper register svarga with devas, lower register naraka with Yama-dūtas; strong reds/yellows/greens, stylized expressions, temple-wall didactic clarity.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: symbolic composition framed by floral borders—right side filled with lotus motifs and gold accents for svarga, left side with thorny vines and dark indigo for naraka; intricate patterns, narrative clarity, and devotional moral messaging."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"dramatic","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"fast-dramatic","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["thunder","conch shell","temple bells","ominous silence"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नास्ति = न + अस्ति. नरकान्निष्कृतिः = नरकात् + निष्कृतिः (त् + न् → न्न्). स्वर्गादागमनम् = स्वर्गात् + आगमनम् (त् + आ → दा by sandhi).
FAQs
It condemns treating marriage as a commercial transaction (selling a daughter) and praises kanyā-dāna as a meritorious, dharmic act.
It sets a stark moral contrast: selling a maiden leads to enduring hell with no release, while gifting a maiden in marriage leads to heaven with no return (i.e., lasting merit).
Not directly; it is primarily a dharma-oriented injunction about social and moral conduct rather than a devotional (bhakti) teaching.