Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

आर्षे विवाहे गोद्वंद्वं यदुक्तं तन्न शस्यते । शुल्कमण्वपि कन्यायाः कन्या विक्रयपापकृत्

Transliteration

ārṣe vivāhe godvaṃdvaṃ yaduktaṃ tanna śasyate | śulkamaṇvapi kanyāyāḥ kanyā vikrayapāpakṛt

Translation

ആർഷവിവാഹത്തിൽ പറയുന്ന ‘പശുയുഗ്മം’ വിലയായി കണക്കാക്കി വ്യാപാരമായി കൈമാറ്റം ചെയ്യുന്നത് പ്രശംസനീയമല്ല. കന്യയ്ക്കായി അണുമാത്ര ശുല്കം പോലും സ്വീകരിച്ചാൽ അത് കന്യാവിക്രയപാപമാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• आर्षे: in the Ārṣa (type of)
• आर्षे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• विवाहे: in the marriage (rite)
• विवाहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• गोद्वन्द्वम्: pair of cows (cow-pair)
• गोद्वन्द्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (go- = ‘of cows’)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• उक्तम्: said/mentioned
• उक्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• शस्यते: is recommended/approved
• शस्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शंस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• शुल्कम्: bride-price/fee
• शुल्कम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुल्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• अणु: even a small (amount)
• अणु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्; ‘शुल्कम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्ययम् (also/even)

• कन्यायाः: of a maiden/daughter
• कन्यायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्

• कन्या: the maiden/daughter
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), एकवचनम्

• विक्रयपापकृत्: one who commits the sin of selling (a daughter)
• विक्रयपापकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विक्रय (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः; पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-एकवचनरूपम् (कृत्-प्रातिपदिक ‘कृत्’); ‘कन्या’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembled listeners (context-dependent)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Vedic marriage setting in Kāśī: a father offers his daughter with water-pot and sacred fire present; two cows stand nearby as voluntary gift, while a shadowy figure of ‘greed’ is turned away.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Marriage is a dharmic sacrament, not a transaction; taking even a small ‘price’ for a daughter is condemned as sinful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Kāśī/Varanasi) as part of the city’s dharma-instruction for householders.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It regulates marriage conduct: the ‘pair of cows’ associated with Ārṣa vivāha should not be treated as a fee; no bride-price should be accepted.