Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सर्वान्‌ कामयते यस्मात्‌ कमेर्धातोश्व॒ भाविनि । तस्मात्‌ कन्येह सुश्रोणि स्वतन्त्रा वरवर्णिनि,सुन्दर भाववाली कुन्ती! “कम्‌' धातुसे कन्या शब्दकी सिद्धि होती है। सुन्दरी! वह (स्वयंवरमें आये हुए) सब वरोंमेंसे किसीको भी स्वतन्त्रतापूर्वक अपनी कामनाका विषय बना सकती है; इसीलिये इस जगत्‌में उसे कन्या कहा गया है

Transliteration

sarvān kāmayate yasmāt kamer dhātoś ca bhāvini | tasmāt kanyeha suśroṇi svatantrā varavarṇini ||

Translation

सूर्यदेव म्हणाले—हे भाविनि, ‘कम्’ (इच्छा करणे) या धातूपासून ‘कन्या’ हा शब्द सिद्ध होतो. हे सुश्रोणि, हे वरवर्णिनि! स्वयंवरात आलेल्या सर्व वरांपैकी जिची इच्छा होईल त्याला ती स्वातंत्र्याने निवडू शकते; म्हणूनच या जगात तिला ‘कन्या’ म्हणतात.

Word by Word

{'sarvān''all (persons), all (suitors)', 'kāmayate': 'desires, chooses, makes the object of her wish', 'yasmāt': 'because, since', 'kam (dhātu)': 'the verbal root ‘kam’—to desire, to love, to wish', 'dhātoḥ': 'from the root (verbal root)', 'ca': 'and', 'bhāvini': 'O noble/fortunate lady (vocative

an address of respect/affection)', 'tasmāt''therefore', 'kanyā': 'maiden

here explained etymologically as ‘one who may choose/desire’', 'iha''here, in this world', 'suśroṇi': 'O fair-hipped one (epithet of a young woman)', 'svatantrā': 'independent, free (to choose)', 'vara': 'a bridegroom

a suitor', 'varavarṇini''O lovely/fair-complexioned one

Speaker

सूर्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sūrya (the Sun-god)

kanyā (maiden/bride)

vara (suitors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical principle that in a svayaṃvara the maiden has svatantratā—freedom and agency—to choose among the suitors. It supports the idea that consent and personal choice are integral to a righteous marriage arrangement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sūrya addresses a young woman with affectionate epithets and explains—through a traditional etymology (nirukti)—why she is called ‘kanyā’: because she may ‘desire/choose’ (from the root kam) any of the eligible suitors present, especially in the context of a svayaṃvara.