Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 50
वैश्य उवाच । तथास्तु यदि ते सत्यं वचनं वारवल्लभे । ददामि रत्नवलयं त्रिरात्रं भव मद्वधूः
vaiśya uvāca | tathāstu yadi te satyaṃ vacanaṃ vāravallabhe | dadāmi ratnavalayaṃ trirātraṃ bhava madvadhūḥ
ਵੈਸ਼ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: ‘ਤੱਥਾਸਤੁ—ਜੇ ਤੇਰਾ ਬਚਨ ਸੱਚ ਹੈ, ਹੇ ਵਾਰਵੱਲਭੇ। ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਰਤਨਾਂ ਦਾ ਕੰਗਣ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ; ਤਿੰਨ ਰਾਤਾਂ ਲਈ ਤੂੰ ਮੇਰੀ ਵਧੂ ਬਣ।’
Vaiśya (merchant)
Scene: A merchant addresses a courtesan in a city setting, offering a jeweled bracelet in exchange for three nights as wife; the moment is poised between commerce and intimacy, with an undercurrent of impending sacred duty.
FAQs
A promise and its conditions are treated as binding; desire-driven agreements still generate moral responsibility.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a narrative setup within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa.
No ritual is prescribed; a dāna-like gift (jeweled bracelet) is offered as part of an agreement.