Shloka 12
Śakuntalā-Janma-Nāmakaraṇa (Birth and Naming of Śakuntalā) | शकुन्तला-जन्म-नामकरणम्
ता: सर्वास्त्वनवद्याड्य: कन्या: कमललोचना: । पुत्रिका: स्थापयामास नष्ट पुत्र: प्रजापति:,वे सभी कन्याएँ परम सुन्दर अंगोंवाली तथा विकसित कमलके सदृश विशाल लोचनोंसे सुशोभित थीं। प्रजापति दक्षके पुत्र जब नष्ट हो गये, तब उन्होंने अपनी उन कन्याओंको पुत्रिका बनाकर रखा (और उनका विवाह पुत्रिकाधर्मके अनुसार ही किया)
tāḥ sarvāstv anavadyāḍyāḥ kanyāḥ kamalalocanāḥ | putrikāḥ sthāpayāmāsa naṣṭa-putraḥ prajāpatiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Todas aquelas donzelas eram irrepreensíveis e ricamente dotadas; seus olhos, amplos e belos, eram como lótus plenamente desabrochados. Quando os filhos de Prajāpati Dakṣa se perderam, ele estabeleceu aquelas filhas como putrikās—tratando-as como herdeiras no lugar de filhos—e dispôs seus casamentos segundo o putrikā-dharma, para que se preservassem a linhagem e a continuidade ritual.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic mechanism for preserving lineage and ritual obligations when sons are absent: appointing a daughter as putrikā so that family continuity (including ancestral rites and succession) is maintained within accepted social-legal norms.
The narrator describes Dakṣa’s daughters as exceptionally beautiful and virtuous, then explains that after the loss of his sons, Dakṣa designated these daughters as putrikās and arranged their marriages under that special rule so the progenitor’s line would continue.