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
جو کنیا (بیٹی) کو بیچتا ہے، اس کے لیے دوزخ سے پھر کوئی نجات نہیں؛ اور جو کنیا دان کرتا ہے، اس کے لیے جنت سے پھر واپسی نہیں۔
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.