Text 16]
The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahūti
875
if one is forcibly kidnapped and later on accepted as a wife, that is also accepted. But Kardama Muni accepted the first-class way of marriage because the father was willing and the daughter was qualified. She had never offered her heart to anyone else. All these considerations made Kardama Muni agree to accept the daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu.
TEXT 16
कामः स भूयान्नरदेव तेऽस्याः पुत्र्याः समाम्नायविधौ प्रतीतः। क एव ते तनयां नाद्रियेत स्वयैव कान्त्या क्षिपतीमिव श्रियम् ॥१६॥
kāmaḥ sa bhūyān naradeva te 'syāḥ putryāḥ samāmnāya-vidhau pratītaḥ ka eva te tanayām nādriyeta svayaiva kāntyā kṣipatīm iva śriyam
kāmaḥ—desire; saḥ—that; bhūyāt—let it be fulfilled; nara-deva—O King; te—your; asyāḥ—this; putryāḥ—of the daughter; samāmnāya-vidhau—in the process of the Vedic scriptures; pratītaḥ—recognized; kaḥ—who; eva—in fact; te—your; tanayām—daughter; na ādriyeta—would not adore; svayā—by her own; eva—alone; kāntyā—bodily luster; kṣipatīm—excelling; iva—as if; śriyam—ornaments.
TRANSLATION
Let your daughter's desire for marriage, which is recognized in the Vedic scriptures, be fulfilled. Who would not accept her hand? She is so beautiful that by her bodily luster alone she excels the beauty of her ornaments.
PURPORT
Kardama Muni wanted to marry Devahūti in the recognized manner of marriage prescribed in the scriptures. As stated in the Vedic scriptures, the first-class process is to call the bridegroom to the home of the bride and hand her to him in charity with a dowry of necessary ornaments, gold, furniture and other household paraphernalia. This form of marriage is prevalent among higher class Hindus even today and is declared in the  śāstras  to confer great religious merit on the bride's father. To give a