Text 32] The Advent of Lord Krsna: Introduction 57

asvdndm ayutam sdrdham
rathandm ca tri-sat-Satam

dasinam sukumaérinaém
dve Sate samalankrte

duhitre devakah pradad
yane duhitr-vatsalah

catuh-satam—four hundred; pdribarham—dowry; gajaném—of
elephants; hema-mdlinaém—decorated with garlands of gold; asva-
nadm—of horses; ayutam—ten thousand; sdrdham—along with;
rathandm—of chariots; ca—and; tri-sat-Satam—three times six hun-
dred (eighteen hundred); dasinam—of maidservants; su-kumdarinam—
very young and beautiful unmarried girls; dve—two; sate—hundred;
samalarikrte—fully decorated with ornaments; duhitre—unto his
daughter; devakah—King Devaka; pradat—gave as a gift; yane—while
going away; duhitr-vatsalah—who was very fond of his daughter
Devaki.

TRANSLATION

Devaki’s father, King Devaka, was very much affectionate to his
daughter. Therefore, while she and her husband were leaving
home, he gave her a dowry of four hundred elephants nicely deco-
rated with golden garlands. He also gave ten thousand horses,
eighteen hundred chariots, and two hundred very beautiful young
maidservants, fully decorated with ornaments.

PURPORT ©

The system of giving a dowry to one’s daughter has existed in Vedic
civilization for a very long time. Even today, following the same system,
a father who has money will give his daughter an opulent dowry. A
daughter would never inherit the property of her father, and therefore
an affectionate father, during the marriage of his daughter, would give
her as much as possible. A dowry, therefore, is never illegal according to
the Vedic system. Here, of course, the gift offered as a dowry by Devaka
to Devaki was not ordinary. Because Devaka was a king, he gave a dowry
