874 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 22
TEXT 15
HEN
VWCAAISHIASEATA =A AACA |
a
AAAGSTSAATEN TareRT FAT ue sU1
rsir uvdca
badham udvodhu-kamo ‘ham
apratta ca tavatmaja
avayor anuriipo ‘sav
adyo vaivahiko vidhih
rsih—the great sage Kardama; uvaca—said; badham—very well; udvodhu-
kamah—desirous to marry ;aham—I; apratta—not promised to anyone else;
ca—and; tava—your;atma-ja—daughter ; avayoh—of us two ;anuriipah—prop-
er; asau—this; adyah—first; vaivahikah—of marriage; vidhih—ritualistic
ceremony.
TRANSLATION
The great sage replied: Certainly | have a desire to marry, and your
daughter has not yet married or given her word to anyone. Therefore our
marriage according to the Vedic system can take place.
PURPORT
There were many considerations by Kardama Muni before accepting
the daughter of Svayambhuva Manu. Most important is that Devahati had
first of all fixed her mind on marrying him. She did not choose to have any
other man as her husband. That is a great consideration because female
psychology dictates that when a woman offers her heart to a man for the
first time, it is very difficult for her to take it back. Also, she had not
married before; she was a virgin girl. All these considerations convinced
Kardama Muni to accept her. Therefore he said, “Yes, I shall accept your
daughter under religious regulations of marriage.” There are different kinds
of marriages, of which the first-class marriage is held by inviting a suitable
bridegroom for the daughter and giving her in charity, well dressed and
well decorated with ornaments, along with a dowry according to the
means of the father. There are other kinds of marriage, such as gandharva
marriage and marriage by love, which are also accepted as marriage. Even
