SB 10.1.31-32

TEXT 31-32

TEXT

cTau"XaTa& Paairbh| GaJaaNaa& heMaMaail/NaaMa( )
AṅaNaaMaYauTa& SaaDa| rQaaNaa& c i}az$(XaTaMa( )) 31 ))
daSaqNaa& Sauku-Maarq<duih}ae devk-" Pa[adad( YaaNae duihTa*vTSal/" )) 32 ))

catuh-satam paribarham

gajanam hema-malinam

asvanam ayutam sardham

rathanam ca tri-sat-satam

dasinam sukumarinam

dve sate samalaṅkrte

duhitre devakah pradad

yane duhitr-vatsalah

catuh-satam-four hundred; paribarham-dowry; gajanam-of elephants; hema-malinam-decorated with garlands of gold; asvanam-of horses; ayutam-ten thousand; sardham-along with; rathanam-of chariots; ca-and; tri-sat-satam-three times six hundred (eighteen hundred); dasinam-of maidservants; su-kumarinam-very young and beautiful unmarried girls; dve-two; sate-hundred; samalaṅkrte-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 decorated 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 quite suitable to his royal position. Even an ordinary man, especially a high-class brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya, is supposed to give his daughter a liberal dowry. Immediately after the marriage, the daughter goes to her husband's house, and it is also a custom for the brother of the bride to accompany his sister and brother-in-law to exhibit affection for her. This system was followed by Kamsa. These are all old customs in the society of varnasrama-dharma, which is now wrongly designated as Hindu. These long-standing customs are nicely described here.