Text 9
priyavratottānapadoḥ
svaseyaṁ duhitā mama
anvicchati patiṁ yuktaṁ
vayaḥ-śīla-guṇādibhiḥ
priyavrata-uttānapadoḥ — of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda; svasā — sister; iyam — this; duhitā — daughter; mama — my; anvicchati — is seeking; patim — husband; yuktam — suited; vayaḥ-śīla-guṇa-ādibhiḥ — by age, character, good qualities, etc.
My daughter is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. She is seeking a suitable husband in terms of age, character and good qualities.
The grown-up daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, Devahūti, had good character and was well qualified; therefore she was searching for a suitable husband just befitting her age, qualities and character. The purpose of Manu’s introducing his daughter as the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, two great kings, was to convince the sage that the girl came from a great family. She was his daughter and at the same time the sister of kṣatriyas; she did not come from a lower-class family. Manu therefore offered her to Kardama as just suitable for his purpose. It is clear that although the daughter was mature in age and qualities, she did not go out and find her husband independently. She expressed her desire for a suitable husband corresponding to her character, age and quality, and the father himself, out of affection for his daughter, took charge of finding such a husband.