ब्रह्मर्षिर्भगवान् काव्यः क्षत्रबन्धुश्च नाहुषः ।
राजन्यविप्रयोः कस्माद् विवाहः प्रतिलोमकः ॥५॥
Å›rÄ«-rÄjovÄca
brahmará¹£ir bhagavÄn kÄvyaḥ
ká¹£atra-bandhuÅ› ca nÄhuá¹£aḥ
rÄjanya-viprayoḥ kasmÄd
vivÄhaḥ pratilomakaḥ
Å›rÄ«-rÄjÄ uvÄca - MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it inquired; brahma-ṛṣiḥ - the best of the brÄhmaṇas; bhagavÄn - very powerful; kÄvyaḥ - ÅšukrÄcÄrya; ká¹£atra-bandhuḥ - belonged to the ká¹£atriya class; ca - also; nÄhuá¹£aḥ - King YayÄti; rÄjanya-viprayoḥ - of a brÄhmaṇa and a ká¹£atriya; kasmÄt - how; vivÄhaḥ - a marital relationship; pratilomakaḥ - against the customary regulative principles.
MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it said: ÅšukrÄcÄrya was a very powerful brÄhmaṇa, and MahÄrÄja YayÄti was a ká¹£atriya. Therefore I am curious to know how there occurred this pratiloma marriage between a ká¹£atriya and a brÄhmaṇa.
According to the Vedic system, marriages between ká¹£atriyas and ká¹£atriyas or between brÄhmaṇas and brÄhmaṇas are the general custom. If marriages sometimes take place between different classes, these marriages are of two types, namely anuloma and pratiloma. Anuloma, marriage between a brÄhmaṇa and the daughter of a ká¹£atriya, is permissible, but pratiloma, marriage between a ká¹£atriya and the daughter of a brÄhmaṇa, is not generally allowed. Therefore MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it was curious about how ÅšukrÄcÄrya, a powerful brÄhmaṇa, could accept the principle of pratiloma. MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it was eager to know the cause for this uncommon marriage.
