ÄtmajÄm asitÄpÄá¹…gÄ«á¹
vayaḥ-śīla-guṇÄnvitÄm
má¹›gayantīṠpatiá¹ dÄsyaty
anurÅ«pÄya te prabho
Ätma-jÄm - his own daughter; asita - black; apÄá¹…gÄ«m - eyes; vayaḥ - grown-up age; śīla - with character; guṇa - with good qualities; anvitÄm - endowed; má¹›gayantÄ«m - searching for; patim - a husband; dÄsyati - he will give; anurÅ«pÄya - who are suitable; te - unto you; prabho - My dear sir.
The selection of a good husband for a good girl was always entrusted to the parents. Here it is clearly stated that Manu and his wife were coming to see Kardama Muni to offer their daughter because the daughter was well qualified and the parents were searching out a similarly qualified man. This is the duty of parents. Girls are never thrown into the public street to search out their husband, for when girls are grown up and are searching after a boy, they forget to consider whether the boy they select is actually suitable for them. Out of the urge of sex desire, a girl may accept anyone, but if the husband is chosen by the parents, they can consider who is to be selected and who is not. According to the Vedic system, therefore, the girl is given over to a suitable boy by the parents; she is never allowed to select her own husband independently.