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The Meaning of Kanyadaan
“But to which shore it will drift, in which soil it will settle and rise as a new tree — that is decided by the fruit alone, and by its destiny.”
About this teaching
"If it is truly so, then what is the significance of kanyadaan, the giving of the daughter, Vasudeva?" "When the coconut falls into the sea, the tree gives up its claim over the fruit. But to which shore it will drift, in which soil it will settle and rise as a new tree — that is decided by the fruit alone, and by its destiny. In kanyadaan too, the mother and father give up the claim they held over their daughter; but whose claim she will take upon herself — that is decided by the daughter alone."
Chapter 27 — The Meaning of Kanyadaan
Chapter 27 of 35 — a single teaching, 1 min in total.
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Where this sits in the Mahabharata.
The Mahabharata is less a story with a moral than a very long argument about how to act. Its characters are given impossible situations and are judged not on the outcome but on the quality of their reasoning and the honesty of their motives.
Krishna's role throughout is the counsellor who refuses easy answers. He does not remove the difficulty; he changes what the person is able to bring to it.
