Kānīna
Kānīna, “born of a maiden”
Grammar: adjective and masculine noun, from kanyā (maiden): “born of a maiden”.
Meaning: a son born to a maiden (kanyā) before her marriage; the first of the six kinds of sons who are sons in name only and do not inherit.
In the scriptures: Sanatkumāra asks Brahmā what a dāyāda (a son who inherits) is, and Pitāmaha smiles and answers. The first six kinds, aurasa, kshetraja, datta, kṛtrima, gūḍhotpanna and apaviddha, receive the ṛṇa (debt), the piṇḍa, the dhana (wealth), the kriyā (rites), the gotra-sāmya (sameness of gotra), the kula-vṛtti (family calling) and the pratishṭhā (standing). The other six, kānīna, sahoḍha, krīta, punarbhava, svayaṃdatta and pāraśava, do not receive these: they are sons in name only, not born of the kula and gotra. The kānīna is the son born to a maiden before marriage. After this teaching Dharma and Ahiṃsā give Sanatkumāra to Brahmā as his son (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 35).
Related terms: Dāyāda · Sahoḍha · Krīta · Aurasa · Kanyā
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 35