A boy has to be eligible, aspirational and also have the learning prowess (pass basic learning) to go to kAsi for learning. Going to kAsi signifies all these. A daughter herself is Sarasvati, who like knowledge moves from one place to another. In fact, in pAni grhAnam, the grooms family says "We adore you in the presence of this assembly as Sarasvati'. So a boy ready for higher learning gets is the gift of 'Sarasvati'.
King Janasruti is himself a greatly learned King. Once he hears two swans talking who claim that none can have the knowledge of Sakatvan Raikva. King Janasruti wants to learn that knowledge from Raikva. Raikva turns out as a person sitting under shade of cart in a village, with dusty feet and ragged clothes.
King Janasruti entices Raikva by offering a dakSina (a fees) in terms of material wealth (cattle, horses, gold). He does so, because he thinks that poor Raikva will get easily enticed with such huge wealth.
Raikva rejects the king and calls the King a zudra.
Zudra is one who is not a 'dvija', twice-born or one who is not learnt. A Zudra does not understand the importance and value of learning. Jana-sruti acted like the zudra, without understanding the value of learning he wanted to achieve and tried to buy that learning with material wealth.
Then Janasruti ponders about not just why Raikva rejected him to teach brahma vidya, but why Raikva called the King a zudra. This time King goes back to Raikva, offers his daughter himself to Raikva and requests him to teach the King.
This time Raikva accepts it. Raikva accepts it because he gets Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge, in return. So Raikva accepts it now as he understood that King Janasruti valued the learning as his life. After all daughters are our life.
The best of gift a brahman could get for learning and wisdom is a life-partner who could add knowledge to life journey, by being the Sarasvati. Janasruti is a learned king. His daughter would be the apt person for Raikva in his life journey.
A daughter is not a property who is traded for wealth or material comforts. Daughters are Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge. They move from one place to another like knowledge that moves from one to another. Yet like knowledge they remain in both places. They are valued highly in both places.
saMnyAsa is not prescribed for brahmacharin. None of the rishis became samnyAsi from brahmachaya stage. Asrama is a dharma. It cannot be violated. Sankara ofcourse violated the dharma. But he himself was force to undergo the grhasta experience, atleast in stories where he enters a king's body and lives that life for sometime.
-TBT
