Varaha Purana 110.15 — Adhyaya 110, Shloka 15
The Glory and Procedure of the Grain-Cow (Dhānyadhenu) Donation
तस्मात्सर्वमयी देवी धान्यरूपेण संस्थिता ॥ एवमुच्चार्य तां धेनुं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत्
tasmāt sarvamayī devī dhānya-rūpeṇa saṁsthitā || evam uccārya tāṁ dhenuṁ brāhmaṇāya nivedayet
অতএব সর্বময়ী দেবী ধান্যরূপে প্রতিষ্ঠিতা। এভাবে উচ্চারণ করে সেই ধান্য-ধেনুকে ব্রাহ্মণকে নিবেদন করা উচিত।
Varāha (default instructor voice for this passage)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"After the prescribed recitation, offer the ‘grain-cow’ (dhenu fashioned from dhānya) to a brāhmaṇa as dāna, recognizing the Goddess as sarvamayī established in grain.","karmic_consequence":"Properly performed vṛhidhenu-dāna yields elevated puṇya and auspicious results; neglect/incorrect offering diminishes merit and fails to secure the promised fruits."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Grain (anna/dhānya) is treated as a condensed form of the all-pervading Devi—linking cosmic śakti to sustenance. The ‘cow’ made of grain ritually converts food/wealth into a sacred, life-giving symbol, aligning dāna with yajña-like transmutation.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"Dhānya as yajña’s fuel/result (anna as yajña-śeṣa); the constructed dhenu functions like a portable altar of nourishment—‘cow’ as the archetype of giving, grain as its body.","vedantic_connection":"Anna as a manifestation within prakṛti sustained by īśvara; offering it with mantra-intent purifies possessiveness (mamatā) and turns artha into a means toward mokṣa-oriented purity (citta-śuddhi)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / sacral economy","core_concept":"Material substance (grain) becomes divine when understood as sarvamayī-devī and offered through right speech (uccāra) and right giving (dāna).","practical_application":"Perform dāna with mantra-recitation and a theophanic view of resources; choose a qualified recipient; treat food-wealth as entrusted for dharma, not mere consumption."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics (dāna)","Ritual procedure","Material culture (symbolic offerings)"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: dāna-vīra (generosity)
Type: ritual
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 110.15 (theological identification supporting the rite); Varāha Purāṇa 110.17-110.19 (procedure and fruits)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual scene: after recitation, a donor presents a cow-shaped offering made of grain to a seated brāhmaṇa; the Goddess is implied as present within the grain.","item_prompts":["grain-cow effigy (vṛhidhenu)","donor with water-pot (arghya) and kusa grass","brāhmaṇa recipient with kamandalu and sacred thread","mantra-recitation gesture","offerings: rice, barley, sesame, flowers","subtle Devi aura over the grain-cow"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: warm earthy tones; detailed grain-cow; brāhmaṇa seated on a low āsana; donor in respectful posture; faint Devi aura in gold-red behind the offering.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: central grain-cow with gold highlights; brāhmaṇa with ornate halo; donor offering with silver/gold vessels; embossed detailing on bells/ornaments of the symbolic dhenu.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined ritual interior; delicate textiles; emphasis on hands offering the grain-cow; soft glow indicating divinity in anna.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: courtyard/āśrama setting; simplified grain-cow; intimate exchange; gentle landscape; focus on humility and sanctity of food."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional, ritual-focused","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"firm, precise, reverential"}
FAQs
It documents a specific donation practice (symbolic dhenu made of grain), useful for reconstructing medieval gift-economies and ritual material culture.
None is named; the verse is prescriptive (ritual instruction) rather than topographical.
To formalize generosity through a structured offering, linking material sustenance (grain) with social support for learned communities (brāhmaṇas).
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.