Varaha Purana 112.16 — Adhyaya 112, Shloka 16
Praise and Procedure of Donating the Two-Faced Kapilā Cow and the Golden Pot
Hema-kumbha
तथाग्नायी तथा देवी सुवर्णाख्या प्रवर्तते ॥ गृहीत्वा कपिलां शूद्रात्कामतः सदृशः पिबेत् ॥
tathāgnāyī tathā devī suvarṇākhyā pravartate || gṛhītvā kapilāṃ śūdrāt kāmataḥ sadṛśaḥ pibet ||
Ebenso wird sie Agnāyī genannt; ebenso wird die Göttin namens Suvarṇā erwähnt. Wer aus Begierde eine Kapilā-Kuh von einem Śūdra nimmt, wird ihm (dem Stand nach) gleich und „trinkt“ die Folge der Tat.
Varāha
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":"Despite divine epithets (Agnāyī, Suvarṇā), accepting a Kapilā cow from a Śūdra—when done out of desire—causes the recipient to become ‘like him’ and to incur the consequence.","karmic_consequence":"Desire-driven acceptance from a prohibited source leads to status-degradation and sinful retribution (‘drinking’ the result)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"ethics of intention and eligibility (adhikāra)","core_concept":"Phala depends not only on the object (Kapilā) but on source, recipient-eligibility, and motive (kāma).","practical_application":"Avoid desire-driven acceptance of gifts from sources deemed improper within the text’s dharma frame; prioritize purity of motive and prescribed channels of exchange."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Historical Dharma-shastra"]
Primary Rasa: bhayānaka
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 112.17 (explicit prohibition for vipra)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha teaches a cautionary rule: a radiant Kapilā (named Agnāyī/Suvarṇā) is shown, while a would-be recipient hesitates to accept from an improper donor; a shadowy consequence motif looms.","item_prompts":["Kapilā cow with golden sheen (Suvarṇā)","small Agni-flame motif near cow (Agnāyī)","two human figures: donor and recipient with hesitant gesture","a darkened aura or falling garland symbolizing degradation","Varāha as instructor pointing to a śāstra"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: didactic tableau with contrasting color fields—golden cow vs. darker consequence zone; Varāha instructing with authoritative hand-gesture.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gilded Kapilā cow; recipient figure turning away; gold highlights contrasted with a subdued background to signal warning.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: nuanced facial expressions (hesitation, restraint); cow luminous but natural; minimal allegorical darkness.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: narrative vignette; teacher figure admonishing; cow glowing; moral tension conveyed through spacing and gaze."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"admonitory, serious","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"slow","voice_tone":"grave, cautioning"}
FAQs
It reflects a strand of Purāṇic-dharma discourse on gift-acceptance (pratigraha) and the social-ritual boundaries encoded in premodern normative texts.
No geographic location is mentioned.
It cautions against accepting certain gifts from specific social categories, presenting the act as morally and ritually consequential.
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