Shloka 5

Matsya Purana — The Rite of the Jaggery-Cow

Devanagari script

उत्तमा गुडधेनुः स्यात् सदा भारचतुष्टयम् वत्सं भारेण कुर्वीत द्वाभ्यां वै मध्यमा स्मृता //

Transliteration

uttamā guḍadhenuḥ syāt sadā bhāracatuṣṭayam vatsaṃ bhāreṇa kurvīta dvābhyāṃ vai madhyamā smṛtā //

Translation

The finest “jaggery-cow” (guḍa-dhenū) should always weigh four bhāras. Its calf should be fashioned with one bhāra; the medium grade is remembered as two bhāras.

Word by Word

• uttamā: the best (grade)

• guḍa-dhenūḥ: a ‘cow’ made of jaggery offered as a gift

• syāt: should be/is to be

• sadā: always

• bhāra-catuṣṭayam: four bhāras (a standard weight-measure)

• vatsam: the calf

• bhāreṇa: with/by one bhāra (in weight)

• kurvīta: should make/construct

• dvābhyām: with two (bhāras)

• vai: indeed

• madhyamā: the middling/medium (grade)

• smṛtā: is stated/remembered (in tradition).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (in discourse to Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Lord Matsya
• Vaivasvata Manu
• Guḍa-dhenū (jaggery-cow donation)

Tags

• Dana
• Gau-dana
• Ritual charity
• Weights and measures
• Householder dharma

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

Nothing directly—this verse is a technical rule from dāna-dharma, specifying the standard weights for a ritual “jaggery-cow” gift rather than cosmology or pralaya.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

It gives a concrete dāna procedure: householders (and kings performing public charity) should follow prescribed standards—here, the weight-grades of a guḍa-dhenū and its calf—so the gift is ritually valid and proportionate.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, it defines measurable specifications (bhāra-based grades) for constructing a symbolic donation item (guḍa-dhenū with a calf), reflecting the Purāṇic emphasis on exact proportions and standardized measures in rites.