Vamana Purana — Vishnu's Sleep (Ashunya-Shayana), Shloka 62
The Caturmasya Observances and the Rite of Vishnu’s Sleep (Aśūnya-Śayana) and Shiva’s Monthly Vows
दक्षिणां श्वेतवृषभं धेनुं च कपिलां शुभाम् कनकं रक्कवसनं प्रदद्याद् ब्राह्मणाय हि गङ्गाधरेति जप्तव्यं नाम शंभोश्च पण्डितैः
dakṣiṇāṃ śvetavṛṣabhaṃ dhenuṃ ca kapilāṃ śubhām kanakaṃ rakkavasanaṃ pradadyād brāhmaṇāya hi gaṅgādhareti japtavyaṃ nāma śaṃbhośca paṇḍitaiḥ
As dakṣiṇā, one should give a white bull, an auspicious tawny cow (kapilā), gold, and red garments to a brāhmaṇa. The learned should also recite Śambhu’s name as “Gaṅgādhara.”
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FAQs
Ritual observance is completed by generosity: dakṣiṇā and dāna are presented not as mere transaction but as ethical completion of worship—supporting learned custodians of dharma and cultivating non-attachment through giving.
This passage aligns best with ācāra/dharma instruction and vrata-vidhi within Purāṇic discourse; it is not primarily sarga/pratisarga but belongs to normative teaching often embedded alongside vaṃśānucarita and tīrtha narratives.
The gifts encode auspiciousness and ritual completeness: the bull/cow signify dharma and prosperity, gold signifies enduring merit, red garments suggest auspicious śakti/maṅgala; japa of “Gaṅgādhara” invokes Śiva as the purifier who bears the sacred river—linking inner purification with outward charity.