Varaha Purana - Adhyaya 103
Varaha PuranaAdhyaya 10316 Shlokas

Adhyaya 103: Ritual Procedure for the Donation of the ‘Sugar-Cow’ (Śarkarā-Dhenu)

Śarkarā-dhenu-dāna-vidhiḥ

Ritual-Manual (Dāna-vidhi) with Ethical-Discourse on Worthy Recipients

En el marco didáctico de Varāha y Pṛthivī, el capítulo prescribe el método para fabricar y donar la śarkarā-dhenu (“vaca de azúcar”) a un oyente real. Indica la preparación del terreno ritual (piel de antílope negro y hierba kuśa), las proporciones (uttamā, madhyamā, kaniṣṭhā) para la vaca y su ternero, y una iconografía minuciosa: semillas en las cuatro direcciones, oro para el rostro y los cuernos, perlas como ojos, y diversas sustancias comestibles y textiles para formar miembros y adornos. Define quiénes son receptores dignos—śrotriya, pobres virtuosos, eruditos, sostenedores de los fuegos domésticos—y excluye a los envidiosos. Señala tiempos auspiciosos (ayana, viṣuva, vyatīpāta, fin del día) y el protocolo de entrega (orientación, mantras, dakṣiṇā), concluyendo con los frutos kármicos y salvíficos para el donante y el recitador.

Speakers

VarāhaPṛthivī

Key Concepts

Śarkarā-dhenu (ritual gift-cow made of sugar)Dāna-vidhi (procedural gifting protocol)Pātra-parīkṣā (criteria of worthy recipients)Kāla-niyama (auspicious timing: ayana, viṣuva, vyatīpāta)Dik-sthāpana (placing seeds in four directions)Dakṣiṇā and avoidance of vittā-śāṭhya (non-deceit in charity)Puṇya-phala and pāpa-kṣaya (merit and sin-removal claims)
Recitation with translationVaraha Purana Adhyaya 103

Shlokas in Adhyaya 103

Verse 1

होतोवाच तद्वच्च शर्कराधेनुं शृणु राजन् यथार्थतः । अनुलिप्ते महीपृष्ठे कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तरे ॥ १०३-१ ॥ धेनुं शर्करया राजन् कृत्वा भारचतुष्टयम् । उत्तमा कथ्यते सद्भिश्चतुर्थांशेन वत्सकम् ॥

El Hotṛ dijo: «Del mismo modo, oh rey, escucha con exactitud el (rito de la) śarkarā-dhenu, la vaca hecha de azúcar. Sobre el suelo untado y preparado, con piel de antílope negro y hierba kuśa extendidas encima—habiendo formado, oh rey, la vaca con azúcar con un peso total de cuatro bhāras: los sabios la llaman ‘excelente’, con un ternero que equivale a la cuarta parte».

Verse 2

तदर्धं मध्यमा प्रोक्ता कनिष्ठा भारकेण तु । तद्वद्वत्सं प्रकुर्वीत चतुर्थांशेन तत्त्वतः ॥

La mitad de eso se declara ‘intermedia’, mientras que la ‘inferior’ se hace con un solo bhāra. Del mismo modo, debe formarse el ternero en la proporción debida—una cuarta parte—conforme al principio correcto.

Verse 3

अथ कुर्यादष्टशतैरूर्ध्वं नृपतिसत्तम । स्वशक्त्या कारयेद् धेनुं तथात्मानं पीडयेत् ॥

Luego, oh el mejor de los reyes, puede hacerse con ochocientos y aun más; según la propia capacidad, hágase confeccionar la vaca (ritual), y así no se fatigue a sí mismo.

Verse 4

सर्वबीजानि संस्थाप्य चतुर्दिक्षु समन्ततः । सुवर्णस्य मुखं शृङ्गे मौक्तिकैर्नयने तथा ॥

Habiendo colocado toda clase de semillas alrededor, en las cuatro direcciones, (debe formarse) una boca de oro, y asimismo los cuernos y los ojos con perlas.

Verse 5

गुडेन तु मुखं काये जिह्वा पिष्टमयी तथा । कम्बलं पट्टसूत्रेण कण्ठाभरणभूषिताम् ॥

Y con jaggery se forma la boca sobre el cuerpo; asimismo la lengua es de harina. (Se provee) una manta con hilo de seda, adornándola con ornamentos para el cuello.

Verse 6

इक्षुपादां रौप्यखुरां तवनीतस्तनीं तथा । प्रशस्तपत्रश्रवणां सितचामरपभूषिताम् ॥

(Hágase) con patas de caña de azúcar, pezuñas de plata y asimismo ubres de mantequilla; con excelentes orejas como hojas, adornada con abanicos blancos de cola de yak.

Verse 7

पञ्चरत्नसमायुक्तां वस्त्रेणाच्छादितां तथा । गन्धपुष्पैरलङ्कृत्य ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् ॥

Habiéndola provisto de las cinco gemas, y asimismo cubierta con tela, adornándola con fragancias y flores, debe presentarse a un brāhmaṇa.

Verse 8

श्रोत्रियाय दरिद्राय साधुवृत्ताय धीमते । वेदवेदाङ्गविदुषे साग्निकाय कुटुम्बिने । अदुष्टाय प्रदातव्या न तु मत्सरिणे द्विजे ॥

Debe darse a un śrotriya—un cabeza de familia versado en los Vedas—pobre, de conducta recta y de juicio claro; conocedor del Veda y de los Vedāṅgas, mantenedor del fuego sagrado y sostén de su familia. Debe darse a un brāhmaṇa sin malicia, no a un dvija envidioso.

Verse 9

अयने विषुवे पुण्ये व्यतीपाते दिनक्षये । एषु पुण्येषु कालेषु तथाविभवशक्तितः ॥

En los ayana (solsticios), en el viṣuva (equinoccio), en el auspicioso vyatīpāta y al término del día: en tales tiempos meritorios, debe darse conforme a la propia hacienda y capacidad.

Verse 10

सत्पात्रञ्च द्विजं दृष्ट्वा आगतं श्रोत्रियं गृहे । तादृशाय प्रदातव्या पुच्छदेशे विमृश्य च ॥

Al ver a un digno recipiente—un dvija, un śrotriya—que ha llegado a la casa, debe darse a tal persona, tras tocar y considerar la región de la cola (de la vaca), conforme a la prescripción.

Verse 11

पूर्वाभिमुखमास्थाय अथवा स उदङ्मुखः । गां पूर्वाभिमुखीं कृत्वा वत्समुत्तरतो न्यसेत् ॥

Mirando hacia el este—o bien hacia el norte—habiendo colocado la vaca orientada al este, debe situarse el ternero en el lado norte.

Verse 12

दानकाले तु ये मन्त्रास्तान्पठित्वा समर्पयेत् । सम्पूज्य विधिवद्विप्रं मुद्रिकाकर्णभूषणैः ॥

En el momento de la dádiva, tras recitar los mantras prescritos, debe entregarse la ofrenda; y, honrando debidamente al brāhmaṇa, deben ofrecerse también anillos y ornamentos de oreja.

Verse 13

स्वशक्त्या दक्षिणा देया वित्तशाठ्यविवर्ज्जितः । हस्ते तु दक्षिणां दत्त्वा गन्धपुष्पसचन्दनाम् । धेनुं समर्पयेत्तस्य मुखञ्च च विलोकयेत् ॥

Debe darse la dakṣiṇā según la propia capacidad, libre de mezquindad respecto a la riqueza. Tras poner la dakṣiṇā en su mano—junto con perfumes, flores y sándalo—debe ofrecerse la vaca y luego contemplar su rostro.

Verse 14

एकाहं शर्कराहारो ब्राह्मणस्त्रिदिनं वसेत् । सर्वपापहरा धेनुः सर्वकामप्रदायिनी ॥

Durante un día, alimentándose sólo de azúcar, el brāhmaṇa debe permanecer en observancia por tres días. Se dice que la vaca elimina todos los pecados y concede todos los fines deseados.

Verse 15

सर्वकामसमृद्धस्तु जायते नात्र संशयः । दीयमानं प्रपश्यन्ति ते यान्ति परमां गतिम् ॥

Uno llega a estar colmado con el cumplimiento de todos los fines; de ello no hay duda. Quienes presencian que se da, alcanzan el destino supremo.

Verse 16

य इदं शृणुयाद्भक्त्या पठते वापि मानवः । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो विष्णुलोकं स गच्छति ॥

Quien escucha esto con devoción, o también lo recita, queda liberado de todos los pecados y va al mundo de Viṣṇu.

Inside Adhyaya 103

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī upadeśa frame, Varāha addresses a royal patron (rājan/nṛpati) and introduces a prescriptive dāna-vidhi: how to construct and donate the śarkarā-dhenu (sugar-cow) on a ritually prepared earth-surface.

  2. Central event

    Step-by-step specification of the rite: preparing the ground with kṛṣṇājina (black antelope skin) and kuśa; establishing directional order by placing seeds in the four quarters; constructing the cow and calf in graded sizes (uttamā/madhyamā/kaniṣṭhā) with precise iconography (gold face and horns, pearl eyes) and edible/textile components for limbs, ornaments, and coverings; followed by rules for selecting a worthy recipient (pātra-parīkṣā) and rejecting the envious.

  3. Climax resolution

    The protocol culminates in the actual gifting sequence: choosing auspicious times (ayana, viṣuva, vyatīpāta, dina-kṣaya), orienting the donation correctly, reciting the appropriate mantras, and completing the act with dakṣiṇā—explicitly insisting on non-deceit in charity (vittā-śāṭhya-vivarjita) and on giving to a qualified śrotriya/virtuous householder with fires.

  4. Closing phalashruti

    A stated phala closes the manual: the donor gains puṇya, pāpa-kṣaya, and elevated post-mortem/soteriological outcomes; the reciter/hearer of the procedure likewise accrues merit (śravaṇa–kīrtana-phala).

Geographical context

Spatial/ecological markers are ritual-ecological rather than geographic: the prepared ‘earth-surface’ (mahī-pṛṣṭha), placement in the four directions (caturdiś), and materials drawn from agrarian and pastoral ecologies (seeds/bīja, sugar/śarkarā, ghee/tavanīta, sugarcane/ikṣu, kuśa grass).

Ritual instructions

  • Primary RitualŚarkarā-dhenu-dāna (donation of a ritually constructed ‘sugar-cow’ with calf)
  • BenefitPuṇya accrual and pāpa-kṣaya for the donor; prosperity and auspiciousness in this life; elevated post-mortem/soteriological outcomes; merit also for one who recites/hears the procedure with faith.

The narrative frame

  • VarāhaPṛthivī (with the instruction explicitly addressed in a royal register: rājan/nṛpati as the intended patron) · Didactic, procedural, and normative (śāstra-like dāna-vidhi with ethical injunctions)

The emotional journey

  • Dominant RasaŚānta (with a secondary dāna-śraddhā/bhakti tone)
  • Emotional ProgressionFrom orderly ritual concentration (space/time purification) → constructive care and aesthetic completion of the gift-object → ethical seriousness in selecting a worthy recipient and rejecting envy/deceit → quiet assurance through promised merit and liberation-oriented results.

Planning a pilgrimage

  • Visit FeasibilityNot tirtha-specific: the rite is portable and can be performed in a consecrated domestic/temple space under guidance of a qualified priest; feasibility depends on sourcing materials (sugar products, gold/pearls, textiles) and identifying a qualified recipient (pātra).
  • Best SeasonAyana/viṣuva periods (solstice/equinox seasons) are text-preferred; otherwise any suitable auspicious day including vyatīpāta or day’s end as per local pañcāṅga.
  • Related FestivalMakara Saṅkrānti / Uttarāyaṇa (ayana marker) and Viṣuva/Equinox observances (regional calendars); local pañcāṅga-based vyatīpāta days.

Frequently Asked Questions

The text frames charity as both procedural and ethical: the gift must be properly prepared and offered without deceit (vittā-śāṭhya-vivarjita), and it must be directed to a qualified recipient (pātra), defined as learned and disciplined (śrotriya, vedavedāṅga-vid), socially responsible (householder with fires, sagnikāya kuṭumbine), and non-malicious; envy (mātsarya) is explicitly disqualifying.

The passage specifies auspicious temporal markers: ayana (solstitial transition), viṣuva (equinox), vyatīpāta (an astronomically inauspicious/marked yoga treated as ritually significant in many dharma sources), and dina-kṣaya (the day’s end). These are presented as preferred windows for performing the donation according to one’s capacity (yathā-vibhava-śaktitaḥ).

While primarily a ritual manual, the chapter embeds an Earth-oriented material ecology: it requires a prepared ground (mahī-pṛṣṭha), uses plant-based and agrarian substances (bīja, ikṣu, guḍa), and organizes space by the four directions (caturdiś). In an environmental-ethics reading aligned with the Varāha–Pṛthivī frame, the instruction models regulated extraction and redistribution of agricultural surplus through formalized gifting, linking social welfare (supporting the poor and learned) with disciplined stewardship of terrestrial resources.

No dynastic lineages are named in the provided verses. The social categories invoked are cultural-institutional: rājan/nṛpati (royal patron), brāhmaṇa/dvija (recipient class), śrotriya (Vedic-trained specialist), and vedavedāṅga-vid (expert in Veda and auxiliaries), along with the household institution marked by maintaining ritual fires (sagnikāya kuṭumbine).

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