Varaha Purana 105.7: Adhyaya 105, Shloka 7

Ritual Procedure for the Gift of the Milk-Cow

Kṣīradhenu

Pūrva Bhāga · Dāna-vidhi (Ritual Gifts) — Kṣīradhenu-dāna

Devanagari script

मुखं गुडमयं तस्या जिह्वां शर्करया तथा ॥ फलप्रशस्तदशनां मुक्ताफलमयेक्षणाम्

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 105.7

Transliteration

mukhaṃ guḍamayaṃ tasyā jihvāṃ śarkarayā tathā || phalapraśastadaśanāṃ muktāphalamayekṣaṇām

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

उसका चेहरा गुड़ से बनाओ, और जीभ चीनी की रखो। दाँत अच्छे फल से बनाओ, और आँखें मोती की।

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Word by Word

• mukham: mouth/face
• Type: Noun
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (2nd/द्वितीया), Ekavacana (singular/एकवचन)
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)

• guḍa-mayam: made of jaggery
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘guḍa-maya’ = made of jaggery; Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with mukham
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: guḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga (fem.), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana
• Role: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (सम्बन्ध/possessive)
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)

• jihvām: tongue
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: jihvā (प्रातिपदिक)

• śarkarayā: with sugar
• Type: Noun
• Form: Strīliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (3rd/तृतीया), Ekavacana
• Role: Karaṇa (करण)
• Root: śarkarā (प्रातिपदिक)

• tathā: and likewise/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Form: Avyaya; adverb/conjunction (समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ)
• Role: Sambandha/Avyaya (अव्यय-सम्बन्ध)
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)

• phala-praśasta-daśanām: having teeth praised as fruits / fruit-like excellent teeth
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) (multi-member); Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with (kṣīradhenuṃ implied)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक) + praśasta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + daśana (प्रातिपदिक)

• muktā-phala-maya-īkṣaṇām: having eyes made of pearls
• Type: Adjective
• Form: Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘muktāphalamaya’ (made of pearl-fruit) + ‘īkṣaṇa’ (eyes); Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with (kṣīradhenuṃ implied)
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: muktā (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक) + īkṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)

Sandhi Notes

• muktāphalamayekṣaṇām → muktā-phala-maya-īkṣaṇām (a+ī → e)
• phalapraśastadaśanām treated as tatpuruṣa chain
• verse is descriptive with kṣīradhenuṃ implied as the qualified noun

Speaker and setting

Shanta and Shringara rasaSetting: Ritual space

Speaker

Varāha

Bhu Devi and Varaha

In this verse

Varaha teaches her

Her state of mind

Curious

What she asks

How should the cow/icon’s facial features be fashioned from edible and precious substances to maximize auspiciousness?

The teaching

Path

Ethics Of Offering

Subjects

Ritual IconographyMaterial SymbolismFood Culture

Core idea

What is delightful to the senses can be redirected into sacred giving, purifying both wealth and appetite.

In practice

Offer the best of one’s resources—food, beauty, and valuables—through disciplined, dharmic channels.

Symbolism of the boar

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Dāna (Gifting)
• Sanskrit Compounds
• Ritual Aesthetics

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It illustrates how edible goods and luxury items were combined to construct symbolic bodies in ritual gifts—useful for studying premodern notions of value and auspiciousness.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is mentioned.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse implies that giving should be wholesome and dignified—integrating nourishment (sweet foods) with respectful adornment (pearls).