Varaha Purana 108.2: Adhyaya 108, Shloka 2

The Eulogy and Procedure of Donating the ‘Salt-Cow’

Lavaṇadhenu

Uttara Bhāga · Dāna-mahātmya (Ritual Philanthropy and Merit Traditions)

Devanagari script

अनुलिप्ते महीपृष्ठे कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तरे ॥ धेनुं लवणमयीं कृत्वा षोडशप्रस्थसंयुताम् ॥

Recitation with translationVaraha Purana 108.2

Transliteration

anulipte mahīpṛṣṭhe kṛṣṇājinakuśottare || dhenuṃ lavaṇamayīṃ kṛtvā ṣoḍaśaprasthasaṃyutām ||

ITRANS transliteration

Translation

ज़मीन को साफ़ करके तैयार करो। उसपे काला हिरन की खाल और कुशा घास बिछा दो। फिर नमक से गाय बनाओ, सोलह प्रस्थ नमक लगाओ।

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Word by Word

• anulipte: on (a place) smeared/anointed
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग? (अधिकरणे), सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण — 'smeared/anointed'
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: anulipta (कृदन्त; anu+√lip, क्त)

• mahī-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of the earth
• Type: Noun
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — 'महीपृष्ठे' (on the earth-surface)
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṛṣṇa-ajina-kuśa-uttare: with black antelope-skin and kuśa grass spread on top
• Type: Adjective
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — 'कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तर' = 'कृष्णाजिनेन कुशैश्च उत्तरे (आस्तरणे) युक्ते'
• Role: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ajina (प्रातिपदिक) + kuśa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक)

• dhenum: a cow
• Type: Noun
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन
• Role: Karma (कर्म)
• Root: dhenu (प्रातिपदिक)

• lavaṇa-mayīm: made of salt
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त विशेषण (मयट्) — 'made of salt'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: lavaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)

• kṛtvā: having made
• Type: Verb
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) — 'having made'
• Role: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)

• ṣoḍaśa-prastha-saṃyutām: joined with sixteen prasthas
• Type: Adjective
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण — 'joined with sixteen prasthas'
• Role: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Root: ṣoḍaśa (संख्या) + prastha (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त; √yuj, क्त)

Sandhi Notes

• कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तरे = कृष्ण + अजिन + कुश + उत्तरे (समास/सन्धि)
• षोडशप्रस्थसंयुताम् = षोडश + प्रस्थ + संयुताम्

Speaker and setting

Shanta rasa

Speaker

Hotṛ

The teaching

Kind of teaching

Ritual discipline (śauca-vidhi)

Subjects

Ritual PracticeEthicsHeritage Sites

Core idea

Outer order (purified space, proper supports) mirrors inner order; dharma is enacted through careful preparation.

In practice

Before any sacred act—charity, worship, vows—prepare a clean, intentional space and use traditional markers of sanctity to focus mind and action.

Dharma

Cross references

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ritual Philanthropy
• Material Culture

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves details of ritual staging (prepared ground, kuśa, antelope-hide), illustrating continuity between Vedic ritual materials and later Purāṇic gift-rites.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is named; the focus is on ritual space preparation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ethical giving is presented as careful, rule-governed practice rather than a purely spontaneous act.