Varaha Purana 106.3 — Adhyaya 106, Shloka 3

The Significance and Rite of Donating the ‘Curd-Cow’

Dadhidhenudāna

Devanagari script

दधिकुम्भं तु संस्थाप्य सप्तधान्यचयोपरि ॥ चतुर्थांशेन वत्सं तु सौवर्णं मुखमण्डितम्

Transliteration

dadhikumbhaṁ tu saṁsthāpya saptadhānyacayopari || caturthāṁśena vatsaṁ tu sauvarṇaṁ mukhamaṇḍitam

Translation

Tendo colocado um pote de coalhada sobre um monte de sete tipos de grãos, (deve-se moldar) um bezerro—de ouro, com o rosto ornamentado—(feito) com um quarto (da medida).

Word by Word

• dadhi-kumbham: a pot of curd
• dadhi-kumbham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dadhi (दधि) + kumbha (कुम्भ)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अवधारण/विरोधार्थक)

• saṁsthāpya: having set/placed
• saṁsthāpya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam+sthā (सम्+स्था धातु)
• Form: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यबन्त), 'having placed/installed'

• sapta-dhānya-caya-upari: upon a heap of seven kinds of grain
• sapta-dhānya-caya-upari: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sapta (सप्त) + dhānya (धान्य) + caya (चय) + upari (उपरि अव्यय)
• Form: Avyayībhāva: indeclinable adverbial phrase meaning location; 'upon the heap of seven grains'

• caturtha-aṁśena: with a fourth part (portion)
• caturtha-aṁśena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturtha (चतुर्थ) + aṁśa (अंश)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular; measure/portion as means

• vatsam: a calf
• vatsam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (वत्स प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (अवधारण)

• sauvarṇam: golden (made of gold)
• sauvarṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: suvarṇa (सुवर्ण प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective qualifying 'vatsam'

• mukha-maṇḍitam: adorned at the face
• mukha-maṇḍitam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukha (मुख) + maṇḍita (मण्डित कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √maṇḍ)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective qualifying 'vatsam'

Speaker

Hotṛ (contextual continuation from 106.1)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","key_question":"None"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Install a curd-pot on a heap of seven grains and fashion/arrange a golden calf (quarter-measure), with an ornamented face, as part of the dadhidhenu gift-ensemble.","karmic_consequence":"Proper symbolic completeness (curd + seven grains + calf) yields full dāna-phala; incomplete construction is treated as apūrṇa-dāna with reduced merit."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"symbolic dharma","core_concept":"Dāna encodes cosmological and social nourishment: food-security (grains) and dairy (curd) are sacralized into a gift that supports ritual order and community well-being.","practical_application":"Let charity prioritize life-sustaining goods (anna, dugdha) and be offered with thoughtful symbolic integrity rather than random surplus."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ritual Practice","Material Culture","Ethics"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual arrangement/altar-like setup

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa dadhidhenu-dāna sequence (106.1–106.4)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A pot brimming with curd is set atop a mound of seven grains; beside it is a small golden calf with an ornamented face.","item_prompts":["curd pot (dadhikumbha)","heap of mixed grains (seven kinds)","golden calf figurine","facial ornamentation on calf","ritual symmetry","flowers nearby"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: rich earthy grains rendered as patterned mound, white curd pot with decorative band, gleaming golden calf with stylized ornaments.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: heavy gold-leaf on calf and vessel rims, jewel-toned grains, frontal iconic arrangement like a devotional still-life.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: elegant still-life composition, fine highlights on gold calf, realistic grain textures, soft background.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: bright simplified mound of grains, clear outline of pot and calf, narrative emphasis on the gift’s components."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"solemn with a sense of auspicious plenty","suggested_raga":"Śrī or Kalyāṇ","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"warm, ceremonial"}

Tags

• Purāṇic Literature
• Dāna (Gift traditions)
• Ritual vessels
• Agrarian symbolism (seven grains)

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It provides a concrete ritual blueprint linking dairy, grain, and precious-metal symbolism—useful for studying agrarian and economic imagery embedded in Purāṇic gift-rituals.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is specified.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

The verse frames generosity as carefully constructed and materially specific, underscoring accountability and precision in ritualized giving.