Shloka 20
Vṛṣotsarga (Bull-Release Gift): Procedure, Merit, and Narratives on Dharma, Karma, and Liberation
पीतः खुरविषाणेषु स नीलो वृष उच्यते / श्वेतवर्णो भवेद्विप्रो लोहितः क्षत्त्र उच्यते
pītaḥ khuraviṣāṇeṣu sa nīlo vṛṣa ucyate / śvetavarṇo bhavedvipro lohitaḥ kṣattra ucyate
ఖురములలోను కొమ్ములలోను పీతవర్ణం ఉన్నవాడు ‘నీల వృషభుడు’ అని చెప్పబడును. శ్వేతవర్ణుడు ‘విప్ర’గా, లొహితవర్ణుడు ‘క్షత్ర’గా ఉచ్యుడు।
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Ritual Type: Parvana
Beneficiary: Pitr
Concept: Symbolic correspondences (color/marks) guide ritual selection; social-ritual categories (varṇa) are invoked as a classificatory schema.
Vedantic Theme: Guṇa/karma-based order is often expressed through symbolic markers; outer typologies are subordinate to inner purity in higher teaching (implicit tension).
Application: In traditional rites involving bull/cow gifts or ritual selection, follow prescribed lakṣaṇa and color correspondences to avoid inauspicious mismatch.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Type: ritual context (implied)
Related Themes: Garuda Purana śrāddha/dāna sections: go-dāna and animal-lakṣaṇa discussions (general internal continuity)
FAQs
This verse treats color and bodily markers as traditional indicators used to classify or interpret a being’s nature (here, a bull) through varna-based symbolism.
In the Preta Kanda, such classifications function as part of a broader framework of signs and dharmic categories that shape how actions, qualities, and outcomes are interpreted—often alongside ritual and ethical instruction.
Use it as a reminder to observe carefully and interpret symbol-systems within their textual context, while prioritizing dharma—ethical conduct and responsibility—over superficial judgments.