Varaha Purana 102.17: Adhyaya 102, Shloka 17
The Merit and Ritual Procedure of Donating a Jaggery Cow
Guḍadhenu
गुडधेनोः प्रसादात्तु सौभाग्यमखिल भवेत् । वैष्णवं पदमाप्नोति दौर्गत्यन्तस्य नश्यति ॥
guḍadhenoḥ prasādāt tu saubhāgyam akhilaṃ bhavet | vaiṣṇavaṃ padam āpnoti daurgatyam tasya naśyati ||
గుడధేనువు ప్రసాదముచేత సమస్త సౌభాగ్యం కలుగుతుంది. అతడు వైష్ణవ పదాన్ని పొందుతాడు; అతని దౌర్భాగ్యం నశిస్తుంది.
Varāha (default, instructor voice in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"By the guḍa-dhenu’s efficacy, one gains complete auspicious fortune, attains the Vaiṣṇava state, and one’s misfortune is destroyed.","karmic_consequence":"Observance brings saubhāgya, eradication of durgati/dāridrya-like misfortune, and attainment of Vaiṣṇava padam; non-observance forfeits these benefits (no explicit punishment stated)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"promised_fruit":"Saubhāgya, destruction of misfortune, attainment of Vaiṣṇava padam"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-ethics / prasāda doctrine","core_concept":"Merit is framed as ‘prasāda’—a grace-like efficacy—where righteous giving becomes a conduit to Vaiṣṇava identity and the undoing of inauspicious karma.","practical_application":"Practice dāna as Vaiṣṇava-sevā: give with devotion, dedicate the act to Viṣṇu, and use the resulting prosperity for further dharmic acts."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Economy (Dāna)","Vaishnavism"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: soteriological_state
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 102.15-18 (guḍa-dhenu phala, timing, śraddhā)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A devotee offers the guḍa-dhenu; a dark cloud labeled misfortune breaks apart; Lakṣmī-like auspicious symbols arise; in the upper space, a radiant Vaiṣṇava realm opens with Viṣṇu’s emblems welcoming the giver.","item_prompts":["guḍa-dhenu offering","shattered dark cloud of misfortune","auspicious symbols (śrī, lotus, conch/discus motifs)","radiant gateway to Vaiṣṇava padam","devotee in humble posture"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Central dāna act with dramatic dissolution of dark inauspicious band; upper register Vaikuṇṭha with conch/discus iconography; saturated reds/ochres/greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Gold-leaf Vaikuṇṭha gateway and halos; embossed lotus and śrī motifs; high-contrast dark-to-gold transformation for misfortune removal.","mysore_prompt":"Graceful figures with soft glow; subtle depiction of misfortune dissolving; refined Vaiṣṇava symbols in the background.","pahari_prompt":"Poetic contrast: a small dark cloud drifting away; delicate lotus and light opening to a distant celestial pavilion; intimate devotional mood."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"benedictory, uplifting","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhvani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"bright, confident, concluding (phala-śruti cadence)"}
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic formulation of dāna (gift-giving) as a socially valued practice linked to auspiciousness and moral merit, reflecting medieval ritual economies and Brahmanical gift-ritual discourse.
No explicit geographic toponym appears in this verse; it is a general statement of ritual efficacy.
The verse frames charitable gifting (here, guḍa-dhenu) as a means to cultivate auspiciousness and remove adversity, emphasizing generosity as a normative ethical practice.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.