Varaha Purana 99.44: Adhyaya 99, Shloka 44
The Greatness and Rite of the Sesame-Cow (Tiladhenu) Gift
हस्त्यश्वकटाकादीनि हेमग्रामादिकं नृपः ॥ दद्याच्च गुरवे प्राज्ञो मध्यमे मध्यमं तथा
hasty-aśva-kaṭakādīni hema-grāmādikaṃ nṛpaḥ || dadyāc ca gurave prājño madhyame madhyamaṃ tathā
వివేకవంతుడైన రాజు గురువుకు ఏనుగులు, గుర్రాలు, రథాలు/బండ్లు మొదలైనవి, అలాగే గ్రామ-మాన ప్రకారం స్వర్ణం తదితర విలువైన ద్రవ్యాలు దానం చేయాలి; మధ్యమ స్థితిలో మధ్యమ దానమే ఇవ్వాలి।
Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in excerpt)
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":"A ruler should give guru-dakṣiṇā proportionate to means—great gifts for great capacity, middling gifts for middling capacity—using culturally valued wealth (elephants, horses, carts, gold by measure).","karmic_consequence":"Proper, proportionate giving strengthens puṇya and social-religious order; miserliness or disrespect toward the guru diminishes merit and undermines dharma."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / dharma of giving","core_concept":"Dāna must be guided by viveka (discernment) and adhikāra (capacity), honoring the guru as the conduit of śāstra.","practical_application":"Calibrate donations to one’s resources; prioritize guru-sevā and avoid both ostentation beyond means and stinginess."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Practice","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: vīra
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 99.49 (phalaśruti continuation of the same dāna/japa frame)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A discerning king presents guru-dakṣiṇā—elephants, horses, carts, and measured gold—to a seated teacher in an āśrama or courtly-sacred setting.","item_prompts":["king with folded hands","ācārya seated on āsana","elephant with caparison","horse with saddle cloth","bullock cart/chariot","gold heaps/measure vessel (grāma-māna)","palm-leaf manuscripts","sacrificial/ritual implements"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: frontal ācārya with serene face, ornate king, stylized elephant and horse, flat warm palette, temple-āśrama backdrop with lamps.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf haloed guru, richly jeweled king offering gold and gifts, embossed ornaments, deep reds and greens, symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework, soft shading, refined textiles, calm āśrama interior, gifts arranged in orderly tiers.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: hillside āśrama court, lyrical figures, bright but gentle colors, narrative detail of attendants leading animals and carrying gold measures."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"didactic and steady","suggested_raga":"Śrī (or Bilāval for clarity)","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"authoritative, measured, instructional"}
FAQs
The verse preserves a snapshot of elite material culture (animals, vehicles, precious metals) and formalizes graded giving, aligning ritual patronage with social capacity.
No specific location is named; the verse is prescriptive and socio-economic rather than geographic.
Gifts should be proportionate to one’s means or the ritual context (the ‘madhyama’ principle), emphasizing measured reciprocity rather than excess.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in 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.