Varaha Purana 107.6 — Adhyaya 107, Shloka 6

The Glorification of Donating a Butter-Cow

Navanīta-Dhenu

Devanagari script

नवनीतस्तनीं राजन् इक्षुपादां प्रकल्पयेत् ।। ताम्रपृष्ठां रौप्यखुरां दर्भरोमकृतच्छविम् ॥

Transliteration

navanītastanīṃ rājan ikṣupādāṃ prakalpayet || tāmrapṛṣṭhāṃ raupyakhurāṃ darbharomakṛtacchavim ||

Translation

ข้าแต่พระราชา พึงประดิษฐ์ (โค) ให้มีเต้านมเป็นเนยสด และขาเป็นอ้อย—มีหลังเป็นทองแดง กีบเป็นเงิน และมีประกายด้วย ‘ขน’ ที่ทำจากหญ้ากุศะ (ดರ್ಭะ).

Word by Word

• navanīta-stanīm: having butter-like teats / with teats of butter
• navanīta-stanīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: navanīta (प्रातिपदिक) + stanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): ‘navanītasya stanau yasyāḥ’ (as descriptive)

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Singular (एकवचन)

• ikṣu-pādām: having sugarcane legs
• ikṣu-pādām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ikṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष): ‘ikṣoḥ pādāḥ yasyāḥ’

• prakalpayet: should fashion/prepare
• prakalpayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+√kḷp (धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• tāmra-pṛṣṭhām: copper-backed
• tāmra-pṛṣṭhām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāmra (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘tāmraṃ pṛṣṭhaṃ yasyāḥ’

• raupya-khurām: silver-hoofed
• raupya-khurām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raupya (प्रातिपदिक) + khura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); कर्मधारय: ‘raupyaṃ khuraṃ yasyāḥ’

• darbha-roma-kṛta-cchavim: whose sheen/appearance is made of darbha-grass hairs
• darbha-roma-kṛta-cchavim: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: darbha (प्रातिपदिक) + roma (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त, √kṛ) + chavi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘darbha-romabhiḥ kṛtā chaviḥ yasyāḥ’

Speaker

Varāha (default speaker in Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue framework)

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive; receiving ritual instruction within the Varāha–Pṛthivī dialogue frame","key_question":"None (instructional passage: how to fashion the ritual cow for dāna)"}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Construct a symbolic ‘cow’ for donation with prescribed organic and metal components (butter teats, sugarcane legs, copper back, silver hooves, kuśa-grass hair).","karmic_consequence":"Merit accrues through correct dāna-vidhi; improper/defective construction diminishes the intended puṇya of the gift."}

Vrata Mahatmya

Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}

Cosmic Boar Symbolism

Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}

Philosophical Teaching

Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"karma-yoga / dharma (right action)","core_concept":"Intention is completed by correct form: dharma is enacted through meticulous, sattvic offering.","practical_application":"When giving, ensure purity of materials, symbolic completeness, and respect for the recipient and rite."}

Subject Matter

Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Heritage Sites"]

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: ritual setting (dāna preparation)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 107 (dhenudāna-vidhi sequence: construction → adornment → mantra → gifting)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual artisan fashions a symbolic cow: butter-formed teats, sugarcane legs, copper back-plate, silver hooves, and kuśa-grass ‘hair’ being affixed, while Varāha instructs like a guru.","item_prompts":["symbolic cow effigy","butter (navanīta) teats","sugarcane stalk legs","copper back sheen","silver hooves","kuśa-grass tufts","ritual workspace with vessels"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: warm earthy palette; Varāha as dignified teacher at side; detailed rendering of kuśa tufts and metallic highlights on the cow effigy; temple-like ritual interior.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: gold-leaf emphasis on copper/silver parts; ornate borders; the cow effigy central with embossed metallic textures; Varāha as instructor with halo-like prabhā.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: delicate linework; soft shading on butter and sugarcane; restrained but luminous metal detailing; calm instructional posture of Varāha.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: lyrical pastoral-meets-ritual setting; stylized sugarcane legs and kuśa hair; gentle narrative composition with teacher-figure Varāha."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"ritual-instructional, steady and precise","suggested_raga":"Śrī (or a calm Bhairavī-aligned mood)","pace":"medium-slow (clear enunciation of materials)","voice_tone":"didactic, composed, authoritative"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Ritual Culture
• Iconography
• Metals and Organic Materials

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves a technical description of a composite ritual object, valuable for reconstructing how texts encoded craft instructions and symbolic material choices.

Which geographic location is identified?

No geographic location is named here.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ethical giving is framed as careful preparation using specified, often valuable, materials—suggesting responsibility and sincerity in charitable acts.