Varaha Purana 112.6 — Adhyaya 112, Shloka 6
Praise and Procedure of Donating the Two-Faced Kapilā Cow and the Golden Pot
Hema-kumbha
कपिला ह्यग्निहोत्रार्थे यज्ञार्थे च वरानने ॥ उद्धृत्य सर्वतेजोभिर्ब्रह्मणा निर्मिता पुरा
kapilā hy agnihotrārthe yajñārthe ca varānane || uddhṛtya sarvatejobhir brahmaṇā nirmitā purā
โอ้ผู้มีพักตร์งาม กปิลาในกาลโบราณ พรหมาได้รวบรวมพลังอันรุ่งเรืองทั้งปวงแล้วเนรมิตขึ้น เพื่ออัคนิโหตระและเพื่อยัญพิธี
Varāha
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":true,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"Instruction to Bhūdevī (‘varānane’) explaining sacred origin of Kapilā for agnihotra/yajña"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"attentive; receptive to cosmological-ritual origin narrative","key_question":"None"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false,"specific_site":"None","parikrama_context":"None","krishna_connection":"None"}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Kapilā cow is established as a purpose-made sacred entity for agnihotra and yajña, grounding her eligibility and superiority in ritual and dāna.","karmic_consequence":"Honoring/using/gifting Kapilā in alignment with yajña supports high puṇya; treating her as ordinary commodity undermines dharmic intent (implied)."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":true,"symbolic_interpretation":"Ritual cosmology: Kapilā is a condensation of ‘sarva-tejas’ (all luminous energies), making her a living vessel of yajña-power; Varāha’s teaching frames dharma as rooted in cosmic creation-order.","yajna_varaha_imagery":"‘Sarva-tejobhiḥ’ evokes the sacrificial fire’s radiance; Kapilā as embodied agni/tejas supporting agnihotra—cow as mobile altar-resource (milk/ghee) enabling oblations.","vedantic_connection":"Tejas as a cosmic principle (bhūta-tanmātra/inner radiance) is gathered into a dharmic instrument; aligns outer ritual supports with inner cosmic order (ṛta)."}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"cosmo-ritual grounding of dharma","core_concept":"Certain dharmic objects are not arbitrary; they are instituted within creation for sustaining yajña, linking ethics, ritual, and cosmology.","practical_application":"Approach ritual supports (cow, ghee, agnihotra) with reverence and right use; let cosmological purpose inform ethical treatment and dāna."}
Subject Matter: ["Ritual Culture","Cosmology","Ethics"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 112.7 (superlative praise of Kapilā as highest puṇya)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Varāha explains that Brahmā fashioned the Kapilā from all radiances for agnihotra and yajña, suggesting a luminous creation moment.","item_prompts":["Brahmā as creator in background (four faces suggested)","streams of light (tejas) coalescing into a golden-brown Kapilā cow","agnihotra fire-altar and ladles","Varāha narrating to Bhūdevī"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: stylized Brahmā with lotus, radiant bands forming Kapilā, agnihotra fire motif, Varāha and Bhūdevī in didactic pose, saturated reds/ochres.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: gold-leaf radiance emanating from Brahmā, Kapilā highlighted with metallic sheen, ornate yajña vessels, iconic symmetry.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: elegant cosmological tableau, soft luminous gradients for tejas, detailed cow anatomy, refined ritual implements.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: poetic creation scene with light rays, Brahmā on lotus, Kapilā emerging near a small altar, gentle narrative composition."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"reverent, explanatory, luminous","suggested_raga":"Hamsadhwani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"bright, instructive, slightly elevated on ‘sarva-tejobhiḥ’"}
FAQs
It links Purāṇic narrative to Vedic ritual categories (agnihotra, yajña), illustrating how later Sanskrit texts explained ritual institutions through mythic origins.
No geographic location is named.
By grounding ritual objects in a cosmological origin, the verse encourages conscientious ritual culture—treating offerings as ethically meaningful rather than merely transactional.
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