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
พระราชาผู้รอบรู้ พึงถวายแก่ครูอาจารย์ ช้าง ม้า รถเกวียน/รถศึก และสิ่งอื่นทำนองนั้น อีกทั้งทองคำตามมาตรา ‘กรามะ’ และทรัพย์มีค่าเช่นเดียวกัน; และเมื่อฐานะปานกลาง ก็พึงถวายทานปานกลางเช่นกัน
Varāha (default, speaker not explicit in excerpt)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false,"aspect_highlighted":"None","boar_form_detail":"None","earth_interaction":"None"}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false,"speaker_role":"instructor","bhu_devi_state":"None","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":"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,"vrata_name":"None","tithi_month":"None","promised_fruit":"None"}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false,"symbolic_interpretation":"None","yajna_varaha_imagery":"None","vedantic_connection":"None"}
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
Type: None
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
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