Varaha Purana 108.2 — Adhyaya 108, Shloka 2

The Eulogy and Procedure of Donating the ‘Salt-Cow’

Lavaṇadhenu

Devanagari script

अनुलिप्ते महीपृष्ठे कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तरे ॥ धेनुं लवणमयीं कृत्वा षोडशप्रस्थसंयुताम् ॥

Transliteration

anulipte mahīpṛṣṭhe kṛṣṇājinakuśottare || dhenuṃ lavaṇamayīṃ kṛtvā ṣoḍaśaprasthasaṃyutām ||

Translation

رسمی طور پر لیپی اور تیار کی ہوئی زمین پر، اس کے اوپر سیاہ ہرن کی کھال اور کُشا گھاس بچھا کر، سولہ پرستھ نمک سے یُکت نمک مئی گائے بنانی چاہیے۔

Word by Word

• anulipte: on (a place) smeared/anointed
• anulipte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anulipta (कृदन्त; anu+√lip, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग? (अधिकरणे), सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण — 'smeared/anointed'

• mahī-pṛṣṭhe: on the surface of the earth
• mahī-pṛṣṭhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — 'महीपृष्ठे' (on the earth-surface)

• kṛṣṇa-ajina-kuśa-uttare: with black antelope-skin and kuśa grass spread on top
• kṛṣṇa-ajina-kuśa-uttare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ajina (प्रातिपदिक) + kuśa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष — 'कृष्णाजिनकुशोत्तर' = 'कृष्णाजिनेन कुशैश्च उत्तरे (आस्तरणे) युक्ते'

• dhenum: a cow
• dhenum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhenu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• lavaṇa-mayīm: made of salt
• lavaṇa-mayīm: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lavaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त विशेषण (मयट्) — 'made of salt'

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) — 'having made'

• ṣoḍaśa-prastha-saṃyutām: joined with sixteen prasthas
• ṣoḍaśa-prastha-saṃyutām: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśa (संख्या) + prastha (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त; √yuj, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण — 'joined with sixteen prasthas'

Speaker

Hotṛ

Varaha Avatara Context

Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}

Bhu Devi Dialogue

Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":false}

Mathura Mandala

Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":false}

Dharma Shastra

Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"dana","instruction_summary":"Prepare a ritually purified ground; place kṛṣṇājina (black antelope hide) and kuśa grass, then fashion the salt-cow of sixteen prasthas upon it.","karmic_consequence":"Ritual purity of place and proper ādhāra (support) safeguards the gift’s efficacy; impurity or omission is treated as a flaw (doṣa) reducing merit."}

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":"ritual discipline (śauca-vidhi)","core_concept":"Outer order (purified space, proper supports) mirrors inner order; dharma is enacted through careful preparation.","practical_application":"Before any sacred act—charity, worship, vows—prepare a clean, intentional space and use traditional markers of sanctity to focus mind and action."}

Subject Matter

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

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: śānta

Geographic Context

Type: consecrated ritual ground (vedi/maṇḍala)

Cross References

Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 108.1 (introduction to lavanadhenu); Varāha Purāṇa 108.3–108.5 (iconographic specifications)

Visual Art Cues

Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A prepared ritual floor, freshly smeared, with a black antelope hide spread and kuśa grass arranged; atop it artisans/priests shape a cow-form from salt measured to sixteen prasthas.","item_prompts":["smeared earth platform","black antelope hide (kṛṣṇājina)","bundles of kuśa grass","white salt shaped into cow body","measuring pot/ladle"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: textured earthen platform, bold black kṛṣṇājina, rhythmic kuśa patterns; priests in profile shaping the salt-cow; serene ritual ambience.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore style: ornate ritual platform with gold highlights on vessels; strong contrast between black hide and white salt-cow; symmetrical composition.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style: refined depiction of kuśa blades and the hide; soft shading; focus on cleanliness and precision of arrangement.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari style: minimalistic sacred ground scene; crisp kuśa strokes; small figures crafting the salt-cow; airy background."}

Audio Atmosphere

Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"procedural, contemplative","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"steady","voice_tone":"calm, precise"}

Tags

• Classical Literature
• Purāṇic Studies
• Ritual Philanthropy
• Material Culture

FAQs

What is the historical significance of this verse?

It preserves details of ritual staging (prepared ground, kuśa, antelope-hide), illustrating continuity between Vedic ritual materials and later Purāṇic gift-rites.

Which geographic location is identified?

No specific location is named; the focus is on ritual space preparation.

What is the primary ethical instruction?

Ethical giving is presented as careful, rule-governed practice rather than a purely spontaneous act.