Varaha Purana 112.36 — Adhyaya 112, Shloka 36
Praise and Procedure of Donating the Two-Faced Kapilā Cow and the Golden Pot
Hema-kumbha
महापातकयुक्तोऽपि गवां दानेन शुध्यति ॥ यश्चोभयमुखीं दद्यात्रभूतकनकान्विताम्
mahāpātakayukto 'pi gavāṃ dānena śudhyati || yaś cobhayamukhīṃ dadyāt prabhūtakanakānvitām
بڑے گناہوں میں مبتلا شخص بھی گائے کے دان سے پاک ہو جاتا ہے۔ اور جو کوئی ‘اُبھَیَمُکھی’ گائے—دوہری علامت والی—کثیر سونے کے ساتھ دان کرے، (وہ مذکورہ ثمر پاتا ہے)۔
Varāha (default, instructional voice in dialogue framework)
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":"Go-dāna purifies even a mahāpātakin; especially efficacious is gifting an ‘obhayamukhī’ cow along with abundant gold as prescribed.","karmic_consequence":"Purification (śuddhi) and high puṇya accrue to the donor; withholding/violating the sanctity of cows sustains grave demerit."}
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":"ritual ethics (means of purification)","core_concept":"Certain gifts function as concentrated carriers of dharmic value; go-dāna is treated as a potent purifier due to the cow’s sacral status and sustenance symbolism.","practical_application":"If undertaking expiation, perform go-dāna according to prescription (proper recipient, accompanying dakṣiṇā like gold, and correct ritual framing)."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Ritual Studies","Material Culture"]
Primary Rasa: śānta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: None
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 112.39 (diet and gold measures connected to the same observance)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A ritual donation scene: a donor presents a specially marked ‘obhayamukhī’ cow adorned with ornaments, alongside heaps of gold, under Varāha’s instruction.","item_prompts":["decorated cow with distinctive markings (two-faced/dual-marked symbolism)","gold coins/ingots","donor with offering gesture","brāhmaṇa recipient","ritual water-pot (kalaśa) and kusa grass"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: richly caparisoned cow with floral garlands; gold rendered as flat luminous yellow; Varāha presiding; temple courtyard setting.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: heavy gold-leaf for ornaments and coins; cow with jeweled harness; symmetrical composition with Varāha blessing gesture.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: detailed textiles and jewelry on cow and donor; soft shading; emphasis on auspiciousness and purity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: pastoral setting; cow central with delicate ornament; small figures of donor and priest; narrative charm and clarity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"ritual-instructional, auspicious","suggested_raga":"Shree","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"measured, reassuring"}
FAQs
It documents a ritualized gifting economy where specific descriptive qualifiers (e.g., obhayamukhī, gold-adorned) function as technical markers of an ideal donation in Purāṇic manuals.
None in this verse; the emphasis is on ritual specification rather than place.
To present charity—especially go-dāna—as a structured ethical practice believed to support moral rehabilitation.
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