Shloka 45

Procedure for the Guḍa-dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift; Ten Dhenu-dānas; Yearlong Gaṅgā Worship and Darśana

Devanagari script

इति श्रीबृहन्नारदीयपुराणोत्तरभागे मोहिनीवसुसंवादे गंगामाहात्म्ये गुडधेनुविधिकथनं नाम द्विचत्वारिंशत्तमोऽध्यायः ॥ ४२ ॥

Transliteration

iti śrībṛhannāradīyapurāṇottarabhāge mohinīvasusaṃvāde gaṃgāmāhātmye guḍadhenuvidhikathanaṃ nāma dvicatvāriṃśattamo'dhyāyaḥ || 42 ||

Translation

至此，《圣大那罗陀往世书》后分（Uttara-bhāga）中，摩希尼与婆苏对话之《恒河功德》（Gaṅgā-māhātmya）里，名为“古荼-牝牛（糖蜜之牛）仪轨叙述”的第四十二章圆满结束。

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), quotative particle (इति-प्रयोगः)

• śrī-bṛhat-nāradīya-purāṇa-uttara-bhāge: in the latter part of the Śrī Bṛhannāradīya Purāṇa
• śrī-bṛhat-nāradīya-purāṇa-uttara-bhāge: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + bṛhat (प्रातिपदिक) + nāradīya (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समासः: षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुषसमाससमूहः (title phrase)

• mohinī-vasu-saṃvāde: in the dialogue of Mohinī and Vasu
• mohinī-vasu-saṃvāde: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mohinī (प्रातिपदिक) + vasu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃvāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मोहिन्याः वसोः संवादः)

• gaṅgā-māhātmye: in the section on the greatness of the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgā-māhātmye: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; समासः: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यम्)

• guḍa-dhenu-vidhi-kathanaṃ: the narration of the rite of the jaggery-cow (gift)
• guḍa-dhenu-vidhi-kathanaṃ: Karta (कर्ता/heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + dhenu (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक) + kathana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः: तत्पुरुष (गुडधेनोः विधेः कथनम्)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/title marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), नाम-शब्दः used as title-marker (इति-नामार्थे)

• dvi-catuvāriṃśattamaḥ: forty-second
• dvi-catuvāriṃśattamaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + catuvāriṃśat (प्रातिपदिक) + tama (प्रत्यय/ordinal)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/heading)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Sūta (colophon/narratorial closure; within Mohinī–Vasu dialogue context)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Guḍa-dhenu (molasses-cow rite)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhakti

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa
• Mohinī
• Vasu
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

This is the chapter-ending colophon that authenticates the textual unit: it situates the teaching within Book 2 (Uttara-bhāga), the Gaṅgā-māhātmya, and the Mohinī–Vasu dialogue, highlighting that the chapter’s focus is a specific merit-producing rite (guḍa-dhenu vidhi) connected to sacred Gaṅgā devotion and pilgrimage.

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Indirectly: by framing the content as Gaṅgā-māhātmya, it points to bhakti expressed through reverence for Gaṅgā and dharmic observances (vrata/dāna) performed in a sacred context—devotion embodied as ritualized worship and charitable giving.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

Ritual procedure (vidhi) and its correct framing are emphasized—this aligns most closely with Kalpa (the Vedāṅga dealing with ritual practice), since the chapter is explicitly about a defined rite (guḍa-dhenu) within a tīrtha-māhātmya setting.