Adhyaya 109: The Merit and Procedure of Donating the ‘Cotton Cow’ (Kārpāsa-dhenu)
Kārpāsadhenu-dāna-māhātmya
Ritual-Manual (Dāna-vidhi and Apotropaic Rite)
本章置于《婆罗诃往世书》常见的婆罗诃—大地女神（Pṛthivī）教诲框架中，讲述“棉制之牛”供施（kārpāsadhenu-dāna）作为消灾与积德之法。Hotṛ告诫国王：在昼夜平分（viṣuva）、ayana更替、劫初（yugādi）与日月食等关键时刻，及遭遇行星侵扰（grahapīḍā）、凶梦与不祥之感时，尤宜行此布施。仪轨包括以牛粪涂地、铺设达尔婆草（darbha）与芝麻净坛；安置并装饰象征之牛，供奉衣布、花鬘、香膏、熏香、灯火与供品；并按重量定其施舍等级，严禁欺诈。最后以真言启请，施与具德受者，并作护佑祈愿，求脱离轮回（saṃsāra），使仪式秩序与人间安宁相应。
Speakers
Key Concepts
Shlokas in Adhyaya 109
Verse 1
अथ कार्पासधेनुदानमाहात्म्यम् ॥ होतोवाच ॥ अथातः सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि धेनुं कार्पासकीं नृप ॥ यत्प्रदानान्नरो याति ऐन्द्रलोकमनुत्तम
今当宣说布施“棉牛”之功德。祭司霍多曰：“今者，王啊，我将详述以棉制成之牛；由其布施，人得往无上之因陀罗世界。”
Verse 2
विषुवे त्वयने पुण्ये युगादिग्रहणे तथा ॥ ग्रहपीडासु चोग्रासु दुःस्वप्नेऽरिष्टदर्शने
于昼夜平分之时，于吉祥之至日之际，亦于劫初之日月食；又当诸星严厉作祟之苦难时，于恶梦之中，及见凶兆之际——
Verse 3
नृणां च ग्रहपीडासु दुःस्वप्नाद्भुतदर्शने ॥ पुण्येष्वायतने राजञ्छुचिदेशे गवां गणे
当人们遭受行星之扰、见到凶梦与异兆之时，王啊——（应行此仪）于具福德的圣所，在清净之地，于牛群之中。
Verse 4
गोमयेनोपलिप्तायां दर्भानास्तीर्य वै तिलान् ॥ तन्मध्ये स्थापयेद्धेनुं वस्त्रमाल्यानुलेपनाम्
以牛粪涂抹（地面或坛场）之后，再铺设达婆草与芝麻粒，应将母牛安置于中央——以衣布、花鬘与香膏庄严。
Verse 5
धूपदीपादिनैवेद्यैः पूजयেচ्च विमत्सरः ॥ उत्तमा च चतुर्भारैरर्धेनैव तु मध्यमाः
应以无嫉之心，用熏香、灯明与食供而礼敬。所谓“上等”之施，量为四婆罗（bhāra）；“中等”为其半。
Verse 6
भारेण चाधमा प्रोक्ता वित्तशाठ्यं विवर्जयेत् ॥ चतुर्थांशेन वत्सं तु कल्पयित्वा विधानतः
所谓“下等”据说为一婆罗（bhāra）；当远离以财物行欺诈。并应依仪轨，备置一头小牛，量为四分之一。
Verse 7
कर्तव्या रुक्मशृङ्गी तु रजतस्य खुरान्विता ॥ नानाफलमया दन्ता रत्नगर्भसमन्विताः
其应制作为金角，并具银蹄；其齿以诸果塑成，且其内（胎藏）具足宝珠。
Verse 8
इत्येवं सर्वसम्पूर्णा कृत्वा श्रद्धासमन्वितः ॥ आवाहयेत्तां कार्पासधेनुं मन्त्रैर्द्विजातये
如此，将其一切圆满具足而成，并怀至诚专注之信者，应以真言召请那以棉制成之母牛——kārpāsadhenu——以奉与二次生者（dvijāti）为受者。
Verse 9
दद्याद्धेनुं चर्मपाणिः प्रयतः श्रद्धयान्वितः ॥ पूर्वोक्तस्तु विधिः कार्यो दानमन्त्रपुरःसरः
手持兽皮（作仪式之具），身心谨肃并具至诚之信者，应当施与此牛。先前所说之仪轨当依次奉行，并以布施真言为先导。
Verse 10
यया देवगणः सर्वस्त्वया हीनो न वर्तते ॥ तथा उद्धर मां देवि पाहि संसारसागरात्
由汝之力，诸天众神无不具足而不致匮乏；如是，女神啊，亦请拔济于我，护我脱离轮回（saṃsāra）之海。
Inside Adhyaya 109
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī instructional milieu, the discourse turns to a remedial, merit-producing dāna: the kārpāsa-dhenu (a ritually constituted ‘cotton cow’) offered to avert misfortune and stabilize auspiciousness in the king’s realm and household life.
- Central event
Hotṛ-like ritual authority instructs the king on when and why the kārpāsadhenu-dāna should be performed—especially at calendrical thresholds (viṣuva, ayana-saṅkrama, yugādi) and during grahaṇa—as well as in crisis-sign contexts such as grahapīḍā, duḥsvapna, and ariṣṭa-darśana.
- Climax resolution
The rite reaches completion through strict kṣetra-śuddhi and installation of the symbolic cow, careful ‘grading’ by weight (uttama–madhyama–adhama) without vitta-śāṭhya (deceit), mantra-led invocation, and final transfer to a qualified recipient, paired with a protective supplication for release from saṃsāra and removal of afflictions.
- Closing phalashruti
Implicit phala is apotropaic protection (śānti against graha/ariṣṭa), accrual of puṇya through śraddhā-governed giving, and a soteriological orientation (deliverance from saṃsāra); no distinct, standalone phalaśruti verse is indicated in the provided summary.
Geographical context
No explicit toponyms are named in the provided passage. Spatial context is ritual-ecological: śuci-deśa (a purified place), puṇya-āyatana (meritorious/sacred precinct), and gavāṃ gaṇa (a cattle enclosure/herd-space) as the recommended setting.
Ritual instructions
- Primary Ritualkārpāsadhenu-dāna (donation of a cotton-constituted cow) as śānti/apotropaic dāna
- BenefitŚānti against graha/ariṣṭa and misfortune, reinforcement of auspicious order through śauca and regulated charity, accumulation of puṇya, and an explicitly stated protective-soteriological aim (relief from saṃsāra’s distress).
The narrative frame
- Hotṛ (ritual functionary voice within the Varāha–Pṛthivī pedagogical frame)nṛpa (king) · Didactic, procedural, and admonitory (emphasizing śraddhā and prohibition of deceit)
The emotional journey
- Dominant RasaŚānta (with apotropaic undertones of Bhayānaka → Śānta)
- Emotional ProgressionAnxiety about omens/planetary affliction is acknowledged and ritually contained; the mood shifts from crisis-management to composure through orderly vidhi, culminating in reassurance via dāna and protective prayer.
Planning a pilgrimage
- Visit FeasibilityNot tirtha-specific in the provided chapter summary; the rite is portable and can be performed in any suitably purified precinct (śuci-deśa/puṇya-āyatana), including near a cattle enclosure, under guidance of a competent ritual specialist.
- Best SeasonAligned to calendrical markers rather than season: viṣuva (equinoxes), ayana transitions (solsticial turnings), yugādi, and eclipse days; additionally whenever grahapīḍā/ariṣṭa is perceived.
- Related FestivalViṣuva observances (equinox days), Makara/Karkaṭa saṅkrānti (ayana turnings), regional Yugādi/Ugādi new-year observances; grahaṇa (eclipse) observance days.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter presents dāna (charitable gifting) as an ethically regulated practice: it prescribes careful ritual procedure, emphasizes śraddhā (intentional sincerity), and explicitly warns against vitta-śāṭhya (deceit about one’s means or the gift’s quality). The internal logic frames correct giving as a stabilizing social act that counters misfortune and supports orderly life.
The text recommends performance at viṣuva (equinox), during ayana transitions (solar solstice-turnings), on yugādi (a calendrical ‘beginning of an age/period’ marker), and during grahaṇa (eclipses). It also situates the rite in response to grahapīḍā (planetary afflictions), duḥsvapna (bad dreams), and ariṣṭa-darśana (ominous perceptions).
While not explicitly ecological in modern terms, the chapter links ritual purity and orderly giving to the maintenance of auspiciousness in lived space: it requires a śuci-deśa, cow-dung plastering (gomaya-lepana), and careful preparation of the ground with darbha and tilā. In the Varāha–Pṛthivī interpretive frame, such prescriptions can be read as practices that ritualize care for place, livestock-associated landscapes, and communal stability.
The passage addresses a nṛpa (king) and identifies the instructing voice as Hotṛ (a Vedic ritual functionary). No specific dynastic lineage, named sage genealogy, or historical royal house is provided in the excerpt.
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