Matsyapurana 82
English (machine translation) 82
- Language
- English
82.1
Manu said: / Explain to me the rite of the jaggery-cow, O Lord of the world: / what form it has, and with what mantra it should be given—let that be spoken here.
82.2
Matsya said: / The form and the fruit here of the rite of the jaggery-cow, / which destroys all sins, that I shall now declare.
82.3
One should place on the ground a black antelope skin measuring four cubits, with its neck towards the east, / after smearing [the ground] with cow dung and scattering darbha grass all around.
82.4
Likewise, one should prepare the calf upon a small deer skin; / one should fashion the cow facing east, with its feet to the north, along with its calf.
82.5
The best jaggery-cow should always be four bhāras; / one should make the calf with one bhāra; the intermediate is traditionally remembered as two;
82.6
its calf should be half a bhāra; the lowest should be with one bhāra, / and its calf should be a fourth part, according to the wealth of the household.
82.7
The cow and calf have mouths of ghee, are covered in white fine garments, / have ears of mother-of-pearl, legs of sugarcane, and eyes of pure pearls;
82.8
they have white threads for veins, white wool for dewlaps, / copper vessels for their backs, and white yak tails for their hair;
82.9
they possess pairs of coral brows, both have udders of fresh butter, / tails of linen cloth, bell-metal milking vessels, and pupils of sapphire;
82.10
they are adorned with golden horns, fitted with silver hooves, / endowed with various fruits, with scent-boxes for nostrils— / having fashioned them thus, one should then worship them with incense and lamps:
82.11
'May that goddess, who is the fortune of all beings and who dwells in the gods, / in the form of a cow grant me peace.
82.12
And the goddess Rudrāṇī who resides in the body, ever dear to Śaṃkara, / in the form of a cow may she dispel my sin.
82.13
The Lakṣmī who is on Viṣṇu's chest, the Svāhā who is in fire, / and the power of Moon, Sun, and Śakra—may she, in the form of a cow, lead to prosperity.
82.14
The fortune belonging to the Four-faced One, and the fortune belonging to the Giver of Wealth, / the fortune belonging to the guardians of the world—may that cow be a grantor of boons to me.
82.15
The Svadhā of the foremost ancestors, and the Svāhā of the eaters of sacrifice— / O cow who removes all sins, grant me peace from that!'
82.16
Having addressed that cow thus, one should present it to a brāhmaṇa. / This rite is recited for all cows:
82.17
Those ten cows that are proclaimed as destroying sin— / their true form and names I shall declare, O king of men.
82.18
The first is the jaggery-cow, the second likewise the ghee-cow; / the third is the sesame-cow, and the fourth is named the water-cow;
82.19
the milk-cow is renowned, and another is the honey-cow; / the seventh is the sugar-cow, the eighth likewise the curd-cow; / the ninth is the juice-cow, and the tenth is by its very nature.
82.20
Jars should be used for the liquid-cows, but heaps for the others; / here some kings also desire the gold-cow;
82.21
and other great sages [prescribe] with fresh butter and gems. / Such is this procedure; the materials are remembered to be the same.
82.22
Accompanied by mantras and invocation, always on sacred day after sacred day, / they should be given according to one's faith, granting the fruits of worldly enjoyment and liberation.
82.23
In the context of the jaggery-cow, all of them have been declared by me; / all grant the fruits of complete sacrifices, remove sins, and are auspicious.
82.24
Because the Viśokadvādaśī vow is the best of vows, / as a part of it the jaggery-cow is praised here.
82.25
At the solstices, the holy equinoxes, the vyatīpāta yoga, or again / at eclipses and other sacred occasions, the jaggery-cow and the others should be given.
82.26
And this Viśokadvādaśī is holy, sins-removing, and auspicious, / fasting on which a person goes to that supreme abode of Viṣṇu.
82.27
In this world [one gains] good fortune, longevity, and health, / and at death, remembering Hari, one attains the realm of Viṣṇu.
82.28
For nine thousand hundred-millions and eighteen, O knower of righteousness, / sorrow, misery, and misfortune do not arise for him, O king.
82.29
Or whatever woman performs the Viśokadvādaśī vow, / continually devoted to dance and song, she too obtains that fruit.
82.30
Therefore, before Hari, boundless singing and music / should always be performed by one desiring prosperity, with supreme devotion, O king.
82.31
He who recites this thus, who hears it rightly here, and who watches the worship of the Enemy of Madhu, Mura, and Naraka, / and who gives intelligence to people—he dwells in Indra's realm, worshipped by the multitudes of gods for one kalpa.
Translations (1)
- The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English
Linked texts (1)
- Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit