History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c43.139

v3.c43.139

Yāj. I. 206-207 (206 = Agnipurāṇa 210. 33), Viṣṇu Dh. S. 88. 1-4, Vanaparva 200. 69-71, Atri 333, Varāhapurāṇa 112²⁰⁵¹ attach special importance to the gift of a cow when she is just on the point of giving birth to a calf (and therefore styled 'ubhayatomukhī) and the donor is said to stay in heaven as many years as the hair on the body of the cow and her calf. Aparārka (pp. 299-301) quotes a long prose extract from Cyavana on the procedure of this gift. When the head of the calf has appeared, the donor should say to the worthy donee 'accept this cow for conferring a favour on me and not because you desire this gift' and repeat Ṛg. IV. 19. 6. Then taking hold of the cow with the formula 'ka idam kasmā adāt' (Atharvaveda III. 29. 7, Āśv. Śr. 5. 13, Āp. Śr. 14. 11. 2), the donor takes down the calf and recites in a loud voice Ṛg. IV. 27. 1 ('garbhe nu'). Then after kindling fire the donor repeats mantras addressed to the gods, pitṛs, rivers, mountains, plants, seas, serpents, herbs respectively viz. Ṛg. I 139. 11, X. 16. 12, X. 75. 5, IX. 75. 4, III. 8. 11, VII. 49. 1, VI. 75. 14, I. 90. 6. Then the donor should propitiate the Earth with mantras (addressed to the Earth) viz. Ṛg. I. 112. 1, I. 22. 13, I. 185. 7, I. 164. 41; the donor should offer 84 oblations of clarified butter, feed brāhmaṇas and receive their benedictions in the terms of Ṛg. V. 51. 11 ('svasti no'). The gift of such a cow with the paraphernalia of gold or silver, fields, corn, clothes, salt and the like, sandal-wood, releases a man from the sins of eating or drinking forbidden food, brāhmaṇa murder, incest &c.