History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c43.141

v3.c43.141

In imitation of the gift of the cow gifts of certain articles were made and they are also described as *dhenus*. The Matsyapurāṇa (chap. 82. 17-22) speaks of ten dhenus viz. of guḍa (jaggery), ghṛta (ghee), tila (sesame), jala (water), kṣīra (milk), madhu (honey), śarkarā (sugar), dadhi (curds), rasa (other liquids) and godhenu (cow itself). It gives (chap. 82) a detailed description of guḍadhenu and adds that the liquid dhenus should be kept in jars and others should be in heaps, that the same procedure applies to all, and that some add suvarṇadhenu, navanīta-dhenu (cow of butter) and ratnadhenu (cow of jewels). The Agnipurāṇa (210. 11-12) enumerates the same ten dhenus. In the Anuśāsana-parva 71. 39-41 the three dhenus of *ghṛta, tila* and *jala* are mentioned. The Varāhapurāṇa (chap. 99-110) describes in detail twelve dhenus, viz. all mentioned in the Matsya (except ghṛta and godhenu) and navanīta, lavaṇa (salt), kārpāsa (cotton) and dhānya (corn). The procedure of all is more or less the same. Black antelope skin four cubits in length is to be spread on the ground that has been cowdunged and has darbhas strewn on it with the neck portion to the east (this represents the cow) and a smaller skin is also spread (to represent the calf). If it is guḍa-dhenu it is made of 2 or 4 bhāras ²⁰⁵² and the calf is made with one fourth of that for the cow. Various articles such as conch shells, sugarcane pieces, pearls, chowries, coral &c. are placed on the skin, to represent the various limbs of the cow, which is worshipped with *dhūpa* (incense) and lamps and invoked with *paurāṇika mantras*. Then the articles are donated to a brāhmaṇa. Hemādri (Dāna, p. 401) notes that according to the Padmapurāṇa a single jar of liquids and one droṇa of solids constitute these dhenus, while the Dānaviveka establishes that *kumbha*²⁰⁵³ is equal to 1000 palas and others hold that *kumbha* contains 512 palas. These several dhenus may be donated on eclipses, on the full moon days of Kārtika and Māgha, on *Yugādi* days or when the 7th *tithi* of a month falls on a Sunday and that the donor should subsist for three days on the substance to be donated. Aparārka pp. 303-313, Hemādri (Dāna.) pp. 397-466, Dānamayūkha pp. 172-184 dilate upon these dhenus, but all those details are passed over here for want of space.