Tila-dhenu
Tila-dhenu · tila-dhenu, “the cow of sesame”
Grammar: feminine noun; a compound of tila (sesame) and dhenu (a milch cow): “a cow of sesame”.
Meaning: a “cow” made of sesame, given as dāna to śrotriyas. Its sister gift is the ghṛta-dhenu, a “cow” of ghee.
In the scriptures: the munis ask Vyāsa whether there is any means of going in comfort along the dreadful road to Yamaloka. Vyāsa tells them that those devoted to dharma do not go by the road of Yama, and he names each good act and the vehicle it earns. Those who with śraddhā gave sesame, tila-dhenu and ghṛta-dhenu to śrotriyas (brāhmaṇas learned in the Veda) go to Yamapurī on vimānas shining like the orb of the moon, while gandharvas sing (Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 216).
Related terms: Tila · Ghṛta-dhenu · Go-dāna · Dāna · Śrotriya
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 216