Vinītāśva
King Vinītāśva was a sārvabhauma (a ruler of the whole earth) who did the Sarvamedhā yajña, the all-inclusive yajña. He gave cows, elephants and great wealth to brāhmaṇas. He thought that anna (food) was a small gift, and he never gave cooked food or water. After death he reached svarga (heaven), but he suffered cruel hunger there. His account is told by Vasishṭha to King Śveta in the Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 97–100. Śveta had the same fault and met the same hunger in svarga. The remedy that Vinītāśva was given, the tilā-dhenu and the other pañca-dhenu (five cow gifts), is the same remedy that Vasishṭha gives to Śveta.
Background and the Sarvamedhā yajña
Vinītāśva was a mighty mahārāja who won the whole earth and became a sārvabhauma. He took up the Sarvamedhā yajña, which holds all the rites of yajña. In this yajña he gave cows, elephants and much dhana (wealth) to brāhmaṇas. He earned great puṇya (merit) and honour.
But like Śveta, he thought anna too small to count as a great dāna (gift). He never gave cooked food or water to any brāhmaṇa. Vasishṭha tells Śveta that Vinītāśva is the direct parallel of his own case. The Purāṇa says: “The great king Vinītāśva, that ruler of the earth, went to svarga after great piety, exactly as you did.”
After death and the hotā’s teaching
After death, Vinītāśva rose to the world of the devas in a shining vimāna (flying chariot) that blazed like the sun. Just as Śveta would later find, he was tormented by hunger. He found himself on the bank of the Gaṅgā near the Nīla mountain, in deep distress.
There he met his hotā, the brāhmaṇa priest who had served at his yajñas, on the bank of the Gaṅgā. Vinītāśva asked him: “What is the cause of my hunger?” The hotā gave him the remedy:
“O King! You must at once give the tilā-dhenu (sesame cow), the jala-dhenu (water cow), the ghṛta-dhenu (ghee cow), the dadhi-dhenu (curd cow) and the rasa-dhenu (sugar-juice cow). By this your hunger will leave you. As long as the sun and moon shine, hunger will not come near you again.”
Vinītāśva asked how to give the tilā-dhenu, and the hotā explained the whole procedure. Vasishṭha then repeats it word for word to King Śveta.
The tilā-dhenu and pañca-dhenu procedure
The hotā described the tilā-dhenu (the gift of a cow made of sesame) as follows.
- Sixteen prastha measures make one tilā-dhenu. Four prastha measures make the calf.
- The cow is made with legs of sugarcane stalks, tusks of flowers, a nose of sandalwood, a tongue of jaggery, golden horns, a bronze pot as the vessel, silver hooves, a cover of black deer skin, a tail of flower garlands, and all the auspicious ornaments with bells.
- It is given to a brāhmaṇa who knows all the Vedas, who is wise, and who has no defect of body.
- The mantra of giving is:
“O Tilādhenu! I give you to a dvija (a twice-born). Through this may food, drink and all rasa come to me. May you bring me all things.”
- The one who receives says:
“O Tilādhenu! I receive you with special bhakti (devotion) for my family. Honour my wishes.”
The Purāṇa says: “This tilā-dhenu fulfils all desires, without doubt. One who hears this with devotion, does it, or has it done crosses all pāpa (sin) and reaches the realm of Bhagavān Vishṇu.”
The teaching
The account of Vinītāśva stands beside the account of Śveta. Vasishṭha tells it to show how old the remedy of the pañca-dhenu is and how well it works. The fault of leaving out anna-dāna (the gift of food) falls even on the greatest kings, however large their other gifts. A yajña as great as the Sarvamedhā does not make up for the lack of anna-dāna.
Sources
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 97–100