Pañcarātra Dīkshā, King Śveta and the Dhenu-Dānas
Chapters 97 to 100 of the Varāha Purāṇa hold three teachings that Bhagavān Varāha gives to Bhūdevī, the Earth. The first is the Pañcarātra dīkshā (initiation) into the pūjā of Bhagavān Vishṇu, with its maṇḍala, its nine-kalaśa bath and its homa. The second is the account of King Śveta, who gave huge gifts and a thousand aśvamedha yajñas but never gave food, and who suffered hunger in svarga (heaven) for it. The third is the teaching of the dhenu-dānas (gifts of a cow made from sacred materials): the tila-dhenu, the jala-dhenu and the rasa-dhenu.
The Pañcarātra dīkshā
Bhagavān Varāha describes the Pañcarātra dīkshā in detail. He says that anyone who is afflicted in this birth by poverty, disease or leprosy, or who has no children and no wealth, and who sees Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa honoured together with his consort in the maṇḍala, will at once receive wealth, long life (āyu), riches (dhana), sons (kumāra) and happiness (sukha).
Testing the disciple
The guru must test the seeker for a full year. The seeker may be a brāhmaṇa, a kshatriya or a vaiśya. The guru looks at his jāti (birth), his purity (śuddhi) and his conduct. Only after this does the guru accept him as a disciple (śishya). The disciple, for his part, must see the guru as Parameśvara, equal to Vishṇu himself, and must keep unshaken bhakti (devotion) to him for a full year.
The night of preparation
On the daśamī (tenth day) of the month of Kārtika, the guru meditates on the mantra of Parameshṭhi. He drinks vaṭa-kshīra (the milk of the banyan tree) and sleeps in the presence of Deva-deva, Bhagavān Vishṇu. In the morning the disciple tells the guru any dreams he had. The guru explains the good and bad signs in them.
The maṇḍala
On the ekādaśī (eleventh day) the disciple keeps upavāsa (a fast) and goes to the deva-ālaya (temple). The guru prepares the ground, and the maṇḍala is drawn on it. It may be one of three kinds:
- a shoḍaśa-ara cakra, a wheel with sixteen spokes
- a nava-biṃba maṇḍala, a maṇḍala of nine points
- an ashṭa-dala padma, a lotus with eight petals
The ground is decorated with auspicious signs.
The placing of the devas
The lokapālas (guardians of the directions) are placed in their directions:
- Indra in the east
- Agni in the south-east
- Yama in the south
- Nirṛti in the south-west
- Varuṇa
- Vāyu in the north-west
- Kubera in the north
- Rudra in the north-east
Then Bhagavān Vishṇu himself is honoured at the centre of the lotus. Four petals surround him. Balarāma is on the eastern petal, Pradyumna on the southern, Aniruddha on the western and Vāsudeva on the northern. Close by are also set up Śaṅkha, Cakra, Gadā, Padma, Ulūkhala, Garuḍa, Lakshmī, Dhanush, Khaḍga, Śrīvatsa and Kaustubha.
The nine kalaśas
Nine kalaśas (ritual pots) are set up. Eight are for the eight lokapālas in their directions, and the ninth is the central Vaishṇava kalaśa. The one being initiated is given an abhisheka (sacred bath) from them. Each pot gives its own fruit:
- Indra-kalaśa: prosperity (saṃpat)
- Āgneya-kalaśa: goods and valour (parākrama)
- Dakshiṇa-kalaśa: victory over death (mṛtyu)
- Nairṛta-kalaśa: the destruction of enemies
- Dakshiṇa-kalaśa again: peace (śānti)
- Vāyavya-kalaśa: the destruction of pāpa (sin)
- Uttara-kalaśa: wealth
- Īśāna-kalaśa: the wealth of knowledge (jñāna-sampada)
- All nine together: the complete destruction of grave pāpa (pātaka-nāśa). One who bathes with all nine becomes equal to Vishṇu, or becomes a king at once.
The vows and the homa
The guru covers the disciple’s eyes and leads him in pradakshiṇa (a walk around the fire). He gives the disciple the formal samayas (vows): brāhmaṇas are not to be condemned, for a brāhmaṇa is Vishṇu himself; and Rudra, Āditya, Agni, the lokapālas, the planets, the gurus and devoted Vaishṇavas are not to be spoken of with disrespect.
Then the guru performs the homa. In the blazing fire he burns the tattvas (elements) of the disciple’s body with the sixteen-syllable mantra:
Oṃ namo bhagavate sarva-rūpiṇe huṃ phaṭ svāhā
The saṃskāras (sacred rites of life) from garbhādhāna onward are completed, with three offerings (āhutis) for each, in the presence of Deva-deva, Bhagavān Vishṇu.
The guru’s gift
After the homa, the initiated king gives the guru elephants, horses, gold ornaments and agrahāras (villages given to brāhmaṇas) as guru-dakshiṇā (the teacher’s fee). A person of middle means gives as much as he can. An ordinary person gives whatever he has, in a pair.
The Varāha Purāṇa then says that whoever has been initiated in this way and hears the Varāha Purāṇa holds all the Vedas, all the Purāṇas and all mantras as if in his hand. The devas themselves think in their meditation, “When shall we be born in Bhārata-varsha, be initiated, and hear the Varāha Purāṇa?”
King Śveta and the gift of food
Bhūdevī’s question
Bhūdevī asks Bhagavān Varāha for a simpler path, one year long, that gives the full fruit of the dvādaśī-vratas (vows of the twelfth day). In reply Bhagavān Varāha tells the account of King Śveta of Ilāvṛta-varsha.
Śveta and Vasishṭha
Śveta was a great and righteous king who had conquered the whole earth. He went to his purohita (household priest) Vasishṭha and said, “O Bhagavān Vasishṭha, I wish to give the whole earth, with its cities, gardens and trees, to brāhmaṇas. Give me your permission.”
Vasishṭha answered simply, “O king, anna-dāna (the gift of food) is the highest gift at all times and brings happiness to all. Give food!”
Śveta set this aside. He said, “What is this anna-dāna? Is it some great gift?” Instead he gave brāhmaṇas jewels, gold, vehicles, cities, elephants and deerskins. He even performed a thousand aśvamedha yajñas and gave away gold coins and jewels. But he never gave food or water.
Hunger in svarga
When death came to Śveta through the force of time (kāla-dharma), he rose to svarga in a shining vimāna (heavenly chariot). But even there hunger and thirst tormented him terribly. He found himself near Śveta-parvata, the home of the Apsarasas, wandering and suffering. There he met the charred and picked-over bones of his own former body, and he began to gnaw on them. Then he rose again in his vimāna to svarga.
After a long time the king, still gnawing his own bones, appeared before the great Vasishṭha. Vasishṭha said, “What is this? O king, are you eating your own bones?”
Śveta answered in sorrow, “O Svāmin, hunger torments me. In my last life I never gave food or drink. That is why my hunger is so great.”
Vasishṭha spoke with compassion: “O king, what can I do for you? One who gives no dāna (gift) cannot get anything good in any world. By giving jewels and gold, one gets worldly enjoyment (bhoga). But by giving food, one gets the fulfilment of all desires. You gave huge gifts, but not the gift of food. How great a loss!”
King Vinītāśva
Vasishṭha then tells Śveta about Vinītāśva, who is a like case. Vinītāśva was an emperor (sārvabhauma) who performed the Sarvamedha yajña and gave much wealth to brāhmaṇas, but he too never gave food. He too died and went to svarga, and he too suffered terrible hunger there. He wandered near the Gaṅgā on Nīla-parvata, carrying his own corpse, the remains of his former body, and gnawing its bones.
His purohita Hotā appeared before him at the Gaṅgā and advised him, “Give the tila-dhenu, the jala-dhenu, the ghṛta-dhenu, the dadhi-dhenu and the rasa-dhenu. These will end your hunger.” Vinītāśva asked how each one is given, and so the teaching of the five dhenu-dānas was given.
Vasishṭha sums up the lesson: “Anna-dāna is the highest of all gifts at all times. Through anna-dāna all desires are fulfilled.” The dhenu-dānas are not living cows but forms made by hand.
The dhenu-dānas
The tila-dhenu
Measure. Four kudavas make one prastha. Sixteen prasthas make a tila-dhenu. Four more make its calf, which is placed beside it.
Form. The tila-dhenu is made of sesame (tila). Cane stalks are its legs, flowers its teeth, fragrant paste (gandha) its nose, jaggery its tongue, and a garland of flowers its tail. Bells are its ornaments and its horns are of gold. A bronze vessel is its milk-pot, and silver hooves are made for it.
Covering. A black antelope skin is its garment.
Mantra for the gift. The giver says:
O Tila-dhenu! I am offering you to a dvija. May food, drink and all rasas flow to me from this. Give us all.
The brāhmaṇa who receives it says:
O Tila-dhenu! Namaskāra to you. I accept you with special bhakti for the sake of my family. Honour my wishes and protect me.
Fruit. This dhenu-dāna fulfils all desires without doubt. One who gives it, hears of it or has it done goes to Vishṇu-loka, freed from all pāpa.
The jala-dhenu
Form. It is made with a full pot (pūrṇa-kumbha) set on a maṇḍala of cow dung (gomaya), with a cowhide below it. The pot is filled with fragrant water mixed with camphor, aguru and candana. A second pot is filled with ghee and decorated with āmalaka, leaves, flowers, garlands and kuśa sprouts. Five jewels are put inside, along with jāṭāmāṃsi, uśīra, kushṭha and fine sand. All kinds of grain, āmalaka and white sesame are added too. Four vessels are placed in the four directions: one of ghee, one of curds, one of honey and one of sugar.
The cow’s form. The face is gold. The horns are black aguru. The ears are fine leaves and the eyes are pearls. The hindquarters are red. The milk-vessel is bronze. The hair is kuśa grass and the tail is a string. The neck has black ornaments and bells, and the dewlap is decorated with a garland of flowers. The nose is jaggery, the teeth are pearl shells, the tongue is sugar, the udder is butter and the legs are sugarcane. All the ornaments are placed and pūjā is offered.
Covering. A black antelope skin covered with fine cloth.
Fruit. It equals an aśvamedha yajña. The giver, the witness and the brāhmaṇa who receives are all three freed from all pāpa, including brahma-hatyā (killing a brāhmaṇa), go-hatyā (killing a cow), drinking alcohol, and violating a guru’s wife. One who gives the jala-dhenu goes to Vishṇu-loka.
The rasa-dhenu
Form. It is made with a pot filled with sugarcane juice, set on a black antelope skin and a seat of darbha grass. One quarter of the pot’s capacity is made into the calf and placed beside the main vessel.
Construction. Cane stalks are the legs. The horns are gold ornaments. The tail is cloth and the udder is ghee. Flowers are in the dewlap. The face and tongue are sugar and the teeth are fruit. The hindquarters are copper, the hair is flowers and the eyes are pearls. Seven grains are mixed in and fragrances of choice are added. Four vessels of sugarcane juice are placed in the four directions.
The receiver. The rasa-dhenu is to be given to a brāhmaṇa who knows the Vedas (veda-vidvān), is a śrotriya, keeps the sacred fires (āhitāgni) and knows the Purāṇas. He must be of good conduct and good mind, and have a family.
Fruit. Giver and receiver both keep a one-day fast on rasa alone. The giver gets the fruit of drinking soma and of performing all yajñas. Even those who only watch the giving reach the highest goal (parama-gati). One who gives the rasa-dhenu to a qualified brāhmaṇa, after honouring him with gandha, dhūpa (incense) and mālā (garland), frees twenty-one generations: ten before him, ten after him, and himself. He does not return from svarga.
Sources
- Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 97–100 (Adhyāyas 97–100)