Varāha Mahā Purana
100 - Greatness of Jaladhenu
The priest said:
1. I shall now tell you about Jaladhenu. On a holy day clean the floor of the size of a cow’s skin with cow dung.
2. In its middle, place a pot full of water with perfumes, camphor and sandal paste.
3. Consider that as the cow and another full of water as the calf.
4. Place on all sides the tender sprouts of Dürvä grass and duly decorate with garlands.
5. Put on the pot fine gems and different kinds of fine fragrance.
6. Place also different kinds of grain on all sides.
7. Place four vessels on the four sides respectively filled with ghee, curd, honey and gur.
8. The face should be of gold, horns of lead and eyes of pearl.
9. The back should be of copper and (the rest of) the body of bronze and hairs to be of darbha. The tail should be of strings with black bells.
10. There should be garlands on the neck, gur on the face and teeth should be of seashells. The tongue should be of strings with black bells.
11. The feet should be of Sugarcane with sandal paste and flower. Cover it then with cloth and place it on an antelope’s skin. Then give it to a Brahmin after giving him sandal paste and flowers.
12-13. The person to whom it is given should be good, learned in Veda, one with a family and devoted to duty.
14. He who gives the gift, sees it or hears about it and he who receives it, all get freed of their sins.
15. Even those who have the sin of killing a Brahmin, father or cow, or of drinking liquor or of adultery with his teacher’s wife, get absolved of it and go to Vishnu’s abode.
16. The performer of an Ašhvamedha with all gifts and dakshinas and the giver of a Jaladhenu are equals.
17. The giver of Jaladhenu may live on water alone for a day and the receiver in the same manner for three days.
18. The giver of Jaladhenu goes to the place where rivers are full of milk and ponds are full of honey and where always swells the music of the Apsarases.
19. He who gives Jaladhenu, he who causes it to be given and he who receives it, all get merged in Vishnu.
20. He who speaks about the greatness of the gift of Jaladhenu and he who listens to it go to heaven, getting rid of all sins.
Summary of chapter 100 of the Varāha Mahā Purana is as follows:
The narrative details the journey of King Śatānīka, who sought purification from accumulated royal sins and battle-guilt by traveling to the holy banks of river Sarasvatī. By undertaking strict fasting, donating cows to virtuous brāhmaṇas, and bathing in Prithūdaka, King Śatānīka attained complete inner peace and divine grace, demonstrating the boundless mercy of the sacred river to all who seek refuge.