Pages

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

#004, What happened to the cow gifted by Bharadwaja

VERSE: 2-54-17, Sanskrit Verse
Tasya tat vacanam shrutvaa
raaja putrasya dhiimataha
upaanayata dharma aatmaa
gaam arghyam udakam tataha.

CONTEXT
When Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, visited Bharadwaja Ashram, Sage Bharadwaja received them well and gave them a cow and water.

ENGLISH GIST
Hearing those their words of the brave Princes, the pious sage (Bharadwaja) offered them a cow and water.

BLOGGER'S VIEWS

Rama, Lakshmana and Sita, on advice from Bharadwaja left to Chitrakoot Mountain crossing the river Yamuna in a self-made bamboo basket-boat. There is no mention of their transporting the cow. There is no mention of the cow accompanying them, when the three (Rama, Lakshmana and Sita) walked.

What happened for the cow later, the Ramayana is silent. Some translators have translated "gaam" as "Madhuparka" a sweet preparation. Literal translation (cow) is better, because the word Madhuparka has gained several meanings over centuries.

*According to Uttara Ramacharita of Bhavabhuti, Madhuparka consists of milk, curd, clarified butter, honey boiled together with a calf's beef. It is given to important guests. In Uttara Rama Charitra, it was given to sage Vasishta by sage Valmiki.

Some others believe that Madhuparka does not include beef.

Nowadays, in South India, many priests performing marriage ceremonies believe that "madhuparka" are clothes. They ask the bride's father to present new clothes to the groom and to Gods.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You mean a live cow was given to them?? where's the sanskrit word for cow? in this verse? the verse u mentioned doesn't say that they were given a cow, it surely talks of madhuparka.

vitahavya said...

bharadwaja did what is stiuplated in ancient scriptures. you present cow to a snataka, bridgegroom, srotriya, during death ceremonies.

it is upto the person who receive the cow to say to dress it or to release it.

south indian priests do not take madhuparka to be clothes - it is a mixture of milk, curds, ghee and honey and it is to presented to all revered guests. king being one.

you say that the poet did not mention the cow going with rama. it can also mean that the cow was left behind with bharadwaja. one need not always assume that it was eaten. (I have nothing angainst beef any way)