Hiranyagarbha (donation)


Hiranyagarbha is an ancient Indian ceremony involving the donation of a golden vessel. It is mentioned as one of the sixteen great gifts in the historical texts.

Ritual

The word hiranyagarbha literally means "golden womb": it signifies a golden pot donated to a brahmana, and also refers to the god Vishnu.
The donor performs an archana, and utters a mantra praising the lord Hiranyagarbha, that is, Vishnu. The performer then enters into the "golden womb", as the priests perform the rites usually performed for a pregnant woman: garbhadhana, pumsavana, and simantonnayana.
Next, the donor is taken out of the "golden womb", and the priests perform jatakarma and other rites usually performed for a newborn. The donor utters a mantra announcing a "rebirth" from the divine womb, and is called "born of the hiranyagarbha".
After the ceremony, the donor gives away the "golden womb" and other gifts to the priests.

History

The Atharvaveda-parishishta, composed in the 1st millennium BCE, describes hiranyagarbha, besides tulapurusha and gosahasra donations. These three donations are included among the sixteen great gifts in the later text Matsya Purana; the relevant section of the text appears to have been composed during 550-650 CE. It states that several ancient kings performed the great gifts. The Linga Purana also mentions the sixteen great donations; according to R. C. Hazara, the relevant portion of the text was composed during c. 600-1000 CE, most probably after 800 CE. The great gifts are also described in the later digests devoted to the topic of charity, such as Ballala's Dana-sagara, and the Danakhanda section of Hemadri's Chaturvarga-chintamani.
The Chalukya king Pulakeshin I is known to have performed the hiranyagarbha ritual to proclaim his sovereignty. The 7th century Pandya king Jayantavarman, according to one of his inscriptions, performed three of the great gifts: hiranyagarbha, gosahasra, and tulapursuha.
The great gifts went on to become the principal sign of a king's beneficence, overlordship, and independence in the subsequent centuries. In particular, hiranyagarbha finds a mention in multiple historical inscriptions of Indian kings, including: