Dapple-skin

Dapple-skin is Vasishtha’s wish-granting cow, whose response to the sage’s commands turns her from a source of hospitality into a power of defense. The text gives her a distinctive contrast—spotted on the outside, pure within—and shows her answering a call for help by bringing a mighty force to life.

Identity and Appearance

The narrative introduces Dapple-skin as a cow with spots across her exterior and purity within. This brief description makes her appearance part of her identity while also distinguishing outward markings from inward worth. Vasishtha calls her by name, presenting her not as an anonymous animal but as a being he can summon and address.

Service to Vasishtha

When Vasishtha hears a king declare his intention, he calls Dapple-skin to come quickly and help him entertain the visitor. The request establishes her capacity to answer need in the setting of a sage’s hospitality. She is summoned directly, and the passage places her presence at the center of Vasishtha’s response to the king.

Defense and Narrative Role

The scene shifts from welcome to confrontation when Vasishtha commands the creation of a mighty force to meet a foe. Dapple-skin lows, and a force springs into life. Her action gives material effect to the sage’s command: she is not merely present during the conflict but is the means by which his response takes shape. The sequence links her two functions—helping her master receive a guest and supplying power when that encounter becomes hostile—while making her a decisive participant in the story’s movement from hospitality to defense.