Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.15.26

havirdhanim risher darpan

naran hartum acodayat

te ca mahishmatim ninyuh

sa-vatsam krandatim balat

SYNONYMS

havih-dhanim -- the kamadhenu; risheh -- of the great sage Jamadagni; darpat -- because of his being puffed up with material power; naran -- all his men (soldiers); hartum -- to steal or take away; acodayat -- encouraged; te -- the men of Kartaviryarjuna; ca -- also; mahishmatim -- to the capital of Kartaviryarjuna; ninyuh -- brought; sa-vatsam -- with the calf; krandatim -- crying; balat -- because of being taken away by force.

TRANSLATION

Being puffed up by material power, Kartaviryarjuna encouraged his men to steal Jamadagni's kamadhenu. Thus the men forcibly took away the crying kamadhenu, along with her calf, to Mahishmati, Kartaviryarjuna's capital.

PURPORT

The word havirdhanim is significant in this verse. Havirdhanim refers to a cow required for supplying havis, or ghee, for the performance of ritualistic ceremonies in sacrifices. In human life, one should be trained to perform yajnas. As we are informed in Bhagavad-gita (3.9), yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah: if we do not perform yajna, we shall simply work very hard for sense gratification like dogs and hogs. This is not civilization. A human being should be trained to perform yajna. Yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]. If yajnas are regularly performed, there will be proper rain from the sky, and when there is regular rainfall, the land will be fertile and suitable for producing all the necessities of life. Yajna, therefore, is essential. For performing yajna, clarified butter is essential, and for clarified butter, cow protection is essential. Therefore, if we neglect the Vedic way of civilization, we shall certainly suffer. So-called scholars and philosophers do not know the secret of success in life, and therefore they suffer in the hands of prakriti, nature (prakriteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]). Nonetheless, although they are forced to suffer, they think they are advancing in civilization (ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate). The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore meant to revive a mode of civilization in which everyone will be happy. This is the motive of our Krishna consciousness movement. Yajne sukhena bhavantu.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness