FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.15.24

तस्मै स नरदेवाय मुनिरर्हणमाहरत् । ससैन्यामात्यवाहाय हविष्मत्या तपोधन: ॥ २४ ॥
tasmai sa naradevāya
[tasmai sa naradevaaya]
munir arhaṇam āharat
[munir arhanam aaharat]
sasainyāmātya-vāhāya
[sasainyaamaatya-vaahaaya]
haviṣmatyā tapo-dhanaḥ
[havishmatyaa tapo-dhanah]
tasmai — unto him saḥ — he (Jamadagni) naradevāya — unto King Kārtavīryārjuna muniḥ — the great sage arhaṇam — paraphernalia for worship āharat — offered sa-sainya — with his soldiers amātya — his ministers vāhāya — and the chariots, the elephants, the horses or the men who carried the palanquins haviṣmatyā — because of possessing a kāmadhenu, a cow that could supply everything tapaḥ-dhanaḥ — the great sage, whose only power was his austerity, or who was engaged in austerity.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tasmai sa naradevāya
tasmai
unto him
saḥ
he (Jamadagni)
naradevāya
unto King Kārtavīryārjuna
munir arhaṇam āharat
muniḥ
the great sage
arhaṇam
paraphernalia for worship
āharat
offered
sasainyāmātya-vāhāya
sa-sainya
with his soldiers
amātya
his ministers
vāhāya
and the chariots, the elephants, the horses or the men who carried the palanquins
haviṣmatyā tapo-dhanaḥ
haviṣmatyā
because of possessing a kāmadhenu, a cow that could supply everything
tapaḥ-dhanaḥ
the great sage, whose only power was his austerity, or who was engaged in austerity.
The sage Jamadagni, who was engaged in great austerities in the forest, received the King very well, along with the King’s soldiers, ministers and carriers. He supplied all the necessities to worship these guests, for he possessed a kāmadhenu cow that was able to supply everything.

The Brahma-saṁhitā informs us that the spiritual world, and especially the planet Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa lives, is full of surabhi cows ( surabhīr abhipālayantam ). The surabhi cow is also called kāmadhenu. Although Jamadagni possessed only one kāmadhenu, he was able to get from it everything desirable. Thus he was able to receive the King, along with the King’s great number of followers, ministers, soldiers, animals and palanquin carriers. When we speak of a king, we understand that he is accompanied by many followers. Jamadagni was able to receive all the King’s followers properly and feed them sumptuously with food prepared in ghee. The King was astonished at how opulent Jamadagni was because of possessing only one cow, and therefore he became envious of the great sage. This was the beginning of his offense. Paraśurāma, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, killed Kārtavīryārjuna because Kārtavīryārjuna was too proud. One may possess unusual opulence in this material world, but if one becomes puffed up and acts whimsically he will be punished by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the lesson to learn from this history, in which Paraśurāma became angry at Kārtavīryārjuna and killed him and rid the entire world of kṣatriyas twenty-one times.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The sage Jamadagni, whose wealth was his austerity, received the King suitably, along with the King's soldiers, ministers and carriers, because he had a kāma-dhenu. Havismatyā means “because of a kāma-dhenu.”
Jamadagni receives the king's entire entourage with full hospitality, supplied by a single kāmadhenu cow. A single source of sacred provision, attended properly, can host the whole world — but it is to be honored, not coveted.
Reflection Questions
  • What single 'kāmadhenu' in my life provides far more than its size suggests?
  • Am I honoring it or eyeing it as something to be transferred to my own use?
📝 My note

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