FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.15.26

हविर्धानीमृषेर्दर्पान्नरान् हर्तुमचोदयत् । ते च माहिष्मतीं निन्यु: सवत्सां क्रन्दतीं बलात् ॥ २६ ॥
havirdhānīm ṛṣer darpān
[havirdhaaneem risher darpaan]
narān hartum acodayat
[naraan hartum achodayat]
te ca māhiṣmatīṁ ninyuḥ
[te cha maahishmateem ninyuh]
sa-vatsāṁ krandatīṁ balāt
[sa-vatsaam krandateem balaat]
haviḥ-dhānīm — the kāmadhenu ṛṣeḥ — of the great sage Jamadagni darpāt — because of his being puffed up with material power narān — all his men (soldiers) hartum — to steal or take away acodayat — encouraged te — the men of Kārtavīryārjuna ca — also māhiṣmatīm — to the capital of Kārtavīryārjuna ninyuḥ — brought sa-vatsām — with the calf krandatīm — crying balāt — because of being taken away by force.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
havirdhānīm ṛṣer darpān
haviḥ-dhānīm
the kāmadhenu
ṛṣeḥ
of the great sage Jamadagni
darpāt
because of his being puffed up with material power
narān hartum acodayat
narān
all his men (soldiers)
hartum
to steal or take away
acodayat
encouraged
te ca māhiṣmatīṁ ninyuḥ
te
the men of Kārtavīryārjuna
ca
also
māhiṣmatīm
to the capital of Kārtavīryārjuna
ninyuḥ
brought
sa-vatsāṁ krandatīṁ balāt
sa-vatsām
with the calf
krandatīm
crying
balāt
because of being taken away by force.
Being puffed up by material power, Kārtavīryārjuna encouraged his men to steal Jamadagni’s kāmadhenu. Thus the men forcibly took away the crying kāmadhenu, along with her calf, to Māhiṣmatī, Kārtavīryārjuna’s capital.

The word havirdhānīm is significant in this verse. Havirdhānīm 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 yajñas. As we are informed in Bhagavad-gītā (3.9) , yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ: if we do not perform yajña, 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 yajña. Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ. If yajñas 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. Yajña, therefore, is essential. For performing yajña, 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 prakṛti, nature ( prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ). Nonetheless, although they are forced to suffer, they think they are advancing in civilization ( ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate ). The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore meant to revive a mode of civilization in which everyone will be happy. This is the motive of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Yajñe sukhena bhavantu.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Because of pride, Kārtavīryārjuna encouraged his men to steal Jamadagni's kāmadhenu. The men forcibly took the crying kāmadhenu, along with her calf, to Māhiṣmatī. He encouraged his men to steal the kāma-dhenu.
On the king's orders, his men forcibly take the crying cow and her calf. The defining act of degraded leadership is to seize what was offered freely in hospitality — and the cow's tears measure how far the wrongdoing has gone.
Reflection Questions
  • What 'cow's tears' should I be hearing in my own dealings that I am ignoring?
  • Where have I taken something offered in friendship as if it were owed?
📝 My note

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