Shloka 44
Kardama Muni’s Penance, Viṣṇu’s Darśana, and the Arrangement of Devahūti’s Marriage
तथैव हरिणै: क्रोडै: श्वाविद्गवयकुञ्जरै: । गोपुच्छैर्हरिभिर्मर्कैर्नकुलैर्नाभिभिर्वृतम् ॥ ४४ ॥
tathaiva hariṇaiḥ kroḍaiḥ śvāvid-gavaya-kuñjaraiḥ gopucchair haribhir markair nakulair nābhibhir vṛtam
তাৰ তীৰ হৰিণ, বৰাহ, শ্বাৱিদ (সজাৰু), গৱয়, কুঞ্জৰ (হাতী), বেবুন, সিংহ, বান্দৰ, নকুল (মংগুস) আৰু কস্তুৰী হৰিণেৰে ভৰি আছিল।
Musk deer are not found in every forest, but only in places like Bindu-sarovara. They are always intoxicated by the aroma of musk secreted from their navels. Gavayas, the species of cow mentioned herein, bear a bunch of hair at the end of their tails. This bunch of hair is used in temple worship to fan the Deities. Gavayas are sometimes called camarīs, and they are considered very sacred. In India there are still gypsies or forest mercantile people who flourish by trading kastūrī, or musk, and the bunches of hair from the camarīs. These are always in great demand for the higher classes of Hindu population, and such business still goes on in large cities and villages in India.
FAQs
This verse describes a region teeming with many species—deer, boars, porcupines, wild oxen, elephants, monkeys, and mongooses—showing the Bhagavatam’s vivid portrayal of the created world as abundantly populated and ordered.
In Canto 3 Chapter 21, Śukadeva narrates the setting and surroundings connected to Kardama Muni’s life and the unfolding events leading to Kapila’s appearance; the animal listing helps paint the atmosphere of the place being described.
It encourages reverence for creation—seeing the world as richly inhabited and worthy of careful stewardship, humility, and non-violence toward living beings.