Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 29
Manu Offers Devahūti to Kardama; The Sage Accepts with a Devotional Vow
बर्हिष्मती नाम पुरी सर्वसम्पत्समन्विता । न्यपतन् यत्र रोमाणि यज्ञस्याङ्गं विधुन्वत: ॥ २९ ॥ कुशा: काशास्त एवासन् शश्वद्धरितवर्चस: । ऋषयो यै: पराभाव्य यज्ञघ्नान् यज्ञमीजिरे ॥ ३० ॥
barhiṣmatī nāma purī sarva-sampat-samanvitā nyapatan yatra romāṇi yajñasyāṅgaṁ vidhunvataḥ
বৰ্হিষ্মতী নামৰ সেই নগৰী সকলো সম্পদে সমৃদ্ধ আছিল। বৰাহৰূপে প্ৰকাশিত ভগৱান বিষ্ণুৱে দেহ ঝাঁকনি দিলে তেওঁৰ ৰোম তাত পৰিল; সেই ৰোম চিৰসেউজ কুশ আৰু কাশ ঘাঁহলৈ পৰিণত হ’ল। সেই কুশ-কাশেৰে ঋষিসকলে যজ্ঞবিঘ্নকাৰী দানৱক পৰাভূত কৰি যজ্ঞপুৰুষ বিষ্ণুক পূজা কৰিলে।
Any place directly connected with the Supreme Lord is called pīṭha-sthāna. Barhiṣmatī, the capital of Svāyambhuva Manu, was exalted not because the city was very rich in wealth and opulence, but because the hairs of Lord Varāha fell at this very spot. These hairs of the Lord later grew as green grass, and the sages used to worship the Lord with that grass after the time when the Lord killed the demon Hiraṇyākṣa. Yajña means Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gītā, karma is described as yajñārtha. Yajñārtha-karma means “work done only for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu.” If something is done for sense gratification or any other purpose, it will be binding upon the worker. If one wants to be freed from the reaction of his work, he must perform everything for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, or Yajña. In the capital of Svāyambhuva Manu, Barhiṣmatī, these particular functions were being performed by the great sages and saintly persons.
FAQs
This verse links kuśa grass to the personified Yajña, describing it as arising from the hairs that fell when Yajña shook His limbs, emphasizing kuśa as inherently sacred and connected to sacrifice.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates Barhiṣmatī as a prosperous, sanctified city, highlighting how dharmic kingship and yajña culture make a place spiritually potent.
By treating spiritual practice as purifying—keeping daily worship disciplined, honoring sacred items (like tulasī and kuśa traditions where applicable), and supporting sattvic, God-centered actions that uplift one’s home and community.