Shloka 2
Lakṣmī’s Emergence, Dhanvantari, and the Advent of Mohinī-mūrti
तामग्निहोत्रीमृषयो जगृहुर्ब्रह्मवादिन: । यज्ञस्य देवयानस्य मेध्याय हविषे नृप ॥ २ ॥
tām agni-hotrīm ṛṣayo jagṛhur brahma-vādinaḥ yajñasya deva-yānasya medhyāya haviṣe nṛpa
O King Parīkṣit, the agnihotri sages, fully learned in Vedic rites, took charge of that Surabhi cow to obtain pure ghee for yajña oblations, by whose merit one ascends on the devayāna path to higher worlds, up to Brahmaloka.
Surabhi cows are generally found on the Vaikuṇṭha planets. As described in Brahma-saṁhitā, Lord Kṛṣṇa, on His planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, engages in tending the surabhi cows ( surabhīr abhipālayantam ). These cows are the Lord’s pet animals. From the surabhi cows one can take as much milk as one needs, and one may milk these cows as many times as he desires. In other words, the surabhi cow can yield milk unlimitedly. Milk is necessary for the performance of yajña. Sages know how to use milk to elevate human society to the perfection of life. Since cow protection is recommended everywhere in the śāstras, the brahmāvādīs took charge of the surabhi cow, in which the demons were not very interested.
FAQs
This verse states that Vedic sages accepted a cow specifically for Agnihotra, emphasizing that yajña requires medhya (pure, sanctified) havis—offerings fit for worship and spiritual upliftment.
Because they are authoritative speakers of Vedic knowledge and therefore qualified to determine what is suitable for yajña and what sustains dharma.
Even without elaborate rituals, one can apply the principle of medhya—offering what is pure and honestly earned—by practicing devotion, gratitude, and ethical living as one's daily “offering.”