Shloka 41
Nakula’s Declaration and the Uñchavṛtti Brāhmaṇa’s Superior Merit (Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 92)
श्राद्ध संकल्पयामास जमदग्नि: पुरा किल | होमधेनुस्तमागाच्च स्वयमेव दुदोह ताम्,पूर्वकालकी बात है, एक दिन जमदग्नि ऋषिने श्राद्ध करनेका संकल्प किया। उस समय उनकी होमधेनु स्वयं ही उनके पास आयी और मुनिने स्वयं ही उसका दूध दुहा
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śrāddhaṃ saṅkalpayāmāsa jamadagniḥ purā kila | homadhenuḥ tam āgāc ca svayam eva dudoh tām |
Vaiśampāyana said: Long ago, it is told, the sage Jamadagni resolved to perform the śrāddha rites. At that time his sacrificial cow, the Homadhenu, came to him of her own accord, and the sage himself milked her—signaling the readiness of sacred resources to support duly intended ancestral rites.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right intention (saṅkalpa) toward dharmic duties—here, śrāddha for ancestors—draws appropriate means and support; sacred resources are portrayed as naturally aligning with righteous ritual action.
Vaiśampāyana recounts an old episode: Jamadagni decides to perform śrāddha, and his Homadhenu comes on her own; Jamadagni then milks her to obtain what is needed for the rite.