← Canto 8
Canto 8 · Ch 8 · SB 8.8.1 · Para 1/2

The Churning of the Milk Ocean

SB 8.8.1
Text
śrī-śuka uvāca
pīte gare vṛṣāṅkeṇa
prītās te 'mara-dānavāḥ
mamanthus tarasā sindhuṁ
havirdhānī tato 'bhavat
Synonyms

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca-Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; pīte-was drunk; gare-when the poison; vṛṣa-aṅkeṇa-by Lord Śiva, who sits on a bull; prītāḥ-being pleased; te-all of them; amara-the demigods; dānavāḥ-and the demons; mamanthuḥ-again began to churn; tarasā-with great force; sindhum-the ocean of milk; havirdhānī-the surabhi cow, who is the source of clarified butter; tataḥ-from that churning; abhavat-was generated.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Upon Lord Śiva's drinking the poison, both the demigods and the demons, being very pleased, began to churn the ocean with renewed vigor. As a result of this, there appeared a cow known as surabhi.

Purport

The surabhi cow is described as havirdhānī, the source of butter. Butter, when clarified by melting, produces ghee, or clarified butter, which is inevitably necessary for performing great ritualistic sacrifices. As stated in