# SB 8.8.1 > श्रीशुक उवाच > पीते गरे वृषाङ्केण प्रीतास्तेऽमरदानवाः > ममन्थुस्तरसा सिन्धुं हविर्धानी ततोऽभवत ॥१॥ ## 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 *Bhagavad-gītā (*18.5*), yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat:* sacrifice, charity and austerity are essential to keep human society perfect in peace and prosperity. *Yajña,* the performance of sacrifice, is essential; to perform *yajña,* clarified butter is absolutely necessary; and to get clarified butter, milk is necessary. Milk is produced when there are sufficient cows. Therefore in *Bhagavad-gītā* [[bg/18/44|(Bg. 18.44)]], cow protection is recommended (*kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva jam*).