Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 10.69.24

juhvantam ca vitanagnin

yajantam pancabhir makhaih

bhojayantam dvijan kvapi

bhunjanam avaseshitam

SYNONYMS

juhvantam -- offering oblations; ca -- and; vitana-agnin -- to the sacrificial fires; yajantam -- worshiping; pancabhih -- five; makhaih -- with the obligatory rituals; bhojayantam -- feeding; dvijan -- brahmanas; kva api -- somewhere; bhunjanam -- eating; avaseshitam -- remnants.

TRANSLATION

In one place the Lord was offering oblations into the sacrificial fires; in another, worshiping through the five maha-yajnas; in another, feeding brahmanas; and in yet another, eating the remnants of food left by brahmanas.

PURPORT

The five maha-yajnas, or great sacrifices, are defined as follows: patho homas catithinam saparya tarpanam balih -- "reciting the Vedas, offering oblations into the sacrificial fire, waiting on guests, making offerings to the forefathers, and offering [a share of one's food] to living entities in general."

Srila Prabhupada comments as follows on these sacrifices: "In another palace Krishna was found performing the panca-yajna sacrifice, which is compulsory for a householder. This yajna is also known as panca-suna. Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone, specifically the householder, is committing five kinds of sinful activities. When we receive water from a water pitcher, we kill many germs that are in it. Similarly, when we use a grinding machine or take foodstuffs, we kill many germs. When sweeping the floor or igniting a fire, we kill many germs. When we walk on the street we kill many ants and other insects. Consciously or unconsciously, in all our different activities we are killing. Therefore it is incumbent upon every householder to perform the panca-suna sacrifice to rid himself of the reactions to such sinful activities."

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, in his commentary on this verse, again points out that all the different times of the day were occurring simultaneously in Lord Krishna's palaces. Thus Narada saw a fire sacrifice -- a morning ritual -- and at about the same time he saw Lord Krishna feeding the brahmanas and accepting their remnants -- a noontime activity.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari