Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 2.6.25

vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā

rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam

ṛco yajūḿṣi sāmāni

cātur-hotraḿ ca sattama

SYNONYMS

vastūni — utensils; oṣadhayaḥ — grains; snehāḥ — clarified butter; rasa-loha-mṛdaḥ — honey, gold and earth; jalam — water; ṛcaḥ — the Ṛg Veda; yajūḿṣi — the Yajur Veda; sāmāni — the Sāma Veda; cātuḥ-hotram — four persons conducting the performance; ca — all these; sattama — O most pious one.

TRANSLATION

Other requirements are utensils, grains, clarified butter, honey, gold, earth, water, the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda and Sāma Veda and four priests to perform the sacrifice.

PURPORT

To perform a sacrifice successfully, at least four expert priests are needed: one who can offer (hotā), one who can chant (udgātā), one who can kindle the sacrificial fire without the aid of separate fire (adhvaryu), and one who can supervise (brahmā). Such sacrifices were conducted from the birth of Brahmā, the first living creature, and were carried on till the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. But such expert brāhmaṇa priests are very rare in this age of corruption and quarrel, and therefore in the present age only the yajña of chanting the holy name of the Lord is recommended. The scriptures enjoin:

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

[Adi 17.21]

<<< >>>

Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness