Canto & Chapters
Canto 2, Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Verse 25 (SB 2.6.25)
SB 2.6.25 • मूल श्लोक
वस्तून्योषधय: स्नेहा रसलोहमृदो जलम् । ऋचो यजूंषि सामानि चातुर्होत्रं च सत्तम ॥ २५ ॥
Transliteration
vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam ṛco yajūṁṣi sāmāni cātur-hotraṁ ca sattama
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
vastūni — utensils; oṣadhayaḥ — grains; snehāḥ — clarified butter; rasa-loha-mṛdaḥ — honey, gold and earth; jalam — water; ṛcaḥ — the Ṛg Veda; yajūṁṣi — 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.”
Bhaktivedanta Purport
By Śrīla PrabhupādaTo 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 nāmaharer nāmaiva kevalamkalau nāsty eva nāsty evanāsty eva gatir anyathā