114
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 4]
ca —and;  sarvaśaḥ —on all sides;  mṛt —clay;  dāru —wood;  ayaḥ —iron;  kāñcana —gold;  darbha — kuśa  grass;  carmabhiḥ —skins;  nisṛṣṭa —made of;  bhāṇḍam —sacrificial animals and pots;  yajanam —sacrifice;  samāviśat —entered.
TRANSLATION
She then reached her father's house where the sacrifice was being performed and entered the arena where everyone was chanting the Vedic hymns. The great sages,  brāhmaṇas  and demigods were all assembled there, and there were many sacrificial animals as well as pots made of clay, stone, gold, glass and skin, which were all requisite for the sacrifice.
PURPORT
When learned sages and  brāhmaṇas  assemble to chant Vedic  mantras , some of them also engage in arguing about the conclusion of the scriptures. Thus some of the sages and  brāhmaṇas  were arguing, and some of them were chanting the Vedic  mantras , so the entire atmosphere was surcharged with transcendental sound vibration. This transcendental sound vibration has been simplified in the transcendental vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. In this age, no one is expected to be highly educated in the Vedic ways of understanding because people are very slow, lazy and unfortunate. Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the sound vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa, and in the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  it is also recommended:  yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ  ( Bhāg.  11.5.32). At the present moment it is impossible to gather sacrificial necessities because of the poverty of the population and their lack of knowledge in Vedic  mantras . Therefore for this age it is recommended that people should gather together and chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra  to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is accompanied by His associates. Indirectly this indicates Lord Caitanya, who is accompanied by His associates Nityānanda, Advaita and others. That is the process of performing  yajña  in this age.
Another significant point in the verse is that there were animals for sacrifice. That these animals were meant for sacrifice does not mean that they were meant to be killed. There were great sages and realized souls assembled who were performing  yajñas , and their realization was tested by animal sacrifice, just as, in modern science, tests are made on animals to determine the effectiveness of a particular medicine. The  brāhmaṇas  who were entrusted with the performance of  yajña  were very realized