Text 5]
The Activities of King Bharata
251
ije ca bhagavantam yajña-kratu-rūpam kratubhir uccāvacaiḥ śraddhayāhṛtāgnihotra-darśa-pūrṇamāsa-cāturmāsya-paśu-somānām prakṛti-vikṛtibhir anusavanam cāturhotra-vidhinā.
ije —worshiped;  ca —also;  bhagavantam —the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  yajña-kratu-rūpam —having the form of sacrifices without animals and sacrifices with animals;  kratubhiḥ —by such sacrifices;  uc-cāvacaiḥ —very great and very small;  śraddhayā —with faith;  āhṛta —being performed;  agni-hotra —of the  agnihotra-yajña ;  darśa —of the  darśa-yajña ;  pūrṇamāsa —of the  pūrṇamāsa-yajña ;  cāturmāsya —of the  cāturmāsya-yajña ;  paśu-somānām —of the  yajña  with animals and the  yajña  with  soma-rasa ;  prakṛti —by full performances;  vikṛtibhiḥ —and by partial performances;  anusavanam —almost always;  cātuḥ-hotra-vidhinā —by the regulative principles of sacrifice directed by four kinds of priests.
TRANSLATION
With great faith King Bharata performed various kinds of sacrifice. He performed the sacrifices known as  agni-hotra ,  darśa ,  pūrṇamāsa ,  cāturmāsya ,  paśu-yajña  [wherein a horse is sacrificed] and  soma-yajña  [wherein a kind of beverage is offered]. Sometimes these sacrifices were performed completely and sometimes partially. In any case, in all the sacrifices the regulations of  cāturhotra  were strictly followed. In this way Bharata Mahārāja worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
Animals like hogs and cows were offered in sacrifice to test the proper execution of the sacrifice. Otherwise, there was no purpose in killing the animal. Actually the animal was offered in the sacrificial fire to get a rejuvenated life. Generally an old animal was sacrificed in the fire, and it would come out again in a youthful body. Some of the rituals, however, did not require animal sacrifice. In the present age, animal sacrifices are forbidden. As stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
aśvamedham gavālambham sannyāsam pala-paitṛkam