244 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 7
TRANSLATION
The wives of the performers of the sacrifice said: My dear Lord, this
sacrifice was arranged under the instruction of Brahma, but unfortunately
Lord Siva, being angry at Daksa, devastated the entire scene, and because
of his anger the animals meant for sacrifice are lying dead. Therefore the
preparations of the yajiia have been lost. Now, by the glance of Your
lotus eyes, the sanctity of this sacrificial arena may be again invoked.
PURPORT
Animals were offered in sacrifice in order to give them renewed life; that
was the purpose of having animals there. Offering an animal in sacrifice
and giving him renewed life is the evidence of the strength of chanting
mantras. Unfortunately, when Daksa’s sacrifice was devastated by Lord
Siva, some of the animals were killed. (One was killed just to replace the
head of Daksa.) Their bodies were lying about, and the sacrificial arena
was turned into a crematorium. Thus the real purpose of yajia was lost.
Lord Visnu, being the ultimate objective of such sacrificial ceremonies,
was requested by the wives of the priests to glance over the yajfia arena
with His causeless mercy so that the routine work of the yajiia might be
continued. The purport here is that animals should not be unnecessarily
killed. They were used to prove the strength of the mantras and were to
have been rejuvenated by the use of the mantras. They should not have
been killed, as they were by Lord Siva to replace the head of Daksa with
an animal’s head. It was pleasing to see an animal sacrificed and re-
juvenated, and that pleasing atmosphere had been lost. The wives of the
priests requested that the animals be brought back to life by the glance of
Lord Visnu to make a pleasing yajiia.
TEXT 34
aT Fy!
wafead a wney freed
ARTA TAT FR HH ATTA |
a WTA aMGadd Way UR!
rsaya ucuh
ananvitam te bhagavan vicestitam
yad atmana carasi hi karma najyase
