Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 37
Brahmā’s Creation: The Kumāras, Rudra, the Prajāpatis, and the Manifestation of Vedic Sound
मैत्रेय उवाच ऋग्यजु:सामाथर्वाख्यान् वेदान् पूर्वादिभिर्मुखै: । शास्त्रमिज्यां स्तुतिस्तोमं प्रायश्चित्तं व्यधात्क्रमात् ॥ ३७ ॥
maitreya uvāca ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyān vedān pūrvādibhir mukhaiḥ śāstram ijyāṁ stuti-stomaṁ prāyaścittaṁ vyadhāt kramāt
Maitreya said: From Brahmā’s front face, in due succession, the four Vedas—Ṛk, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva—became manifest. Thereafter, one after another, were established the śāstras, the rites of yajña, hymns of praise and stomas, and the acts of atonement (prāyaścitta).
FAQs
This verse states that Brahmā manifested the four Vedas—Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva—sequentially, along with related Vedic components like ritual worship, hymns, and atonement procedures.
In the creation narrative, Maitreya explains how dharma and sacred knowledge appear within the cosmos—showing that śāstra, yajña, praise-hymns, and prāyaścitta arise as part of Brahmā’s ordered manifestation.
The verse highlights that atonement is a recognized Vedic tool for purification—practically, it encourages honest acknowledgement of faults, corrective action, and sincere spiritual rectification rather than denial or repetition.