Shloka 18
Marutta–Indra Rivalry and Bṛhaspati’s Priestly Refusal (मरुत्तेन्द्रस्पर्धा—बृहस्पतेः पौरोहित्यनिश्चयः)
बृहस्पते मरुत्तस्य मा सम कार्षी: कथंचन । दैवं कर्माथ पित्र्यं वा कर्तासि मम चेत् प्रियम्,“बृहस्पतिजी! यदि आप मेरा प्रिय करना चाहते हैं तो राजा मरुत्तका यज्ञ तथा श्राद्धकर्म किसी तरह न कराइयेगा
Bṛhaspate Maruttasya mā sma kārṣīḥ kathaṃcana | daivaṃ karmātha pitryaṃ vā kartāsi mama cet priyam ||
“O Bṛhaspati, do not, under any circumstances, undertake the sacrificial rites of King Marutta—whether offerings to the gods or the śrāddha rites for the ancestors. If you wish to do what is dear to me, you must not serve as the officiant for his yajña or śrāddha.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual power must be governed by dharma and discernment: even a great priest should refrain from officiating rites when a higher moral or spiritual concern is invoked by a sage’s counsel.
Vyāsa directly instructs Bṛhaspati not to serve as the officiant for King Marutta’s religious performances—whether divine sacrifices or ancestral śrāddha—framing the request as a test of regard and obedience to Vyāsa’s wish.