Shloka 25
Marutta–Indra Rivalry and Bṛhaspati’s Priestly Refusal (मरुत्तेन्द्रस्पर्धा—बृहस्पतेः पौरोहित्यनिश्चयः)
पौरोहित्यं कथं कृत्वा तव देवगणेश्वर । याजयेयमहं मर्त्य मरुत्त पाकशासन,'देवेश्वरर पाकशासन! तुम्हारी पुरोहिती करके मैं मरणधर्मा मरुत्तका यज्ञ कैसे करा सकता हूँ
paurohittyaṁ kathaṁ kṛtvā tava devagaṇeśvara | yājayeyam ahaṁ martyaṁ maruttaṁ pākaśāsana ||
Vyāsa said: “O Lord of the hosts of gods, how could I, having undertaken the office of your priest, cause a mortal—Marutta—to perform a sacrifice, O Pākaśāsana? Bound by the duties of priesthood and by the hierarchy between gods and men, I cannot rightly preside over a human rite in a way that conflicts with my allegiance to you.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as role-based integrity: a priest must avoid conflicting obligations. Having accepted priestly allegiance to a higher authority (Indra), Vyāsa questions the propriety of officiating a human king’s sacrifice in a way that would compromise that prior duty.
Vyāsa addresses Indra (Devagaṇeśvara, Pākaśāsana) and expresses a dilemma: if he is Indra’s priest, how can he conduct the sacrificial rite of the mortal king Marutta? The line frames a conflict of commitments within the sacrificial and divine order.