Shloka 6
Matsya Purana — Nārāyaṇa as Haṃsa in the Cosmic Ocean: Vedic Yajña-Puruṣa and Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vi...
ये च यज्ञकरा विप्रा ये चर्त्विज इति स्मृताः अस्मादेव पुरा भूता यज्ञेभ्यः श्रूयतां तथा //
ye ca yajñakarā viprā ye cartvija iti smṛtāḥ asmādeva purā bhūtā yajñebhyaḥ śrūyatāṃ tathā //
And those Brahmins who perform sacrifices, and those who are remembered as ṛtvijas (sacrificial priests)—all of them, in former times, arose from this very (sacred source/teaching). So too, let it be heard as derived from the sacrifices themselves.
FAQs
This verse is not about Pralaya; it emphasizes ritual origin and authority—linking Brahmins and ṛtvijas to the foundational source of yajña (sacrificial tradition).
It supports the dharmic principle that kings and householders should uphold yajñas by honoring qualified Brahmins and appointing proper ṛtvijas, since social-religious order is grounded in correctly performed sacrifice.
The significance is ritual: it defines the legitimacy of sacrificial specialists (yajñakartṛ vipras and ṛtvijas) as rooted in yajña itself, implying that rites must be conducted by properly recognized officiants.