Shloka 18
Matsya Purana — The Origin of Yajña in Tretā Yuga and the Debate on Animal Sacrifice vs. Non-...
*ऋषय ऊचुः महाप्राज्ञ त्वया दृष्टः कथं यज्ञविधिर्नृप औत्तानपादे प्रब्रूहि संशयं नस्तुद प्रभो //
*ṛṣaya ūcuḥ mahāprājña tvayā dṛṣṭaḥ kathaṃ yajñavidhirnṛpa auttānapāde prabrūhi saṃśayaṃ nastuda prabho //
The sages said: “O greatly wise one, O king—how did you see and come to know the procedure of sacrifice (yajña-vidhi) in the line of Auttānapāda? O Lord, explain it to us; remove the doubt that troubles us.”
FAQs
This verse does not discuss Pralaya; it frames a doctrinal question about yajña-vidhi (sacrificial procedure) and how that knowledge was obtained in a royal lineage.
By addressing the listener as “nṛpa” (king) and asking for yajña-vidhi, the verse links righteous rule with correct ritual knowledge—implying that a king (and by extension householders) must uphold dharma through properly performed sacrifices and tradition-based instruction.
The ritual significance is explicit: the sages request the exact yajña-vidhi (sacrificial protocol), emphasizing correct procedure and lineage transmission (Auttānapāda tradition) as authoritative sources for ritual practice.