Shloka 11
वेदव्यासः, चातुर्होत्रम्, ऋग्वेदशाखाः
Vyāsa’s Veda-division and Ṛgveda lineages
एक आसीद् यजुर्वेदस् तं चतुर्धा व्यकल्पयत् चातुर्होत्रम् अभूद् यस्मिंस् तेन यज्ञम् अथाकरोत्
eka āsīd yajurvedas taṃ caturdhā vyakalpayat cāturhotram abhūd yasmiṃs tena yajñam athākarot
The Yajurveda was once a single, undivided whole; then it was arranged into four divisions. From it arose the fourfold priestly function (cāturhotra), and by that ordered ministry the sacrifice was duly performed.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Why the Yajurveda was divided and how ritual order (cāturhotra) arose
Teaching: Ethical
Quality: didactic and explanatory
Concept: Ritual is efficacious when structured according to ordained divisions (cāturhotra), aligning human action with cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) grounded in the Supreme.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Bring disciplined structure and purity of intention to daily duties so actions support harmony rather than disorder.
Vishishtadvaita: The Supreme is the inner ground of dharma: properly ordered karma becomes a God-centered offering within His cosmic governance, not an autonomous mechanism.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse presents cāturhotra as the ritual structure that makes yajña function correctly—four coordinated priestly roles arising from the organized Yajurveda to uphold dharma through sacrifice.
Parāśara describes a movement from an originally single Yajurveda to a fourfold arrangement, from which the four priestly functions emerge, enabling sacrifice to be performed in an ordered, authoritative way.
Although Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s framework treats yajña and dharma as expressions of the Supreme’s order—ritual becomes a means by which the world aligns with divine sovereignty and sustains cosmic stability.