Shloka 14
यजुर्वेदशाखाः, याज्ञवल्क्य–वैशम्पायनसंवादः, सूर्यस्तुतिः
Yajurveda branches and Yājñavalkya’s solar revelation
ब्रह्महत्या व्रतं चीर्णं गुरुणा चोदितैस् तु यैः चरकाध्वर्यवस् ते तु चरणान् मुनिसत्तम
brahmahatyā vrataṃ cīrṇaṃ guruṇā coditais tu yaiḥ carakādhvaryavas te tu caraṇān munisattama
Those Caraka-adhvaryu priests who, urged by their preceptor, undertook and completed the expiatory vow for brahma-hatyā—O best of sages, even their feet are worthy of reverence.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How specific Yajur-veda schools (Caraka-adhvaryu) gained sanctity and recognition
Teaching: Historical
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Even grave transgression is met within dharma by disciplined expiation, and those who complete such vows under guidance become worthy of reverence.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: When you err, accept responsibility, undertake sincere corrective practice, and seek guidance rather than denial or despair.
Vishishtadvaita: Moral order is real and reparable through prescribed discipline; the embodied practitioner can be purified and restored to service—consistent with a world that is meaningful as God’s mode (prakāra).
FAQs
This verse highlights that even the gravest transgression is addressed within dharma through prescribed vows (prāyaścitta), restoring social and cosmic order when sincerely completed.
By stressing that the vow was performed “urged by the guru,” the text frames repentance as guided, scripturally aligned practice—discipline rooted in authorized instruction rather than personal impulse.
Though Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s dharma-teaching functions within a Vaishnava worldview: repentance and right conduct are ways beings realign with the sovereign order ultimately sustained by Vishnu.