Shloka 18
Marutta–Indra Rivalry and Bṛhaspati’s Priestly Refusal (मरुत्तेन्द्रस्पर्धा—बृहस्पतेः पौरोहित्यनिश्चयः)
बृहस्पते मरुत्तस्य मा सम कार्षी: कथंचन । दैवं कर्माथ पित्र्यं वा कर्तासि मम चेत् प्रियम्,“बृहस्पतिजी! यदि आप मेरा प्रिय करना चाहते हैं तो राजा मरुत्तका यज्ञ तथा श्राद्धकर्म किसी तरह न कराइयेगा
Bṛhaspate Maruttasya mā sma kārṣīḥ kathaṃcana | daivaṃ karmātha pitryaṃ vā kartāsi mama cet priyam ||
“बृहस्पते! तू मला प्रिय करायचे असेल तर राजा मरुत्ताचा यज्ञ—देवकर्म असो वा पितृकर्म—कधीही करू नकोस.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual power must be governed by dharma and discernment: even a great priest should refrain from officiating rites when a higher moral or spiritual concern is invoked by a sage’s counsel.
Vyāsa directly instructs Bṛhaspati not to serve as the officiant for King Marutta’s religious performances—whether divine sacrifices or ancestral śrāddha—framing the request as a test of regard and obedience to Vyāsa’s wish.