Shloka 15

Marutta Seeks a Priest: Bṛhaspati’s Refusal and Nārada’s Guidance to Saṃvarta

Chapter 6

Devanagari script

मरुत्त उवाच गतोअस्म्यड्विरसः पुत्र देवाचार्य बृहस्पतिम्‌ । यज्ञार्थमृत्विजं द्रष्टूं सच मां नाभ्यनन्दत

Transliteration

Marutta uvāca: gato ’smy Aṅgirasaḥ putra deva-ācāryaṃ Bṛhaspatim | yajñārtham ṛtvijaṃ draṣṭuṃ sa ca māṃ nābhyanandata ||

Translation

Marutta disse: “Ó Nārada, fui até Bṛhaspati, o preceptor divino e filho de Aṅgiras, com a intenção de pedir-lhe que servisse como ṛtvij, o sacerdote oficiante do meu sacrifício. Mas ele não me aprovou—não aceitou o meu pedido.”

Word by Word

• {'marutta uvāca': 'Marutta said', 'gataḥ asmi': 'I have gone / I went', 'Aṅgirasaḥ putraḥ': 'son of Aṅgiras', 'deva-ācāryaḥ': 'teacher of the gods

• divine preceptor', 'Bṛhaspati': 'Bṛhaspati (preceptor of the gods)', 'yajña-artham': 'for the purpose of a sacrifice', 'ṛtvijam': 'officiating priest (ritual priest)', 'draṣṭum': 'to see

• to meet (with the intent to request/consult)', 'sa ca': 'and he', 'mām': 'me', 'na abhyānandata (nābhyanandata)': 'did not welcome/approve

Speaker

मरुत्त उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Marutta
• Bṛhaspati
• Aṅgiras
• Yajña (sacrifice)
• Ṛtvij (officiating priest)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even a powerful king’s sacrificial ambition depends on dharmic authorization and willing priestly participation; ritual legitimacy requires consent and proper alignment with established religious authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Marutta reports that he approached Bṛhaspati to appoint him as the officiating priest for his intended sacrifice, but Bṛhaspati declined or did not welcome the request, creating an obstacle to the yajña.