Varaha Purana 21.14: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 14
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
Pūrva Bhāga · Yajña-vidhāna and Ṛṣi-lineage references (ritual roles in a sacrifice)
होता पुलस्त्यस्त्वभवदुद्गाता पुलहोऽभवत् । क्रतौ क्रतुस् तु प्रस्तोता तदा यज्ञे महातपाः ॥ २१.१५ ॥
hotā pulastyas tv abhavad udgātā pulaho 'bhavat | kratau kratus tu prastotā tadā yajñe mahātapāḥ || 21.15 ||
hotA pulastyastvabhavadudgAtA pulaho.abhavat | kratau kratustu prastotA tadA yaj~ne mahAtapAH || 21.15 ||
Si Pulastya ang nagsilbing Hotṛ, ang paring tumatawag sa pamamagitan ng mga mantra; si Pulaha ang naging Udgātṛ, ang mang-aawit ng Sāma. Sa paghahandog na iyon, si Kratu ang naging Prastotṛ, ang paunang mang-aawit; at ang mga dakilang asceta ang naglingkod sa ritwal.
Sandhi Notes
- pulastyas tv abhavat = pulastyaḥ + tu + abhavat
- pulaho 'bhavat = pulahaḥ + abhavat (avagraha)
- kratus tu = kratuḥ + tu
Varāha
Sacred speech—recited and sung—must be entrusted to the qualified; tapas (mahātapas) supports precision and purity.
Cultivate careful speech and disciplined learning; in ritual or study, prioritize accuracy, lineage training, and inner austerity.
Hotṛ (Ṛg), Udgātṛ/Prastotṛ (Sāma) indicate yajña as a sonic-cosmic architecture; the universe is upheld by correctly placed sound (śabda).
Śabda as a carrier of order: Purāṇic ritualism resonates with Mīmāṃsā emphasis on mantra efficacy and Vedānta’s reverence for Veda as pramāṇa.
Defines liturgical assignments: Pulastya as Hotṛ, Pulaha as Udgātṛ, and Kratu as Prastotṛ—showing the śrauta division of mantra-recitation and sāman-chant leadership.
Proper mantra/chant execution yields efficacy (siddhi) of the rite; errors in recitation/chanting are classic causes of ritual ‘doṣa’.
Varāha Purāṇa: continuation of priestly roster culminating in Brahmā as yājya (21.21.16)
FAQs
It preserves a Purāṇic memory of Vedic ritual structure by naming specific priestly functions (Hotṛ, Udgātṛ, Prastotṛ) alongside prominent ṛṣis, reflecting how later Sanskrit texts catalog and legitimize ritual knowledge through sage attribution.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; the focus is on ritual offices and the officiating sages rather than a pilgrimage location or landscape feature.
The verse primarily communicates cultural-ritual order rather than an explicit ethical injunction, emphasizing disciplined participation and learned stewardship of ceremonial roles within a shared tradition.
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