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 ||
“噢，布里哈斯帕提啊，无论如何都不要为摩鲁塔王主持祭仪——不论是奉献诸天的天祭，还是奉献祖灵的施罗陀（śrāddha）之礼。若你愿行我所喜之事，就切莫作他祭祀与施罗陀的主祭。”
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.