Shloka 14
Marutta Seeks Saṃvarta’s Priestly Support; Conditions, Truth-Discipline, and Rival Powers
अमरं याज्यमासाद्य याजयिष्ये न मानुषम् | शक्रेण प्रतिषिद्धो5हं मरुत्तं मा सम याजये:
amaraṃ yājyam āsādya yājayiṣye na mānuṣam | śakreṇa pratiṣiddho 'haṃ maruttaṃ mā sma yājayeḥ ||
马鲁塔说道：“他明言：‘如今我既得一位不死的祭主，便不再为必死之人主持祭祀。’又有释迦罗（因陀罗）禁我：‘不可为马鲁塔行祭；那位国王常怀嫉妒，与我为敌。’你兄长应允了因陀罗之命，说：‘如是。’”
मरुत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tension between ritual duty and higher authority: a priest’s willingness to officiate can be shaped by patronage (immortal vs. mortal) and by divine command. It also exposes how envy and rivalry—even among gods and kings—can influence religious and political decisions, raising ethical questions about impartiality in sacred acts.
Marutta reports that the officiant (or intended officiant) refuses to conduct a human king’s sacrifice after gaining an immortal patron, and that Indra has explicitly prohibited performing Marutta’s yajña due to Marutta’s rivalry with him. The prohibition is accepted by the addressed party’s brother with the assent “evam astu” (“so be it”).