हिन्दी
Prajāpati worshipped the worlds, and from those which he worshipped he was able to extract their essence. From earth he took fire, from the interspace he took air, and from Swarg-Loka he took the sun.
Then he worshipped these three deities. From those which he worshipped he extracted the essence. He got the Ṛk mantras from fire, the Yajuḥ mantras from air, and the Sāma mantras from the sun.
Then Prajāpati worshipped these three Vedas. And from those Vedas that were worshipped he extracted the essence. From the Ṛg Veda he got ‘bhūḥ,’ from the Yajur Veda he got ‘bhuvaḥ,’ and from the Sāma Veda he got ‘svaḥ’.
This is why, if it seems likely that there will be any harm done to the sacrifice because of a mistake in the Ṛk, the priest should offer oblations in the Gārhapatya fire saying, ‘Bhūḥ svāhā.’ Then, by the essence and strength of the Ṛk, any likely harm done to the sacrifice from a mistake in the Ṛk will be averted.
Then if it seems likely that there will be any harm done to the sacrifice because of a mistake in the Yajuḥ, the priest should offer oblations in the Dakṣiṇāgni fire saying, ‘Bhuvaḥ svāhā.’ Then, by the essence and strength of the Yajuḥ, any likely harm done to the sacrifice from a mistake in the Yajuḥ will be averted.
Then if it seems likely that there will be any harm done to the sacrifice because of a mistake in the Sāma, the priest should offer oblations in the Āhavanīya fire saying, ‘svaḥ svāhā.’ Then, by the essence and strength of the Sāma, any likely harm done to the sacrifice from a mistake in the Sāma will be averted.
It is like joining gold with the help of borax, silver with the help of gold, tin with the help of silver, lead with the help of tin, iron with the help of lead, wood with the help of iron, and wood with the help of leather.
Similarly, by the power of these worlds, these deities, and these three holy scriptures, any flaws in the sacrifice are made up. Where there is a knowledgeable brahmā priest, that sacrifice gets the right medicine.
That sacrifice which is directed by a capable brahmā priest leads to the uttarāyaṇa (the path of the gods). There is a verse in praise of such a learned priest: ‘Wherever the sacrifice goes wrong, this priest goes there to set things right’.
A good brahmā priest is one who is able to observe silence, or one who is thoughtful. Just as a horse protects the soldiers, a learned brahmā priest protects the sacrifice, the sacrifices, and all the other priests. Therefore, one should appoint only such a learned brahmā for one’s sacrifice. One should not appoint anyone else.
