Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.17.12
Manvantara· The Manus and right dutyThe Lord Appears Through Vedic Sacrifice
“O greatly fortunate one, at the beginning of Tretā-yuga Vedic knowledge appeared from My heart, which is the abode of the air of life, in three divisions — as Ṛg, Sāma and Yajur. Then from that knowledge I appeared as threefold sacrifice.”
What the purport teaches
- At the beginning of Tretā-yuga, Vedic knowledge appears from the Lord’s heart in three divisions: Ṛg, Sāma and Yajur. The Lord then appears as threefold sacrifice.
- In Tretā-yuga, the bull of religion loses one leg, and seventy-five percent of religious principles remain manifested. Vedic sacrifice is the authorized process for spiritual perfection in that age.
- The hotā priest offers oblations and chants the Ṛg Veda; the udgātā priest chants the Sāma Veda. The adhvaryu priest arranges the sacrificial setting and chants the Yajur Veda.
Try this today
Read the translation once more, focusing on the Lord as the source of Vedic knowledge and the presence within sacrifice.
Ask yourself
How does knowing that Vedic knowledge comes from the Lord deepen your respect for it?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.