Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 69 Verse 24

Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 69: Nārada Muni Visits Lord Kṛṣṇa's Palaces in Dvārakā

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.69.24

juhvantaḿ ca vitānāgnīn

yajantaḿ pañcabhir makhaiḥ

bhojayantaḿ dvijān kvāpi

bhuñjānam avaśeṣitam

SYNONYMS

juhvantam — offering oblations; ca — and; vitāna-agnīn — to the sacrificial fires; yajantam — worshiping; pañcabhiḥ — five; makhaiḥ — with the obligatory rituals; bhojayantam — feeding; dvijān — brāhmaṇas; kva api — somewhere; bhuñjānam — eating; avaśeṣitam — remnants.

TRANSLATION

In one place the Lord was offering oblations into the sacrificial fires; in another, worshiping through the five mahā-yajñas; in another, feeding brāhmaṇas; and in yet another, eating the remnants of food left by brāhmaṇas.

PURPORT

The five mahā-yajñas, or great sacrifices, are defined as follows: pāṭho homaś cātithīnāḿ saparyā tarpaṇaḿ baliḥ — "reciting the Vedas, offering oblations into the sacrificial fire, waiting on guests, making offerings to the forefathers, and offering [a share of one's food] to living entities in general."

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments as follows on these sacrifices: "In another palace Kṛṣṇa was found performing the pañca-yajña sacrifice, which is compulsory for a householder. This yajña is also known as pañca-sūnā. Knowingly or unknowingly, everyone, specifically the householder, is committing five kinds of sinful activities. When we receive water from a water pitcher, we kill many germs that are in it. Similarly, when we use a grinding machine or take foodstuffs, we kill many germs. When sweeping the floor or igniting a fire, we kill many germs. When we walk on the street we kill many ants and other insects. Consciously or unconsciously, in all our different activities we are killing. Therefore it is incumbent upon every householder to perform the pañca-sūnā sacrifice to rid himself of the reactions to such sinful activities."

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, in his commentary on this verse, again points out that all the different times of the day were occurring simultaneously in Lord Kṛṣṇa's palaces. Thus Nārada saw a fire sacrifice — a morning ritual — and at about the same time he saw Lord Kṛṣṇa feeding the brāhmaṇas and accepting their remnants — a noontime activity.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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