Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.84.43
त एनमृषयो राजन् वृता धर्मेण धार्मिकम् ।
तस्मिन्नयाजयन् क्षेत्रे मखैरुत्तमकल्पकै: ॥ ४३ ॥
ta enam ṛṣayo rājan
[ta enam rishayo raajan]
vṛtā dharmeṇa dhārmikam
[vritaa dharmena dhaarmikam]
tasminn ayājayan kṣetre
[tasminn ayaajayan kshetre]
makhair uttama-kalpakaiḥ
[makhair uttama-kalpakaih]
Word-for-word
te
—
they
enam
—
him
ṛṣayaḥ
—
the sages
rājan
—
O King (Parīkṣit)
vṛtāḥ
—
chosen
dharmeṇa
—
according to religious principles
dhārmikam
—
who was religious
tasmin
—
in that
ayājayan
—
they engaged in executing sacrifices
kṣetre
—
holy field (of Kurukṣetra)
makhaiḥ
—
with fire rituals
uttama
—
superexcellent
kalpakaiḥ
—
whose arrangements .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ta enam ṛṣayo rājan
te
they
enam
him
ṛṣayaḥ
the sages
rājan
O King (Parīkṣit)
vṛtā dharmeṇa dhārmikam
vṛtāḥ
chosen
dharmeṇa
according to religious principles
dhārmikam
who was religious
tasminn ayājayan kṣetre
tasmin
in that
ayājayan
they engaged in executing sacrifices
kṣetre
holy field (of Kurukṣetra)
makhair uttama-kalpakaiḥ
makhaiḥ
with fire rituals
uttama
superexcellent
kalpakaiḥ
whose arrangements .
Important Words
-
kṣetre
—
in the holy field
kṣetra (field). Kurukṣetra — the dharma-kṣetra of BG 1.1. Gauḍīyas read the field as itself a tīrtha; performing yajña there compounds the efficacy of both the rite and the place.
-
ayājayan
—
they engaged him in executing sacrifices
Causative of √yaj. The priests do not perform for Vasudeva — they engage Vasudeva in performing. Gauḍīyas note this distinction: the yajamāna is the agent; the ṛtvij is the technician.
-
uttama-kalpakaiḥ
—
with superexcellent arrangements
uttama (highest) + kalpa (ritual procedure) + -ka. The technical procedural variants chosen are the best ones. Gauḍīyas note that quality of execution is itself a doctrinal commitment — anything offered to Bhagavān must be the best one has.
-
dharmeṇa
—
according to religious principles
Instrumental of dharma. The sages do not innovate; they perform dharma's prescribed forms. Gauḍīyas note this as the conservative wing of the Bhāgavata teaching: spontaneity in rasa, but exactness in vidhi.
Thus requested by him, O King, the sages engaged the pious Vasudeva in performing fire sacrifices at that holy place of Kurukṣetra according to strict religious principles and with most excellent ritual arrangements.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Thus requested by him, O King, the sages engaged the pious Vasudeva in performing fire sacrifices at that holy place of Kurukṣetra according to strict religious principles and with most excellent ritual arrangements.
Jīva Gosvāmī
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The sages engaged Vasudeva correctly, according to the rules of scripture (dharmena), since the brāhmaṇas should direct the kṣatriyas in performance of sacrifice. Or, the brāhmaṇas appointed for the purpose of dharma, engaged Vasudeva, dedicated to bhagavad-dharma (dharmikam), in sacrifice using the chief rules, since they possessed all ability.
Related values & verses
Related values
Discriminative WisdomTapas (Austerity / Discipline)Satya (Truthfulness)Seva (Service / Selfless Action)Shraddha (Faith / Reverence)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)
Related verses
Concepts
JivaDharmaKshetra
Personal Guidance
The sages engage Vasudeva in fire sacrifices at a holy place. Once one has heard the teaching, the next step is concrete ritual action — devotion must become embodied.
Reflection Questions
- What teaching have I been carrying as idea that I should now express as concrete practice?
- Where could 'taking up the next step' replace endless absorbing of information?
Analogy
Kurukṣetra, the field of the great war, now becomes the field of yajña. The same dharma-kṣetra that absorbed the blood of the eighteen days now drinks ghī from Vasudeva's ladle. The sages turn the soil from karma-bhūmi to yajña-bhūmi without leaving its address.
My note
Source: vedabase.io