FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.13.35

इति व्यवसिता विप्रास्तस्य राज्ञ: प्रजातये । पुरोडाशं निरवपन् शिपिविष्टाय विष्णवे ॥ ३५ ॥
iti vyavasitā viprās
[iti vyavasitaa vipraas]
tasya rājñaḥ prajātaye
[tasya raajnah prajaataye]
puroḍāśaṁ niravapan
[purodaasham niravapan]
śipi-viṣṭāya viṣṇave
[shipi-vishtaaya vishnave]
iti — thus vyavasitāḥ — having decided viprāḥ — the brāhmaṇas tasya — his rājñaḥ — of the king prajātaye — for the purpose of getting a son puroḍāśam — the paraphernalia of sacrifice niravapan — offered śipi-viṣṭāya — to the Lord, who is situated in the sacrificial fire viṣṇave — to Lord Viṣṇu.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
iti vyavasitā viprās
iti
thus
vyavasitāḥ
having decided
viprāḥ
the brāhmaṇas
tasya rājñaḥ prajātaye
tasya
his
rājñaḥ
of the king
prajātaye
for the purpose of getting a son
puroḍāśaṁ niravapan
puroḍāśam
the paraphernalia of sacrifice
niravapan
offered
śipi-viṣṭāya viṣṇave
śipi-viṣṭāya
to the Lord, who is situated in the sacrificial fire
viṣṇave
to Lord Viṣṇu.
Thus for the sake of a son for King Aṅga, they decided to offer oblations to Lord Viṣṇu, who is situated in the hearts of all living entities.

According to sacrificial rituals, animals are sometimes sacrificed in the yajña arena. Such animals are sacrificed not to kill them but to give them new life. Such action was an experiment to observe whether the Vedic mantras were being properly pronounced. Sometimes small animals are killed in a medical laboratory to investigate therapeutic effects. In a medical clinic, the animals are not revived, but in the yajña arena, when animals were sacrificed, they were again given life by the potency of Vedic mantras. The word śipi-viṣṭāya appears in this verse. Śipi means “the flames of the sacrifice.” In the sacrificial fire if the oblations are offered into the flames, then Lord Viṣṇu is situated there in the form of the flames. Therefore Lord Viṣṇu is known as Śipiviṣṭa.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Deciding in this way, the brāhmaṇas offered puroḍāśam to Viṣṇu, so that the King could get a son. They offered the sacrificial material called puroḍāśam. Śipi-viṣṭāya means unto the Lord who has entered the sacrificial animals in the form of sacrifice. Yajño vai viṣṇuḥ paśavaḥ śipir yajña eva paśuṣu pratitiṣṭhati; Viṣṇu is the sacrifice, the animals are the sacrifice, and he is situated in the animals. (Taittiriya-saṁhitā, Black Yajur Veda 2.5.5.2.7)
For the king's son, they offered oblations to Viṣṇu in the heart of all beings. Even narrow petitions are routed through the heart-resident Supersoul; nothing material bypasses that address.
Reflection Questions
  • Which 'narrow' request do I make of life without addressing the Supersoul behind it?
  • Where could rerouting a small request through prayer change its quality?
📝 My note

← Read full Chapter 13