पूर्णमासचातुर्मास्यपशुसोमानां प्रकृतिविकृतिभिरनुसवनं चातुर्होत्रविधिना ॥५॥
Ä«je ca bhagavantaá¹ yajña-kratu-rÅ«paá¹ kratubhir uccÄvacaiḥ Å›raddhayÄhá¹›tÄgnihotra-darÅ›a-pÅ«rṇamÄsa-cÄturmÄsya-paÅ›u-somÄnÄá¹ praká¹›ti-viká¹›tibhir anusavanaá¹ cÄturhotra-vidhinÄ
Ä«je - worshiped; ca - also; bhagavantam - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yajña-kratu-rÅ«pam - having the form of sacrifices without animals and sacrifices with animals; kratubhiḥ - by such sacrifices; uccÄvacaiḥ - very great and very small; Å›raddhayÄ - with faith; Ähá¹›ta - being performed; agni-hotra - of the agnihotra-yajña; darÅ›a - of the darÅ›a-yajña; pÅ«rṇamÄsa - of the pÅ«rṇamÄsa-yajña; cÄturmÄsya - of the cÄturmÄsya-yajña; paÅ›u-somÄnÄm - of the yajña with animals and the yajña with soma-rasa; praká¹›ti - by full performances; viká¹›tibhiḥ - and by partial performances; anusavanam - almost always; cÄtuḥ-hotra-vidhinÄ - by the regulative principles of sacrifice directed by four kinds of priests.
With great faith King Bharata performed various kinds of sacrifice. He performed the sacrifices known as agni-hotra, darÅ›a, pÅ«rṇamÄsa, cÄturmÄsya, paÅ›u-yajña [wherein a horse is sacrificed] and soma-yajña [wherein a kind of beverage is offered]. Sometimes these sacrifices were performed completely and sometimes partially. In any case, in all the sacrifices the regulations of cÄturhotra were strictly followed. In this way Bharata MahÄrÄja worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Animals like horses and cows were offered in sacrifice to test the proper execution of the sacrifice. Otherwise, there was no purpose in killing the animal. Actually the animal was offered in the sacrificial fire to get a rejuvenated life. Generally an old animal was sacrificed in the fire, and it would come out again in a youthful body. Some of the rituals however, did not require animal sacrifice. In the present age, animal sacrifices are forbidden. As stated by ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu:
aÅ›vamedhaá¹ gavÄlambhaá¹
sannyÄsaá¹ pala-paitá¹›kam
devareṇa sutotpattiá¹
kalau pañca vivarjayet
“In this Age of Kali, five acts are forbidden: the offering of a horse in sacrifice, the offering of a cow in sacrifice, the acceptance of the order of sannyÄsa, the offering of oblations of flesh to the forefathers, and a man’s begetting children in his brother’s wife.†(Cc. Ä€di 17.164) Such sacrifices are impossible in this age due to the scarcity of expert brÄhmaṇas or á¹›tvijaḥ who are able to take the responsibility. In the absence of these, the saá¹…kÄ«rtana-yajña is recommended. Yajñaiḥ saá¹…kÄ«rtana-prÄyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (BhÄg. 11.5.32). After all, sacrifices are executed to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. YajñÄrtha-karma: such activities should be carried out for the Supreme Lord’s pleasure. In this Age of Kali, the Supreme Lord in His incarnation of ÅšrÄ« Caitanya MahÄprabhu should be worshiped with His associates by performance of saá¹…kÄ«rtana-yajña, the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This process is accepted by intelligent men. Yajñaiḥ saá¹…kÄ«rtana-prÄyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ. The word sumedhasaḥ refers to intelligent men who possess very good brain substance.
