cātur-hotraṁ karma-tantram
cātur-hotraṁ karma-tantram
upaveda-nayaiḥ saha
dharmasya pādāś catvāras
tathaivāśrama-vṛttayaḥ
The actions of the hotā, udgāṭā, adhvaryu and brahma priests, the various of sacrifices, the four parts of dharma (satya, śauca, tapa and dayā), the āśramas and occupations appeared from his mouth.
Catur-hotram refers to the actions of the hoṭā, udgātā, adhvaryu and brahma priests. Karma-tantram means profusion of sacrificial acts. The āśrāmas and occupations appeared along with the Upavedas and scriptures on logic.
|| 3.12.36 ||
vidura uvāca
sa vai viśva-sṛjām īśo
vedādīn mukhato ’sṛjat
yad yad yenāsṛjad devas
tan me brūhi tapo-dhana
Vidura said: O wealth of austerity, Maitreya! Brahmā, the lord of universal creation, produced the Vedas from his mouths. Please tell me which Veda Brahmā produced from which mouth.
Mukhataḥ means “from his mouths.”
|| 3.12.37 ||
maitreya uvāca
ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyān
vedān pūrvādibhir mukhaiḥ
śāstram ijyāṁ stuti-stomaṁ
prāyaścittaṁ vyadhāt kramāt
Maitreya said: From Brahmā’s eastern mouth the Ṛg Veda and activities of the hotā were established. From his southern mouth the Yajur Veda and activities of the Aahvaryu were established. From his western mouth the Sāma Veda and the activities of the udgātā were established. From his northern mouth the Atharva Veda and the activities of the brahma were established.
This verse describes the creation of the four hotas. The action of the hotā is śastra, chanting of mantras without intonation (following Ṛg-veda). The action of the adhvayu is sacrificial performance (ījya) (following Yajur-veda). Singing verses (stuti-stomam) is the action of the udgātā (following Sāma-veda). This takes the form of trivṛt-stoma. The action of the brahma (following Atharva-veda) is remedial measure.
|| 3.12.38 ||
āyur-vedaṁ dhanur-vedaṁ
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