a few random quotes in no particular order related to the word "ṛtvik—priests conducting the ceremony" and "ṛtvijaḥ—the priests"
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"...four classes of priests, known as ṛtvik, are required. "
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ācāryam—the spiritual master
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ṛtvijaḥ—the priests recommended by the spiritual master
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saha-ṛtvik-ācārya-sadasyaḥ—with all the priests, ācāryas and members of the holy assembly;
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"...one should perform all the ceremonies under the direction of learned ācāryas and should satisfy them and their priests."
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"Such sacrifices are impossible in this age due to the scarcity of expert brāhmaṇas or ṛtvijaḥ who are able to take the responsibility. In the absence of these, the saṅkīrtana-yajña is recommended. "
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TEXT 53
ācāryaṁ jñāna-sampannaṁ
vastrābharaṇa-dhenubhiḥ
toṣayed ṛtvijaś caiva
tad viddhy ārādhanaṁ hareḥ
SYNONYMS
ācāryam—the spiritual master; jñāna-sampannam—very advanced in spiritual knowledge; vastra-ābharaṇa-dhenubhiḥ—with clothing, ornaments and many cows; toṣayet—should satisfy; ṛtvijaḥ—the priests recommended by the spiritual master; ca eva—as well as; tat viddhi—try to understand that; ārādhanam—worship; hareḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
One should satisfy the spiritual master [ācārya], who is very learned in Vedic literature, and should satisfy his assistant priests [known as hotā, udgātā, adhvaryu and brahma]. One should please them by offering them clothing, ornaments and cows. This is the ceremony called viṣṇu-ārādhana, or worship of Lord Viṣṇu.
sb/8/16/53
O most auspicious lady, one should perform all the ceremonies under the direction of learned ācāryas and should satisfy them and their priests. By distributing prasāda, one should also satisfy the brāhmaṇas and others who have assembled.
sb/8/16/54
TEXT 55
dakṣiṇāṁ gurave dadyād
ṛtvigbhyaś ca yathārhataḥ
annādyenāśva-pākāṁś ca
prīṇayet samupāgatān
SYNONYMS
dakṣiṇām—some contribution of money or gold; gurave—unto the spiritual master; dadyāt—one should give; ṛtvigbhyaḥ ca—and to the priests engaged by the spiritual master; yathā-arhataḥ—as far as possible; anna-adyena—by distributing prasāda; āśva-pākān—even to the caṇḍālas, persons habituated to eating the flesh of dogs; ca—also; prīṇayet—one should please; samupāgatān—because they have assembled there for the ceremony.
TRANSLATION
One should satisfy the spiritual master and assistant priests by giving them cloth, ornaments, cows and also some monetary contribution. And by distributing prasāda one should satisfy everyone assembled, including even the lowest of men, the caṇḍālas [eaters of dog flesh].
sb/8/16/55
"One should distribute viṣṇu-prasāda to everyone, including the poor man, the blind man, the nondevotee and the non-brāhmaṇa. Knowing that Lord Viṣṇu is very pleased when everyone is sumptuously fed with viṣṇu-prasāda, the performer of yajña should then take prasāda with his friends and relatives."
/sb/8/16/56
"Every day from pratipat to trayodaśī, one should continue the ceremony, to the accompaniment of dancing, singing, the beating of a drum, the chanting of prayers and all-auspicious mantras, and recitation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way, one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
b/8/16/57
"This is the religious ritualistic ceremony known as payo-vrata, by which one may worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I received this information from Brahmā, my grandfather, and now I have described it to you in all details."
sb/8/16/58
"Therefore, my dear gentle lady, follow this ritualistic vow, strictly observing the regulative principles. By this process, the Supreme Person will very soon be pleased with you and will satisfy all your desires."
/sb/8/16/62
ṛtvija ūcuḥ
arhasi muhur arhattamārhaṇam asmākam anupathānāṁ namo nama ity etāvat sad-upaśikṣitaṁ ko ’rhati pumān prakṛti-guṇa-vyatikara-matir anīśa īśvarasya parasya prakṛti-puruṣayor arvāktanābhir nāma-rūpākṛtibhī rūpa-nirūpaṇam; sakala-jana-nikāya-vṛjina-nirasana-śivatama-pravara-guṇa-gaṇaika-deśa-kathanād ṛte.
SYNONYMS
ṛtvijaḥ ūcuḥ—the priests said; arhasi—please (accept); muhuḥ—again and again; arhat-tama—O most exalted, worshipable person; arhaṇam—offering of worship; asmākam—of us; anupathānām—who are Your servants; namaḥ—respectful obeisances; namaḥ—respectful obeisances; iti—thus; etāvat—so far; sat—by exalted personalities; upaśikṣitam—instructed; kaḥ—what; arhati—is able (to make); pumān—man; prakṛti—of material nature; guṇa—of the modes; vyatikara—in the transformations; matiḥ—whose mind (is absorbed); anīśaḥ—who is most incapable; īśvarasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parasya—beyond; prakṛti-puruṣayoḥ—the jurisdiction of the three modes of material nature; arvāktanābhiḥ—which do not reach up to, or which are of this material world; nāma-rūpa-ākṛtibhiḥ—by names, forms and qualities; rūpa—of Your nature or position; nirūpaṇam—ascertainment, perception; sakala—all; jana-nikāya—of mankind; vṛjina—sinful actions; nirasana—which wipe out; śivatama—most auspicious; pravara—excellent; guṇa-gaṇa—of the transcendental qualities; eka-deśa—one part; kathanāt—by speaking; ṛte—except.
TRANSLATION
"The priests began to offer prayers to the Lord, saying: O most worshipable one, we are simply Your servants. Although You are full in Yourself, please, out of Your causeless mercy, accept a little service from us, Your eternal servants. We are not actually aware of Your transcendental form, but we can simply offer our respectful obeisances again and again, as instructed by the Vedic literatures and authorized ācāryas. Materialistic living entities are very much attracted to the modes of material nature, and therefore they are never perfect, but You are above the jurisdiction of all material conceptions. Your name, form and qualities are all transcendental and beyond the conception of experimental knowledge. Indeed, who can conceive of You? In the material world we can perceive only material names and qualities. We have no other power than to offer our respectful obeisances and prayers unto You, the transcendental person. The chanting of Your auspicious transcendental qualities will wipe out the sins of all mankind. That is the most auspicious activity for us, and we can thus partially understand Your supernatural position."
/sb/5/3/4-5
"The ṛtvijaḥ, the priests at the sacrifice, knew very well the distinction between karma and bhakti, and because they considered themselves under the influence of karma, fruitive activity, they begged the Lord’s pardon."
/sb/5/3/15
"The ṛtvijaḥ, the priests, knew that God is one, yet they prayed for the Supreme Lord to become the son of Mahārāja Nābhi to let the world know that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is one without a second. When He incarnates, He expands Himself in different potencies."
sb/5/3/18
"Such sacrifices are impossible in this age due to the scarcity of expert brāhmaṇas or ṛtvijaḥ who are able to take the responsibility. In the absence of these, the saṅkīrtana-yajña is recommended. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (Bhāg. 11.5.32). After all, sacrifices are executed to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yajñārtha-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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu should be worshiped with His associates by performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña, the congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This process is accepted by intelligent men. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ. The word sumedhasaḥ refers to intelligent men who possess very good brain substance."
sb/5/7/5
te ṛtvijo yajamānaḥ sadasyā
hata-tviṣo vāmana-tejasā nṛpa
sūryaḥ kilāyāty uta vā vibhāvasuḥ
sanat-kumāro ’tha didṛkṣayā kratoḥ
SYNONYMS
te—all of them; ṛtvijaḥ—the priests; yajamānaḥ—as well as Bali Mahārāja, who had engaged them in performing the yajña; sadasyāḥ—all the members of the assembly; hata-tviṣaḥ—decreased in their bodily effulgence; vāmana-tejasā—by the brilliant effulgence of Lord Vāmana; nṛpa—O King; sūryaḥ—the sun; kila—whether; āyāti—is coming; uta vā—either; vibhāvasuḥ—the fire-god; sanat-kumāraḥ—the Kumāra known as Sanat-kumāra; atha—either; didṛkṣayā—with a desire to observe; kratoḥ—the sacrificial ceremony.
TRANSLATION
"O King, because of Vāmanadeva’s bright effulgence, the priests, along with Bali Mahārāja and all the members of the assembly, were robbed of their splendor. Thus they began to ask one another whether the sun-god himself, Sanat-kumāra or the fire-god had personally come to see the sacrificial ceremony."
sb/8/18/22
yasya kratuṣu gīrvāṇaiḥ
sadasyā ṛtvijo janāḥ
tulya-rūpāś cānimiṣā
vyadṛśyanta suvāsasaḥ
SYNONYMS
yasya—of whom (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); kratuṣu—in sacrifices (performed by him); gīrvāṇaiḥ—with the demigods; sadasyāḥ—members for executing the sacrifice; ṛtvijaḥ—the priests; janāḥ—and other expert men; tulya-rūpāḥ—appearing exactly like; ca—and; animiṣāḥ—with unblinking eyes like those of the demigods; vyadṛśyanta—being seen; su-vāsasaḥ—well dressed with valuable garments.
TRANSLATION
In the sacrifice arranged by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the members of the assembly and the priests [especially hotā, udgātā, brahmā and adhvaryu] were gorgeously dressed, and they all looked exactly like demigods. They eagerly saw to the proper performance of the yajña.
sb/9/4/23
TEXT 2
tasya ha vāva śraddhayā viśuddha-bhāvena yajataḥ pravargyeṣu pracaratsu dravya-deśa-kāla-mantrartvig-dakṣiṇā-vidhāna-yogopapattyā duradhigamo ’pi bhagavān bhāgavata-vātsalyatayā supratīka ātmānam aparājitaṁ nija-janābhipretārtha-vidhitsayā gṛhīta-hṛdayo hṛdayaṅgamaṁ mano-nayanānandanāvayavābhirāmam āviścakāra.
SYNONYMS
tasya—when he (Nābhi); ha vāva—certainly; śraddhayā—with great faith and devotion; viśuddha-bhāvena—with a pure, uncontaminated mind; yajataḥ—was worshiping; pravargyeṣu—while the fruitive activities called pravargya; pracaratsu—were being performed; dravya—the ingredients; deśa—place; kāla—time; mantra—hymns; ṛtvik—priests conducting the ceremony; dakṣiṇā—gifts to the priests; vidhāna—regulative principles; yoga—and of the means; upapattyā—by the performance; duradhigamaḥ—not obtainable; api—although; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhāgavata-vātsalyatayā—because of His being very affectionate to His devotee; su-pratīkaḥ—possessing a very beautiful form; ātmānam—Himself; aparājitam—not to be conquered by anyone; nija-jana—of His devotee; abhipreta-artha—the desire; vidhitsayā—to fulfill; gṛhīta-hṛdayaḥ—His heart being attracted; hṛdayaṅgamam—captivating; manaḥ-nayana-ānandana—pleasing to the mind and eyes; avayava—by the limbs; abhirāmam—beautiful; āviścakāra—manifested.
TRANSLATION
In the performance of a sacrifice, there are seven transcendental means to obtain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: (1) by sacrificing valuable things or eatables, (2) by acting in terms of place, (3) by acting in terms of time, (4) by offering hymns, (5) by going through the priest, (6) by offering gifts to the priests and (7) by observing the regulative principles. However, one cannot always obtain the Supreme Lord through this paraphernalia. Nonetheless, the Lord is affectionate to His devotee; therefore when Mahārāja Nābhi, who was a devotee, worshiped and offered prayers to the Lord with great faith and devotion and with a pure uncontaminated mind, superficially performing some yajña in the line of pravargya, the kind Supreme Personality of Godhead, due to His affection for His devotees, appeared before King Nābhi in His unconquerable and captivating form with four hands. In this way, to fulfill the desire of His devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested Himself in His beautiful body before His devotee. This body pleases the mind and eyes of the devotees.
sb/5/3/2
TEXT 17
dravya-deśa-kāla-vayaḥ-śraddhartvig-vividhoddeśopacitaiḥ sarvair api kratubhir yathopadeśaṁ śata-kṛtva iyāja.
SYNONYMS
dravya—the ingredients for performing yajña; deśa—the particular place, a holy place or a temple; kāla—the suitable time, such as springtime; vayaḥ—the age, especially youth; śraddhā—faith in goodness, not in passion and ignorance; ṛtvik—the priests; vividha-uddeśa—worshiping different demigods for different purposes; upacitaiḥ—enriched by; sarvaiḥ—all kinds of; api—certainly; kratubhiḥ—by sacrificial ceremonies; yathā-upadeśam—according to the instruction; śata-kṛtvaḥ—one hundred times; iyāja—He worshiped.
TRANSLATION
"Lord Ṛṣabhadeva performed all kinds of sacrifices one hundred times according to the instructions of the Vedic literatures. Thus He satisfied Lord Viṣṇu in every respect. All the rituals were enriched by first-class ingredients. They were executed in holy places according to the proper time by priests who were all young and faithful. In this way Lord Viṣṇu was worshiped, and the prasāda was offered to all the demigods. Thus the functions and festivals were all successful."
/sb/5/4/17
"Acting as Supersoul, the Lord gives inspiration to a suitable person to perform the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. In this connection, four classes of priests, known as ṛtvik, are required. They are mentioned as hotā, adhvaryu, brahma and udgātā."
/sb/7/3/30
TEXT 22
kāye balis tasya mahā-vibhūteḥ
sahartvig-ācārya-sadasya etat
dadarśa viśvaṁ tri-guṇaṁ guṇātmake
bhūtendriyārthāśaya-jīva-yuktam
SYNONYMS
kāye—in the body; baliḥ—Mahārāja Bali; tasya—of the Personality of Godhead; mahā-vibhūteḥ—of that person who is equipped with all wonderful opulences; saha-ṛtvik-ācārya-sadasyaḥ—with all the priests, ācāryas and members of the holy assembly; etat—this; dadarśa—saw; viśvam—the whole universe; tri-guṇam—made of three modes of material nature; guṇa-ātmake—in that which is the source of all such qualities; bhūta—with all the gross material elements; indriya—with the senses; artha—with the sense objects; āśaya—with mind, intelligence and false ego; jīva-yuktam—with all the living entities.
TRANSLATION
Bali Mahārāja, along with all the priests, ācāryas and members of the assembly, observed the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s universal body, which was full of six opulences. That body contained everything within the universe, including all the gross material elements, the senses, the sense objects, the mind, intelligence and false ego, the various kinds of living entities, and the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature.
/sb/8/20/22
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