SB 4.19.28 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वयं मरुत्वन्तमिहार्थनाशनंह्वयामहे त्वच्छ्रवसा हतत्विषम् अयातयामोपहवैरनन्तरंप्रसह्य राजन् जुहवाम तेऽहितम् ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

vayaṁ marutvantam ihārtha-nāśanaṁ hvayāmahe tvac-chravasā hata-tviṣam ayātayāmopahavair anantaraṁ prasahya rājan juhavāma te ’hitam

Synonyms

vayam — we ; marut — vantam — King Indra ; iha — here ; artha — of your interest ; nāśanam — the destroyer ; hvayāmahe — we shall call ; tvat — śravasā — by your glory ; hata — tviṣam — already bereft of his power ; ayātayāma — never before used ; upahavaiḥ — by mantras of invocation ; anantaram — without delay ; prasahya — by force ; rājan — O King ; juhavāma — we shall sacrifice in the fire ; te — your ; ahitam — enemy .

Translation

Dear King, Indra’s powers are already reduced due to his attempt to impede the execution of your sacrifice. We shall call him by Vedic mantras which were never before used, and certainly he will come. Thus by the power of our mantra, we shall cast him into the fire because he is your enemy.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O King! We will call Indra, the destroyer of your goal, who has lost his power, to this sacrifice by fresh mantras and without delay will forcibly offer him into the fire. “What is the remedy in this situation?” They explain. We will call him using beckoning prayers, āhvana-mantras (upahavaiḥ), whose power is not worn out (ayātayāma). Though this particular Indra was an avatāra of the Lord, and the priests were not materialists, they spoke in this way to show the nature of those following the path of karma: even intelligent persons on this path become blind. As Brahmā becomes blind by lust, Śiva becomes blind by anger, so the nature of Indra who is avatāra of Viṣṇu is revealed to have envy and crookedness.

Purport

By chanting the Vedic mantras properly in a sacrifice, one can perform many wonderful things. In Kali-yuga, however, there are no qualified brāhmaṇas who can chant the mantras properly. Consequently no attempt should be made to perform such big sacrifices. In this age the only sacrifice recommended is the saṅkīrtana movement.