SB 3.12.37 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

मैत्रेय उवाच ऋग्यजु:सामाथर्वाख्यान् वेदान् पूर्वादिभिर्मुखै: । शास्त्रमिज्यां स्तुतिस्तोमं प्रायश्चित्तं व्यधात्क्रमात् ॥ ३७ ॥

Verse text

maitreya uvāca ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyān vedān pūrvādibhir mukhaiḥ śāstram ijyāṁ stuti-stomaṁ prāyaścittaṁ vyadhāt kramāt

Synonyms

maitreyaḥ uvāca — Maitreya said ; ṛk — yajuḥ — sāma — atharva — the four Vedas ; ākhyān — of the name ; vedān — Vedic literatures ; pūrva — ādibhiḥ — beginning with the front ; mukhaiḥ — by the mouths ; śāstram — Vedic hymns not pronounced before ; ijyām — priestly rituals ; stuti — stomam — the subject matter of the reciters ; prāyaścittam — transcendental activities ; vyadhāt — established ; kramāt — one after another .

Translation

Maitreya said: Beginning from the front face of Brahmā, gradually the four Vedas — Ṛk, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva — became manifest. Thereafter, Vedic hymns which had not been pronounced before, priestly rituals, the subject matters of the recitation, and transcendental activities were all established, one after another.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

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.