ऋत्विग् उवाच
यजस्व जन्तुना राजंस् त्वं मया वितते क्रतौ ॥
ततः पुत्रशतं श्रीमद् भविष्यत्य् अचिरेण ते ॥
वपायां हूयमानायां धूमम् आघ्राय मातरः ॥
ततस् ताः सुमहावीर्याञ् जनयिष्यन्ति ते सुतान् ॥
तस्याम् एव तु ते जन्तुर् भविता पुनर् आत्मजः ॥
उत्तरे चास्य सौवर्णं लक्ष्म पार्श्वे भविष्यति ॥
ṛtvig uvāca
yajasva jantunā rājaṃs tvaṃ mayā vitate kratau ||
tataḥ putraśataṃ śrīmad bhaviṣyaty acireṇa te ||
vapāyāṃ hūyamānāyāṃ dhūmam āghrāya mātaraḥ ||
tatas tāḥ sumahāvīryāñ janayiṣyanti te sutān ||
tasyām eva tu te jantur bhavitā punar ātmajaḥ ||
uttare cāsya sauvarṇaṃ lakṣma pārśve bhaviṣyati ||
The priest said: "O king, perform the sacrifice with Jantu in the rite that I shall conduct; then soon you will have a splendid hundred sons. When the fat is offered as oblation, the mothers will inhale the smoke and will bear you sons of great strength. In that very same mother Jantu will again become your son, and on his right side there will be a golden mark."
8db55f368ff5 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:06:19 PM UTC
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The priest's proposal is terrifying precisely because it appears so ritually precise. Not every form of sacrifice is pure if violence against the defenseless stands at its heart.