अभिवाद्य वसिष्ठं च न्यायतः प्रतिपूज्य च।
अब्रवीत्प्रश्रितं वाक्यं प्रसवार्थं द्विजोत्तमम्।
यज्ञो मे क्रियतां विप्र यथोक्तं मुनिपुङ्गव॥
abhivādya vasiṣṭhaṁ ca nyāyataḥ pratipūjya ca
abravīt praśritaṁ vākyaṁ prasavārthaṁ dvijottamam
yajño me kriyatāṁ vipra yathoktaṁ muni-puṅgava
abhivādya = having offered his obeisances; vasiṣṭham ca = unto Vasiṣṭha; nyāyataḥ = according to the scriptures; pratipūjya ca = and having honored him; abravīt = he spoke; praśritam = of humility; vākyam = words; prasava-artham = in order that he may have sons; dvija-uttamam = to that best of the twiceborn; yajñaḥ = this sacrifice; me = of mine; kriyatām = please perform; vipra = O brāhmaṇa; yathā-uktam = that has begun as described in the scriptures; muni-puṅgava = and best of sages.
Having offered his obeisances unto Vasiṣṭha and having honored him according to the scriptures, he spoke words of humility to that best of the twiceborn in order that he may have sons. O brāhmaṇa and best of sages, please perform this sacrifice of mine that has begun as described in the scriptures.
[3] raśanāñjanataḥ paścād adhvaryuḥ parivīyate / rājyāya sa ca rājā syād yāvat santiṣṭhate kratuḥ (Bhaṭṭa Bhāskara)
Having briefly described the king’s departure to the sacrificial arena, the actual subject matter of this chapter, the author now begins to elaborately describe the same till the end of this chapter.
As per the scriptural injunctions, the sponsor of the sacrifice is forbidden to independently carry out any activity from the beginning of the Brahmaudana ceremony (in which the Brahmā priest is accepted) until the end of the horse sacrifice. He is also not allowed to personally and directly present the sacrificial ingredients for only the Adhvaryu priest is supposed to do all such activities [3]. Vasiṣṭha had been accepted as the Adhvaryu priest, and hence King Daśaratha beseeches him as described in this chapter.