Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 76: Bharata Performs the Final Rites for Daśaratha
Text 2.76.12
तथेति भरतो वाक्यं वसिष्ठस्याभिपूज्य तत्।
ऋत्विक्पुरोहिताचार्यांस्त्वरयामास सर्वशः॥
tatheti bharato vākyaṁ vasiṣṭhasyābhipūjya tat
ṛtvik-purohitācāryāṁs tvarayām āsa sarvaśaḥ
tathā iti = by saying “Alright”; bharataḥ = Bharata; vākyam = instruction; vasiṣṭhasya = of Vasiṣṭha; abhipūjya = honored and; tat = the; ṛtvik-purohita-ācāryān = the ṛtviks, purohitas and ācāryas; tvarayām āsa = hurried; sarvaśaḥ = all.
Bharata honored the instruction of Vasiṣṭha by saying, “Alright” and hurried all the ṛtviks, purohitas and ācāryas.
Ṛtviks are engaged in sacrificial rites. Purohitas are priests performing the rituals to ward off inauspiciousness, provide nourishment and so on. Ācāryas refer to Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva and so on.
[Purohitas and ācāryas] have been characterized thus:
trayyāṁ ca dharma-kṛtye ca śānti-karmaṇi pauṣṭike
adhvare yaś ca kuśalaḥ sa syād rāja-purohitaḥ
upanīya vaded vedam ācāryaḥ sa udāhṛtaḥ
“The royal priest should be expert in (1) the three Vedas, (2) dhārmika rites, (3) rituals that remove inauspiciousness, (4) rituals that provide nourishment, and (5) fire sacrifices. The ācārya is declared to be he who initiates and recites the Veda.”