कच्चिदग्निषु ते युक्तो विधिज्ञो मतिमानृजुः।
हुतं च होष्यमाणं च काले वेदयते सदा॥
kaccid agniṣu te yukto vidhijño matimān ṛjuḥ
hutaṁ ca hoṣyamāṇaṁ ca kāle vedayate sadā
kaccit = is the priest; agniṣu = to attentively take care of the sacred fires; te = by You; yuktaḥ = engaged; vidhijñaḥ = he should know the scriptural rules; matimān = intelligent; ṛjuḥ = straightforward; hutam = of what has been offered; ca = and; hoṣyamāṇam = what is to be offered in oblation; ca = and; kāle = at the right time; vedayate = informing You; sadā = constantly.
Is the priest engaged by You to attentively take care of the sacred fires constantly informing You, at the right time, of what has been offered and what is to be offered in oblation? He should know the scriptural rules, and be intelligent and straightforward.
Rāma considers that Bharata might have inaugurated a sacrificial rite. Since among brothers born to different mothers, it is not offensive for a younger brother to marry, give in charity or inaugurate a sacrifice prior to his elder brother’s engagement in the same according to the Smṛti: pitṛvya-putre sāpatne para-nārī-suteṣu ca / vivāha-dāna-yajñādau parivedo na dūṣaṇam.1 This verse can refer to such a sacrifice.
Even otherwise, there are obligatory sacrifices to be performed by a priest who should know the prescribed [procedures] for all sacrificial performances from Agnihotra to Aśvamedha sacrifices. He should be intelligent, that is, he should be aware of implied prescriptions, prohibitions and so on.2 And he should be straightforward—the activities of his body, mind and speech should be consistent with each other.