Manava Dharmashastra 5.39

5.39

nāyamanantarokto doṣaḥ śrutismṛticodite vadhe | yo vadho yajñāṅgabhūtastannirvṛttyarthameva svayaṃbhuvā prajāpatinā paśavaḥ sṛṣṭā utpāditāḥ | svayamevetyarthavādaḥ | asya jagato viśvasya | yajño jyotiṣṭomādiḥ | bhūtyai bhūtirvibhavaḥ puṣṭiḥ sphītiḥ | tasmāttatra yo vadhaḥ so'vadho vijñeyaḥ | hiṃsājanyasya pāpasya nivṛttirevamucyate |

Animals have been created by the Self-born God himself for the purpose of sacrifice: sacrifice is conducive to the well-being of all this would; hence killing at a sacrifice is no ‘killing’ at all—(39).

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The evil just described does not pertain to the killing of animals at the rites prescribed by Śruti and S mṛti.

That ‘killing’ which forms part of sacrifices,—for the due fulfilment of that were animals ‘created’—produced, brought into existence,—‘by the self-born God’—Prajāpati ‘himself.’

This is a purely commendatory passage.

‘Sacrifice’—in the form of the Jyotiṣṭoma and the rest—‘is conducive to the well-being’—prosperity, development, advancement —‘of all this’— world.

For this reason the killing that is done at a sacrifice should be regarded as no killing at all. What this means is that it does not involve the sin of ‘killing’ animals.—(39)

“Ityapi śrūyate śrutiḥ is the end of this verse instead of svayameva svayambhuvā as found in the Mahābhārata, 13.116.14. Quite a number of Manu’s verses are cited as Śruti in the Epic.”—Hopkins.

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 538).

Comparative notes by various authors
Viṣṇu (51.61).—(Same as Manu.)