The Sacrifices of Rajasuya, Vajapeya and Ashvamedha (study)
by Aparna Dhar | 2016 | 61,606 words
This page relates ‘Summary of the Agnicayana sacrifice’ of the study dealing with the Sacrifices such as Rajasuya, Vajapeya and Ashvamedha including their ritualistic and monarchial strata with reference to the Shatapatha-Brahmana. These Brahmanas represent a category of ancient Sanskrit texts dealing with ancient Vedic rituals and ceremonies based on the Vedas.
Summary of the Agnicayana sacrifice
[Full title: A Brief note on the sacrifices of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (14): Sarvamedha]
The Agnicayana or the fire building ceremony is an additional rite of Soma sacrifice. The importance of this ritual has dealt with in Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa from kāṇḍa VI to X. The reason behind such importance is the mystic nature attributed to this rite in the Brāhmaṇa. The meaning of the term Agnicayana can be expressed in two ways–
First–it simply indicates fire building ceremony.
Secondly–The ceremony has importance in another way, as the ceremony deals with cosmogonic ideas in the performance of this sacrifice. The ritual procedure for building up of the fire altar of the Agnicayana ceremony will be further discussed in the chapter–V.