Vedic Sacrifices

Amarakośa mentions the general and special terms related to sacrifices (II. 7. 8; p. 164) such as–yajña–sacrifice, prāgvaṃśa–room in front of the offerings, sadasyā–by-standers, adhvaryu...–reciters of prayer, vedi–altar, sthaṇḍila–sacrificial ground, caṣāla–ring on the post, kumbā–an enclosure, tarma–top of the post, araṇi–wood for lighting a fire, tretā–the three sacred fires, agnāyī–wife of fire, etc.

(a) Sacrifice and officiating priests:

Dīkṣitaḥ (II. 7. 8; p. 164)–Sacrificer in Soma: One who performs the Soma sacrifice is denoted as dīkṣitaḥ.

Commenting on the word Kṣīrasvāmin mentions the seven forms of Soma sacrifices as mentioned b y Gautama (VIII. 21) as follows:

1. Agniṣṭoma,
2. Atyagniṣṭoma,
3. Ukthyaḥ,
4. Ṣoḍaśī,
5. Vājapeya,
6. Atirātra and
7. Aptoryāma–

sa vratī somādhvare dīkṣitākhyaḥ dīkṣā saṃjātāsyeti |
somapānāgniṣṭomādikratuḥ |
yad gautamaḥ–āgniṣṭomo'tyagniṣṭoma ukthyaḥ ṣoḍaśī |
vājapeyo'tirātro'ptoryāma iyi somasaṃstha ||

The one who performs the sacrifice is called yajamāna. He is also called a vratī in general and in the Soma sacrifices is called a dīkṣita. The Agniṣṭoma, is a one day sacrifice and is a model of all Soma sacrifices. The Agniṣṭoma forms an integral part of Jyotiṣṭoma that they are often considered to be the same. The Soma sacrifices are classified on the basis of the number of days the sacrifices are performed. The sacrifice performed on a single day is called ekāha, while those performed for more than one day upto twelve days is called ahīna and celebrated extending over more than twelve days is both ahīna and sattra (Jaimini. X. 6. 60-1).

Agnīdhra^[1] (II. 7. 17; p. 166)–Officiating priest: Amarakośa mentions that the priests like agnīdhra and others are the ones who officiate a sacrifice.

Kṣīrasvāmin lists names of seventeen priests who happen to be the priests required to perform the Soma sacrifice viz.,

1. agnīdhrā,
2. potṛ,
3. praśāstṛ,
4. brāhmaṇa,
5. ācchaṃsya,
6. acchā,
7. vāg,
8. grāvastud,
9. brahma,
10. maitrāvaruṇa,
11. pratiprastātṛ,
12. pratihantṛ,
13. neṣṭru,
14. netṛ,
15. subrahmaṇya,
16. udgātṛ and
17. sadasya–

ādyaśabdātpotṛ—praśāstṛbrāhmaṇācchaṃsyacchāvāggrāvastudbrahmamaitrāvaruṇa—pratiprastātṛ—pratihantṛ—neṣṭrunetṛsubrahmaṇyāḥ | itthaṃ sadasyāḥ saptadaśa ṛtvijāḥ |

From the smṛti texts (Āśvalāyana śrauta IV. 1. 6 and Āpasthamba śrauta X. 1. 9) it is understood that the Soma sacrifice required 16 priests and some added sadasya as the seventeenth.

(b) Offerings in the sacrifice:

Āmikṣā^[2] (II. 7. 23; p. 167)–Offering: Amarakośa mentions that āmikṣā^[3] is solid that is obtained when curd is added to hot milk.

Kṣīrasvāmin supplements this with the quotation from Śruti adding the information that it was a special offering to the Viśvedevas–

pakve tapte ca kṣīre dadhiyojanādāmikṣā ‘pakve payasi dadhyānayati sā vaiśvadevyāmikṣeti’ śrutiḥ āmīyate prakṣipyate dadhyatreti |

The first Cāturmāsya is called Vaiśvadeva because the most characteristic offering in it is the āmikṣā offering to all gods^[4].

Śamanaṃ (II. 7. 26; p. 168)–

[Immolation of animals:]

The existence of animal sacrifice is also mentioned. Amarakośa mentions the word śamanam and prokṣaṇam to denote immolation of animals while Kṣīrasvāmin specifies that śasanaṃ^[5] is the right reading and adds that the offering of the animal is done only after the prokṣaṇam–

śasanaṃ iti tu yuktaḥ pāṭhaḥ śasu hiṃsāyāṃ prokṣaṇaṃ lakṣaṇayā vadhaḥ prokṣya hi yajñe paśurhanyate |

These were certain rituals done b efore the animal was offered in the sacrifice. According to Āpasthambha Gṛhya Sūtra, VII. 12. 9 the words “indrāgnibhyāṃ tvā juṣṭaṃ” occur in five acts with the appropriate verb viz., upākaraṇa, niyojana (tying to the post), prokṣaṇam, vapoddharaṇam (taking away the omentum) etc.

Iṣṭa (II. 7. 28; p. 168)–

[What is Sacrificed:]

Amarakośa defines it as the act of sacrifice^[6] while Kṣīrasvāmin defines it in the words of Mahābhārata that:

“Whatever is offered in the single fire i.e., the gṛhya fire and what is offered in the three Śrauta fires and the gifts made inside the vedi in Śrauta sacrifice are called iṣṭa”–

ijyate smeṣṭaṃ yāgādi | yadāha—
ekāgnikarma havanaṃ tretāyāṃ yacca hūyate |
āntarvedyāṃ ca yaddānamiṣṭaṃ tadabhidhīyate |

Amṛta and Vighasa^[7] (II. 7. 28; p. 168)–

Remains of a sacrifice or oblation: Amarakośa defines amṛta as the remains of sacrifice and vighasa as the remains of food after serving the Brāhmaṇas and the guests.

Kṣīrasvāmin supplements it with the quotation from Manu (III.285) thus–

“vighasa is what is left after Brāhmaṇas and guests have partaken and amṛta is what is left after being offered in sacrifice and that one should always eat these”–

viśiṣṭamadanaṃ vighasaḥ, yanmanuḥ muniḥ—
vighasāśī bhavennityaṃ nityaṃ cāmṛtabhojanaḥ |
vighaso bhuktaśeṣaṃ syādyajñaśiṣṭamathāmṛtam |^[8]

The performance of sacrifices requires one to make many gifts as one of its ancillaries. One of the terms to denote gifts is: Tyāga (II. 7. 29; p. 169)–Donation or gift: Amarakośa lists 13 terms for donation of which sparśanam is one.

Kṣīrasvāmin explains that sparśanam is used to denote a gift which is made by customory obeisence by touching the nine parts of the cow such as the tail etc.—

sparśanaṃ tūpacārāddānaṃ pucchādau navādi spṛṣṭvā hi dīyate |

(c) Result of sacrifice:

Illustrating the term añjasā (III. 4. 2; p.337), an indeclinable, Kṣīrasvāmin presents the general opinion that:

“One may instantly conquer the Brahmaloka by sacrifices”–

yajvā'ñjasā jayati brahmalokam |

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

āgnīdhrā'dyā dhanairvāryā ṛtvijo yājakāśca te |

[2]:

āmikṣā sā śṛtoṣṇe yākṣīre syād dadhi-yogataḥ |

[3]:

The fresh milk is drawn in the morning and heated; to it the sour milk of the preceding evening is added; the mixture divides itself into two portions, the solid one is called āmikṣā and the liquid above it is called vājina–Śabara on Jaimini, II. 2. 23; IV. 1. 22 -āmikṣāyāṃ dadhipayasī vidyete na vājine | tatra hi dadhi payasoḥ saṃsṛṣṭo rasa upalabhyate |.... vājine tiktakaṭuko rasaḥ |

[4]:

Āpasthambha G.S., VIII. 1. 2–āmikṣā devatātvena viśvadevasaṃbandhāt tairiṣṭatvena purākalpaśravanācca prathamasya parvaṇaḥ samākhyā vaiśvadevamiti |

[5]:

Bhānuji and Liṅgayasuri also follow the same reading.

[6]:

kratu-karmeṣṭaṃ |

[7]:

āmṛtaṃ vidhaso yajñaśeṣa-bhojanaśeṣayoḥ |

[8]:

Cf. Bhagavad Gīta, III. 13: yajñaśiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva kilbiṣaiḥ |