Meaning and importance of the Vedic sacrifices

In the Vedic age, ritual means performance of different rites of the sacrifice. The term ‘Yajña’ is derived from the ٧ yaj. According to Nirukta^[1] Yajña means where Gods are worshipped (yaj) or where different prayers are recited (yāc) or which causes moisture (yajur-unna) by the hymns of the Yajurveda or which is completed gradually by means of the hymns of the Yajurveda (yajus-nī). In Avesta Yajña is called yasna.

Terminologically, Yāga means offerings to a particular deity or deities for attaining his or their favour—

‘Dravyaṃ devatā tyāgaḥ |’^[2] .

In fact Yajña is a means by which a link is established between human beings with divinities. In establishing a link or connection between men and gods, oblations are offered to the Gods and fulfilment of some cravings is prayed for. We wish to offer our most valuable thing to god and in return we seek his favour and kindness. Gods are propitiated with oblations.

Thus says in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa—

‘Yajňo hi devānāṃ annaṃ |’^[3].

Prayers are the best means of pleasing a God. But in all cases, purpose is not served by praise alone. So the effort of the sacrificer is noticed in different paraphernalia of the sacrifice in order to propitiate gods by chanting hymns along with eulogies after inviting him in a sacrifice. But it will be unwise to think that Vedic rituals are meant for fulfilment of a desire or to obtain some favour of god. Vedic seers realized the nature of supreme soul (Virāt) with utmost devotion and faithfulness and as such, they desired to have unification with supreme self by means of offering oblation. They do not negate the achievement of materialistic necessities, but at the same time, they have inner urge to uplift their spiritual consciousness. With the expansion of human civilization, the system of sacrifice; which was grown up for propitiating the gods attained great importance gradually in the Vedic society.

The Brāhmaṇas of the Vedas grew up comprising only the subject-matter of sacrificial rites and in the Brāhmaṇas sacrifice is repeatedly mentioned as the best task—

‘Yajña vai sreṣṭhatamaṃ karma’^[4].

In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, it is mentioned that the rituals are compulsory works of man, since human beings are indebted to divinity right from their births and they have to repay the debts by performing the sacrificial rites—

‘sa yena devebhya ṛnam jāyate | Tadenāstadavadayate…..yadyajate’tha yadagnau juhoti tadenāṃ stadavadayate tasmādyaktiñcā’gnau juhati tadvadānaṃ nāma ||’^[5].

There is also the belief prevailing that sacrifice was behind the creation and the creator of this universe. Sacrifice is the only means of attaining goals of human life. Sacrifice is the dispeller of all sins and bestower of sanctity to all. Even the magnanimity or sublimity of gods depends upon this sacrifice.

It is said in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa that the gods attained godhead by performing the sacrifices—

‘devā ayajanta teneṣṭaivatadbhavannyadidaṃ devāḥ |^’[6].

The rituals are, as if, like a boat journey and the priests are its sailors. It is like a ship sailing to heaven ward^[7]. If the boat is sailed smoothly, it reaches to the destination safely; even so, if the sacrifice is performed in due order by the priests, it confers on the sacrificer his desired object. Again, if the sacrifice is not performed accordingly, the priests will incur sin for their mistakes in the sacrifice. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa numerous legends are met with in this context^[8]. There it is said that the priests have turned the sacrificial rite almost equal to conjuring art for the sake of their erroneous performance of the sacrifice.

Even today, we see the performance of the sacrificial ceremony in some particular occasion or in the dwelling house of a rich man. But this sacrificial ceremony is not like that of the Vedic sacrifice performed in the Vedic age. We, therefore, want to know the nature or form of the Vedic Sacrifice. But the subject is very complicated. This complicacy does not occur all of a sudden. As we have the gradual change in our life, even so, there is some change in our sacrificial ceremonies from the time to time. In the primary stage the method of sacrifice was very simple. But in the later Brāhmaṇas and in Śrauta treatises many complications and debates relating the ritualistic rites are noticed. In the ancient Vedic societies the rituals were the main social ceremonies. With the passage of time these sacrificial rites became exhaustive and very complicated. Another cause of its unintelligibility is that nowhere in the Vedic literature a detailed or systematic account of the sacrifice is obtained. Though the main topic of discussion of the Brāhmaṇas is the sacrifice, nevertheless, therein also we do not find serially all the accounts of the sacrificial rites. While narrating the Vedic rites the authors of the Brāhmaṇas occasionally explain the significance of these rites in detail. The expositions on the significance are not free from exaggeration. They used to give these explanations in accordance with their own belief. Sometimes there is difference of opinion between the two learned authors regarding the same sacrificial rite. In that case, two opinions are recorded and both the opinions are taken as unerring guides. Apart from the Brāhmaṇas, a serial account of each sacrifice is met with in the Śrautasūtras. Like Brāhmaṇas, these Śrautasūtras also belong to particular mantra-saṃhitā. Though there is complicacy regarding the sacrificial rites, an exterior form of these rituals as available from the Brāhmaṇas and Śrautasūtras are being presented -

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nirukta III/19—“Yajñaḥ kasmāt| Prakhyātaṃ yajati karmeti nairuktāḥ| Yācño bhavatīti vā|Yajurunno bhavati vā||”
Ibid VIII/12—“Yajñaṃ manuṣyasya yajanāya|”

[2]:

Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra-I/2/2

[3]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa-V/1/1/2

[4]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa-I/7/1/5

[5]:

Ibid-I/7/2/6

[6]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa-I/5/2/6

[7]:

Ibid-VI/2/5/10-“Yajño nauḥ svargyā|”

[8]:

Ibid-I/7/3/19-“Tadu ha bhāllaveya׀|Anuṣṭhubhamnubākyāṃ chakre triṣṭhubhaṃ yājjāmetadubhayaṃ …………ubhe vā triṣṭubhau||”