The Sacrifices of Rajasuya, Vajapeya and Ashvamedha (study)
by Aparna Dhar | 2016 | 61,606 words
This page relates ‘Source of the 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.
Source of the Sacrifice
After describing the political significance of the sacrifice, it is also necessary to discuss the source of the sacrifice. As the Brāhmaṇa texts refer to us the old practices and the new practices and supply us various instances regarding the changes of sacrifice.
The sacrifice is the prime factor of attaining worldly prosperity as well as heavenly bliss. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa is also no exception to this. It is already discussed that the creation of the world lies in the sacrifice. In the Ṛgveda[1] also we read of the cosmic sacrifice, which is performed even before the dawn of creation and in which the one great God, the primal being known as Puruṣa offered himself as havis or oblation. This ‘primal being’ later known to us in the Brāhmaṇa texts as ‘Prajāpati’. According to Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa–“the Prajāpati is the source of all creation and he created the universe after practicing austere penance[2]. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa there is a statement that–“all beings are born of sacrifice”[3]. According to most of the Brāhmaṇa texts, the important source of the sacrifice is Prajāpati[4]. It is said that Prajāpati has discovered the sacrifice, which is three fold and with its seven threads having twenty one forms[5] viz. the seven soma sacrifices, the seven pāka-yajñas and seven haviryajñas i.e. there are twenty one forms. The Prajāpati then performed that sacrifice. He visualized many particular sacrifices also. Therefore, the origin of the Agnihotra offering is narrated in the following manner. In the beginning the Prajāpati was alone. He wanted to create beings. He practiced penance and created fire. But at that time there was no food for the fire. Prajāpati became frightened and thought that fire would burn him. Hence, he rubbed his hands and produced ghee and milk. Then he (Prajāpati) offered the offering in to the Agni but Agni was not satisfied. Then Prajāpati again rubbed his hands and produced the same (ghee and milk). But he hesitated whether to offer or not. Then his own mahimā (greatness) told him to offer. As his own (sva) greatness told him to offer, so he (Prajāpati) offered with the accentuation ‘svāhā’. This is the origin of the Agnihotra offerings. The elements used in the Agnihotra offerings and the use of the sacred utterance viz. ‘svāhā’ will be uttered at the time of the other offerings also[6].
At different times Prajāpati had various desires and for the fulfillment of those desires, he performed various sacrifices. As for example, when Prajāpati desired to become many, to create beings then he visualized the sacrifice named as Agniṣṭoma and by performing it he (Prajāpati) created beings[7]. Prajāpati also desired to acquire Vāja (food, vigor and others) and then he went to the heaven. There he saw the Vājapeya and performed it[8]. Prajāpati then created the beings. But the beings after being created did not worship Prajāpati. Prajāpati wished that all the beings should worship him. Then he saw the sacrifice named as Apaciti and by performing it, the Prajāpati obtained the desired worship from the beings[9]. Prajāpati also saw some other details of the sacrifice. Prajāpati not only saw the sacrifice or sacrifices and performed them, but he also gave the sacrifice to the Gods[10]. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa a story is mentioned about the struggling of the Gods and the Aśuras. In this story it is mentioned that the Aśuras were proud of themselves and offered the oblations in their own mouth. But the Gods offered in the mouth of each other. Then Prajāpati gave himself to them (to God). From that the body of the Prajāpati itself is considered as sacrifice.
The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa also describes the sacrifice as Puruṣa and says that–“its head is havirdhānam; its mouth is āhavaniya. The sacrificial stake is no other than his crest lock; and the agnidhriya and mārjaliya is his two arms. The sadas (tents for the priests) is no other than his belly and the two fires which are behind it are his feet”[11]. Sacrifice is also identified with yajamāna[12] i.e. the person who executes the sacrifice. Further, the sacrifice is also identified with Viṣnu[13], the supreme deity who pervades the universe. Hence, with this identification the sacrifice gets the most honoured position in this universe.
There is a story in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa[14] that once the Gods and the Asuras were passing upwards the heaven; the Asuras covered them in the darkness. The Gods entered upon a sacrificial session of a hundred Agniṣṭoma and try to destroy the darkness as far as possible. But the whole darkness was not destroyed. Then the Gods went to Prajāpati and requested him to teach the method of dispelling the Asuras and the darkness too, to get the world of heaven. The Prajāpati then taught the Gods the sacrificial session and corrected their mistakes of hundred Atirātras. Then the Gods could repel the darkness and the Asuras and find the world of heaven.
In another part of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa[15] we get the reference that the Gods and the Asuras were born from the same father viz. Prajāpati. Both of them were struggling for obtaining the sacrifice. Then the Gods practiced austerities and practiced the Agniṣṭoma feast. By means of it the Gods could remove all the Asuras and obtain the entire sacrifice.
Sometimes it is mentioned that the Prajāpati gave all the sacrifices to the Gods but reserved some sacrifice for himself, such as the Aśvamedha. Though the Prajāpati first preserved the Aśvamedha sacrifice for himself, but he finally gave the same share to the Gods.
In the Brāhmaṇa text we do not find any definite position of the argument as to whether the sacrifice was ‘seen’ or ‘created’. Sometimes it is described as ‘seen’ and sometimes as ‘created’. In the above discussion it is mentioned that Prajāpati or Gods have seen it. Now we will give some references where the sacrifice is described as ‘created. In the Taṇḍya Brāhmaṇa it is mentioned that the Prajāpati has created sacrifice from the Yajñayajñiya sāman[16]. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa[17] says that the Prajāpati, after giving himself to the Gods has created his counterpart (pratimā), viz. the sacrifice. According to the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa[18], the Prajāpati has created the sacrifice in general.
How the Gods have created various sacrificial details are briefly presented below:
• From out of faith the Gods composed the consecration.
• From Aditi, the opening offering.
• From Viṣnu the guest offering.
• From the Sun the Pravargya
• From the Svadhā the Upaṣads.
• From Agni and Soma the day of fasting.
• From this world the opening Atirātra.
• From the year they composed the Caturviṃsa day.
• From the Priesthood the Abhiplava-ṣaḍaha.
• From nobility, the Pṛṣṭhya-ṣaḍaha.
• From Agni, the Abhijit.
• From waters the Svarassāman days.
• From Sun the Viṣuvat.
• From Indra the Viśvajit.
• From Mitra and Varuṇa Go and Āyus.
• From Viśvedevāh, the Daśarātra.
• From the regions the Pṛṣṭhya ṣaḍaha of the Dasarātra.
• From these worlds the Chandamoya-days.
• From the year they composed the tenth day.
• From Prajāpati, the Mahābrata and
• From the world of heaven the Udayaniya Atirātra[19].
The origin of the sacrifice or the sacrificial details are described here in the form of creation.
Sometimes it becomes very difficult to say that the origin of the sacrificial rite is ‘seen’ or ‘created’. Some sacrificial rites have their origin in some past incident. Once there was a dispute between the ‘Mind’ and the ‘Speech’. Each of them wanted to become superior. Mind said, “I am better than you, for you do not speak anything that is not understood by me. Thus you are a follower of me”. Speech said, “I am better than you, for what you know, I make you understand; I communicate”. Then they (Mind and Speech) went to Prajāpati for decision. Prajāpati then decided in the favour of mind and said to speech, “Mind is better than you. For you are imitators, a follower of mind. Inferior is he who imitates”. Then speech become angry by the decision of Prajāpati and said, “I shall never be your oblation bearer”. Hence from that incident, whatever is performed to Prajāpati, it is performed in a law voice[20].
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa II/2/4/1,—
“Prajāpatirha vā idamagra eka evāsa | Sa aikṣat kathaṃ nu prajāyeyeti..............haiva bhavati ||”
Ibid II/5/1/1—
“Prajāpatirha vā idamagra eka evāsa | Sa aikṣat kathaṃ nu prajāyeyeti.............dipādo bayāṃsi ||”
[3]:
Ibid-I/9/2/5-“Yajñād vai prajāḥ prajāyante|”
[6]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa II/2/4/6—
“Sā hainambhirādhyāncakāra|……………..Svo mahimā’bhyuvāda juhudhiti sa prajāpatirvidāncakāra…………parām paryāvavartta||”
Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa II/1/2/1-3—
“Prajapatirgnimsṛjat|tam prajā anvasṛjyanta………..sya prajāpatiriti||”
“Taddhṛtamabhavat|Tasmādyasya dakṣinataḥ kesā unmṛstā…….cikitsati||”
“Vasīo eva cetayate|Tam vāgbhyavadjjuhudhīti……..svāhākāreṇa juhati||”
[8]:
Ibid-XVIII/7/1.
[9]:
Jaiminīya-brāhmaṇa-II/100
[10]:
Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa -VII/2/1
[11]:
[12]:
Ibid-IX/5/2/16-“Kim nu lokyaṃkimlokyamātmā vai yajñasya yajamāno|”
[13]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa -I/1/2/13 -“yajño vai viṣṇuḥ|”
[14]:
Ibid-XI/5/5/1-“Devānvā uddhvārnta sarga lokaṃyat| Asurāstamasāntardadhuste…………..satramāsāmahā iti||”
[15]:
Ibid–IV/2/4/11-“Devāsca vā asurāsca|Ubhaye prajāpatyā paspṛdhira||”
[16]:
Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa -VIII/6/3.
[17]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa-XI/1/8/3-“Sa devebhya ātmānampradāya| Athai tamātmāna pratimāmsṛjat yadyajñantasmādāhu…….. pratimāmsṛjat||”
[18]:
Ait.Bra-VII/19-“Prajāpati yajñamsṛjat|”
[19]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa XII/1/2/1-3—
“Sraddhāya vai devāḥ|diksanniramimatāditayi prāyaṇīya………matirātraṃ||”
“Saṃbatsarācaturviṃsamaha| Brahmaṇo’bhilava………………..chandomān||”
“Saṃbatsarādasammaha| Prajāpatermahābrataṃ…………..devānapyeti||”
[20]:
Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa I/4/5/8-12—
“Athā’tha manasscaiva vācascca| Ahambhadra uditaṃ manasca ha vai….ūdāte||”
“Taddha mana ubāca | Ahameva tvaccheyo’smi na vai mayā taṃ kiṃ ca……….asmiti||”
“Atha ha vāgubāca| Ahameva tvaccheyasyasmi yadvai tvaṃ …………………saṃgapayāmīti||”
“Te Prajāpatiṃ pratiprasnameyatu| Sa prajāpatirmanasa evānuvāca……….bhavatīti||”
“Sā ha vāk paroktā visiṣmye | Tasyai garbha papāta sā ha vāk prajāpatimuvācā…… ….Prajāpataya āsīt||”