Obstacles in the way of Sacrifice

The growth and expansion of the sacrifice is not always the same as reflected in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. Besides this, the sacrifice was facing lots of obstacles. In some occasions the sacrifice was ran away. Once the sacrifice ran away from Gods and it was roaming in the form of a black antelope. The Gods then searched for it and found it (black antelope). Then the Gods stripped of its skin and returned with this skin. Its black, white and brown hair represents the three Vedas, threefold science, which is the same as the sacrifice. Hence from that time the skin of the black antelope is to be used for the completeness of the sacrifice^[1]. The sacrifice is said to have gone away from the Gods in another time and then it was wandering taking the form of the wellwinged falcon (Suparna). The Gods caught hold of the sacrifice by means of the Suparna sāman^[2]. The sacrifice was once lost and it was found out by means of the libations (āhuti) and at another time by means of directions (praiṣa). Once the sacrifice said to the Gods that he will not be their food and went away from the Gods. Then the Gods became afraid and crushed it (sacrifice). But the Gods recognized that as it being taken apart was not sufficient for them. Thus the Gods gathered together the sacrifice and requested Aśvins to heal it^[3]. Once again the sacrifice is said to have gone away from the Gods and wandered in the form of horse. The Gods rushing after it and took hold of its tail (vāla) and tore it out. And having torn it out, they threw it down in a lump. The hair of the horse’s tail grew up as those of plants (aśvavālagrass)^[4]. Therefore the Prasasta bunch is to be made of the aśvavāla-grass. Hence, from the above discussion, it can be said that though the sacrifice was ran away many times, its running away itself marked some progress in the development of the ritual.

Once, an individual rite such as the consecration (dikṣā) is said to have gone away from the Gods. The Gods then try to grasp it with the two months of spring, but it was not obtained. Then they again try to grasp it with the two months of summer, then the rainy season, then of the autumn, and then of the winter. But they were not successful. Then they sought to grasp it with the two months of the cool season and then they became successful. Hence, the Dikṣā of the sacrificial session is to be taken in the two months of the cool season^[5]. Here we noticed that the Brāhmaṇa text wants to prescribe the particular period for the Diksā. Thus, through these changes, the sacrifice was developing and becoming definite according to the Brāhmaṇas. Further the Brāhmaṇa text also gives the record of distrust regarding the performance of the sacrifice, which sometimes took hold of by men. As it is said, “those who sacrifice become sinful: and those who do not sacrifice, become prosperous”^[6]. Later Bṛhaspati appeared to them (men) and persuaded them to confine in the performance of sacrifice. In another place also Bṛhaspati helped the Gods to drive out the Aśuras, who were making disturbance in the performance of sacrifice^[7]. So, it can be said that infrequently there arose some difficulties regarding the performance of the sacrifice, but these difficulties were soon removed by some means and thus sacrifice remains continued.

In spite of various obstacles the sacrifice was developing and growing day by day. It was not only developing, but adopting some new principles too. Sometimes, we find that Brāhmaṇa texts have mentioned some old practices along with the new practices. Such references are very useful for understanding the changes and the history of the sacrifice. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, we find the information that sometimes some rites of the popular nature or even rites from the ritual of the non-Aryan people are being slowly incorporated in the rituals of the Vedic Aryans. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa it is also found that in the beginning the Sautrāmaṇī sacrifice has been belonged to the Asuras, later it was obtained by the Gods^[8]. Again, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa records some cases which show that many details of previous sacrificial performances have been altered in the later Brāhmaṇa period. Therefore one of the passages of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa^[9] gives us information that in the past the wife of the sacrificer used to rise to act in answers to the call for preparing the oblation material. But again in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa it is mentioned that she or someone else rises to act.

Again in one of the passages of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa it is mentioned that in earlier times five animals viz. the man, the horse, the bull, the ram and the he-goat were slaughtered and their heads were used in the fire altar building. But now-a-days instead of five animals only two are slaughtered^[10]. Again we know that previously the Brahman priest belonged to the Vaṣiṣṭa family. But at the time of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, anyone who knows the vyāhṛtis can be the Brahman priest in the sacrifice^[11]. Thus from the above references, it is clear that the sacrificial system was not fixed, it was flexible. It went through stages and in course of its development process sacrifices attained and deleted many aspects.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa–I/1/4/1-“Atha kṛsnājinamādatte|yajñasyaiva sarvattāya||” Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa–III/2/5/6-“Yajño devebhya nilāyata| kṛsno rupaṃ kṛtvā| kṛsnājinena havirdhyavahanti”||

[2]:

Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa--XIV/3/8

[3]:

Aitareya-brāhmaṇa–I/18-“Taṃ saṃjabhrustaṃ saṃbhṛtyocuraśvināvimaṃ bhiṣajyatamityāśvinau vai devānāṃ bhiṣajāvaśvināvdhvaryu||”

[4]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa–III/4/1/17-“aśvavāla prastara| Yajño devebhyo’pcakrāma so’aśvabhutvā………….prasasta bhavati||”

[5]:

Aitareya-brāhmaṇa -IV/26

[6]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa–I/2/5/24-“ye yajante pāpiyāmsaste bhavanti ya una yajante śreyāṃsaste bhavanti|”

[7]:

Ibid-IX/2/3/2-3–“Etad vai devānupapraiṣata| Etaṃ yajñaṃ Tasya mānān dakṣinato’surā…….iti” “Te deva indrambruvan| Tvaṃ na vai śreṣṭho baliṣṭho viryavattamo’si …………….yajñamatannavat||”

[8]:

Ibid -XII/9/3/7-“Aśureṣu vā eṣo’agre yajña āsīt sautrāmaṇī|”

[9]:

Ibid-I/1/4/11-13

[10]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa -VI/2/1/39-“Etāneva pañca paśunālabhate……….prathama āleve śyāparṇa sāyakāyano’ntamo’tha……………..brāhmaṇamudyate||”

[11]:

Ibid-XII/6/1/41-“Purā vāsiṣṭa eva Brahmā bhavati yatsvatvenā…………evametā vyāhṛtirveda.|”