Part 2.1: Types of Sacrifices in General (Introduction)

According to Kane, sacrifices are of three types viz.

1. Iṣṭi,
2. Paśu and
3. Soma.^[1]

On the otherhand, as stated in the book India of the Age of the Brāhmaṇas, sacrifices are of five types viz.,

1. Homa,
2. Iṣṭi,
3. Paśu,
4. Soma and
5. Sattra.^[2]

The Aitareya Āraṇyaka states five kinds of sacrifices and these are Agnihotra, Darśapūrṇamāsa, Cāturmāsya, Paśu and Soma.^[3] The Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa too mention these sacrifices.^[4] Again, in the Tāṇḍyamahābrāhmaṇa, one possesses three types of sacrifices viz., Haviryajña, Paśu and Soma.^[5] Here, it has also been said that by performing the Haviryajñas the gods attained this world, by the animal sacrifices, they attain the intermediate region and by the Soma sacrifices, they got the yonder world.

Thus, there are different views regarding the types or classification of Vedic sacrifice. Jogiraj Basu states five types of sacrifices where he counts Sattra as a separate type of sacrifices. But, it has been observed that Sattra in reality is a kind of Soma sacrifice.^[6] The Soma sacrifice which needs more than twelve days is called Sattra. Thus, the type of Vedic sacrifice can be minimized into four viz., Homa, Iṣṭi, Paśu and Soma.

On the other hand, the Aitareya Āraṇyaka as well as the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa count the Cāturmāsya sacrifice as a separate sacrifice. But, as stated by Chitrabhanu, Cāturmāsya belongs to Iṣṭi type of sacrifices.^[7] Thus, the principal type of Vedic Yajñas in general is four in number viz., Homa, Iṣṭi, Paśu and Soma. Each of these four types of sacrifices has a model or prakṛtiyāga. According to Sāyaṇa, prakṛtiyāga is the one in which all the sub-sacrifices are performed. On the otherhand, the ritual which is primarily performed on the model of the prakṛtiyāga and where some extra sub sacrifices are performed is called vikṛtiyāga^[8] .

Mahīdhara too supports the same view thus–

yatrakṛtsnāṅgānāmupadeśaḥ kriyate sā prakṛtiḥ / yatra viśeṣāṅgamātramupadiśyate’ṅgāntarāṇi tu prakṛteratidiśyante sā vikṛtiḥ^[9] /

The Agnihotra is said to be the model or prakṛti of Homa type of sacrifices, the Darśapūrṇamāsa is the model of all the Iṣṭi type of sacrifices, the Nirūḍhapaśubandha is the model of all the Animal sacrifices and the Agniṣṭoma is the model of all the Soma sacrifices. As the types of sacrifices are four in number accordingly, the Prakṛtiyāgas are also four in number.

But according to Mahīdhara, Prakṛtiyāgas are three in number viz., Agnihotra, Iṣṭi and Soma—

tatraprakṛtistrividhā agnihotram, iṣṭiḥ, somaśceti.^[10]

Sāyaṇa too in the introduction to his commentary of Taittirīya Saṃhitā puts the same view^[11]. In this chapter four types of sacrifices and their Prakṛtiyāgas are briefly discussed.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

P.V.Kane, History of Dharmaśāstra, Vol. 2,Part.2, p.1133

[2]:

Jogiraj Basu, op.cit., p.152

[3]:

cf., sa eṣa yajñaḥ pañcavidho’gnihotroṃ darśapūrṇamāsau cāturmāsyāni paśuḥ somaḥ/ AᾹr.,2 3.3

[4]:

Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa , 2.3.6.1-3

[5]:

Tāṇḍya Mahābrāhmaṇa , 17.13.18

[6]:

P.V. Kane, op.cit.,Vol.2,Part.2, p.1133

[7]:

Chitrabhanu Sen, op.cit.,p.66

[8]:

Sāyaṇa in the Taittirīyabhāṣyabhūmikā, Baladeva Upadhyaya (ed.),op.cit., p.6

[9]:

In the introduction of Mahīdhara to his commentary, op.cit., p.3

[10]:

In the introduction of Mahīdhara to his commentary, op.cit., p.3

[11]:

Sāyaṇa in the Taittirīyabhāṣyabhūmiakā, Baladeva Upadhyaya (ed.), op.cit., p.6