Part 1.1: Forms (Saṃsthās) of Somayāga (Introduction)

The sacrifices including both Śrauta and Smārta rites are twenty one in number. These have been divided into three categories viz., Pākayajña, Haviryajña and Somasaṃsthā and each of these are further divided into seven types.The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa gives a clear division of these sacrifices. As stated there, the total number of sacrifices is twenty one.

The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa^[1] states this classification as follows—

sapta sutyāḥ sapta ca pākayajña haviryajñaḥsapta tathaikaviṃśatiḥ/

The names of the seven Pākayajñas are stated as follows—

sāyaṃprātarhomau sthālīpāko navaścayaḥ/ baliśca pitṛyajñaścāṣṭakāsaptamaḥ paśuḥ //

Again the names of the seven Haviryajñas are stated thus—

agnyādheyamagnihotraṃ paurṇamasyamāvāsye/ naveṣṭiścāturmāsyāni paśubandho’tra saptamaḥ //

The seven Somasaṃsthās are mentioned as follows—

agniṣṭomo’tyagniṣṭomaukthyaḥ ṣoḍaśimāṃstataḥ / vājapeyo’tirātraścāptoryāmātra saptamaḥ^[2] //

It means that according to the Gopatha Brāhmaṇa, the seven Pākayajñas are—

1. evening offering,
2. morning offering,
3. sthālīpāka,
4. baliharaṇa,
5. pitṛyajña,
6. aṣṭakā and
7. paśu.

The seven Haviryajñas are–

1. Agnyādhāna,
2. Agnihotra,
3. Paurṇamāsī,
4. Amavāsyā,
5. Naveṣṭi,
6. Cāturmāsya and
7. Paśubandha.

The seven Somasaṃsthās are—

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

On the other hand, Pattābhirāmashastri in the Prākkathana of the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra states the names of the seven Pākayajñas and seven Haviryajñas with slight variation. Accordingly the seven Pākayajñas are—

1. Aupāsanahoma,
2. Vaiśyadeva,
3. Pārvaṇa,
4. Aṣṭakā,
5. Māsiśrāddha,
6. Śravaṇā and
7. Śūlagava.

The seven Haviryajñas are—

1. Agnihotra,
2. Darśapaurṇamāsau,
3. Āgrayaṇa,
4. Cāturmāsya,
5. Nirūḍhpaśubandha and
6. Sautrāmaṇī^[3] .

On the other hand, the seven Somasaṃsthās are—

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

Out of these three categories of sacrifices, in this chapter has been presented a brief introduction to the Somasaṃsthās. This is being done as per the subject matter of this thesis.

It has been stated that Somasaṃsthās are seven in number. These seven Somasaṃsthās provide the basic idea of Somayāga. It is needed to state here that the word saṃsthā denotes completion of a rite. This has been stated in the Bhāradvāja Śrautasūtra as well as by Vidyadhar^[4] in his Bhūmikā of the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra. Moreover, in the Āpastamba Śrautasūtra^[5] thereis a word saṃsthāto which too bears the meaning of the completion of a rite. The word somasaṃsthā is a combination of two words viz.,–soma and saṃsthā, and these two words when combined together points to a Soma ritual. In the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, the Saṃsthās viz., Agniṣṭoma, Ukthya, Ṣoḍaśī, and Atirātra have been referred to many times.^[6] On the other hand, the Taittirīya

Brāhmaṇa adds the name of the Vājapeyasaṃsthā to the former list^[7]. The opinion of the Gopatha Brāhmaṇa has already been stated where all the seven Saṃsthās are found. The Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra also mentions the seven Saṃsthās.^[8] As stated by Karka, the last six Saṃsthās are performed on the model of the first i.e., the Agniṣṭoma.^[9] The first saṃsthā viz., Agniṣṭoma is called the first saṃsthā.^[10] Vidyadhar explains the word prathamassomaḥ as the Agniṣṭomasaṃsthā of the Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice i.e., the one day sacrifice.^[11]

The other six Saṃsthās are stated thus—

ṣaḍuttare’tyagniṣṭoma ukthya ṣoḍaśī vājapeyo’tirātro’ptoryāmaḥ^[12].

Āpastamba opines that only the Ukthya, Ṣoḍaśī, Atirātra and Aptoryāma are the modifications of the Agniṣṭoma^[13] Jaimini is of the opinion that whatever minor or major rites are performed in the model sacrifice should be performed in the Saṃsthās also^[14].

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Gopatha Brāhmaṇa ,1.5.25

[2]:

Ibid.,1.5.23

[3]:

cf.,tatra sapta pākayajñasaṃsthāh sapta haviryajñasaṃsthāḥ saptasomasaṃsthā ityāhatya śrautāni smārtāni caikaviṃśati saṃkhyakāni karmāṇi/aupāsanahoma,vaiśyadevam, pārvaṇam, aṣṭakā,māsiśrāddham, śravaṇā, śūlagava iti sapta pākayajñaḥ … / haviryajñāśca agnihotram, darśapaurṇamāsau āgrayaṇam, cāturmāsyāni,nirūḍhpaśubandhaḥ sautrāmaṇī ceti / Prākkathanam of Pattabhirāmashastri, Mandanmishra(chief ed.) &Pattabhirāmashastri (ed.),op.cit., Part. 1, p.2

[4]:

cf., saṃsthāśabdaśca samāptivācī/ Bhūmikā of Vidyadhar Sharma,Vidyadhar Sharma (ed.),op.cit., p.42.

[5]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra ,1.16.11

[6]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ,4.6.4.3; 4.2.5.14; 10.1.2.7

[7]:

Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa , 1.3.2.1, 1.3.4.1

[8]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 10.9.26

[9]:

Karka on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,10.9.26

[10]:

cf., eṣa prathamassomaḥ/ Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,10.9.24

[11]:

cf., sarvasomayāgānāmayamagniṣṭoma saṃsthāko jyotiṣṭomaḥ prathamamanuṣṭheyaḥ/ Vidyadhar on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,10.9.25

[12]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra ,10.9.26

[13]:

cf., ukthyaḥ ṣoḍaśyatirātro’ptoryāmaścāgiṣṭomasya gunavikārāḥ/ Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 14. 1.1.

[14]:

cf., saṃsthāstu samānavidhānāḥ prakaraṇaviśeṣāt/ Mīmāṃsā Sutra , 3. 6.41