Part 2.2: The Priests of Somayāga

The Vedic sacrifices are very complicated and big rituals. Hence, it has not been possible for a single man to supervise and complete an entire ritual in due time. Moreover, the Vedic sacrifices have already demanded on correct performance of the rites with proper application of the sacrificial formulae. The Brāhmaṇas were expected to be master of the Vedic lore. Hence, the sacrificer appointed learned Brāhmaṇas in order to guide the entire process and to make the ritual effective. These persons who having expertise in the ritualistic practices are known as Ṛtviks i.e., the priests of the sacrifices.

Yāska explains the word ṛtvik from various view points. First, he explains it from the word iraṇa^[1]. A ṛtvik is the irayitā i.e., the sender of the worship of the eulogies to the gods.^[2] Again, Yāska has quoted the view of Śākapūṇi according to whom the ṛtvik is called so for he applies the Ṛgvedic formula to perform the sacrifice^[3]. Moreover, Yāska derives the word from the word ṛtu.^[4] Durgācārya commenting on this view of Yāsk makes it clear that the word ṛtvik refers to one who performs sacrifices in season or in due time or one who sacrifices to the season^[5].

One may recall here that in the Gopatha Brāhmaṇa, it is said as follows—

ṛtvija ṛtuyajanyajanti/^[6]

The priests were the actual performer of the Vedic sacrifices. Their role in the Vedic sacrifices was like that of an agent of the gods. They were the linkmen in between the gods and human beings. They rendered their services and in return they took sacrificial fees from the sacrificers.

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa states the qualification of the priests. As stated there, the priests must be of the Brāhmaṇa caste. They should be well versed in Vedic lore, learned and should not have any demerits. The sacrificer should select those Brāhmaṇas as priests who have these qualities^[7]. Āpastamba is of the opinion that the priests must be ārṣeya i.e., they must belong to the family of Ṛṣis.Their age does not matter i.e., they may be either young or old. They must have mastery over the Vedic lore. Moreover, the priests should have the capacity to utter the sacrificial formulae loudly and should be free from physical demerits.^[8] The priests for Soma sacrifice are sixteen in number. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa in the context of giving sacrificial fees states the names of all the sixteen priests.

Accordingly, they are—

1. Āgnīdhra,
2. Brahmā,
3. Udgātṛ,
4. Hotṛ,
5. Adhvaryu,
6. Pratiprasthātṛ,
7. Prastotṛ,
8. Maitrāvaruṇa,
9. Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin,
10. Potṛ,
11. Neṣṭṛ,
12. Acchāvāka,
13. Unnetṛ,
14. Grāvastut,
15. Subrahmaṇya, and
16. Pratihartṛ.^[9]

But, here the names are not stated serially. The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa states the names of the sixteen priests serially i.e., according to the four Vedas to which they belong.

[Accordingly, the following belong to the Rgveda and hence they extend their duties with the Ṛgvedic formulae]—

1. Hotṛ,
2. Maitrāvaruṇa,
3. Acchāvāka,
4. Grāvastut.

[The following Yajurvedic priests form a group of priests who apply the Yajurvedic formulae in ritual, viz., the]—

1. Adhvaryu,
2. Pratiprasthātṛ,
3. Neṣṭṛ and
4. Unnetṛ.

[The following are the chanters of the Sāmans]—

1. Udgātṛ,
2. Prastotṛ,
3. Subrahmaṇya, and
4. Pratihartṛ.

On the other hand, Brahmā, Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin, Potṛ and Āgnīdhra are the priests of the Atharvaveda.^[10] Out of these sixteen priests, Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, Udgātṛ and Brahmā are said to be four chief priests. The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa too mentions that the Hotṛ belongs to the Ṛgveda, the Adhvaryu to the Yajurveda the Udgātṛ to the Sāmaveda and the Brahmā continues his duties in the ritual with the essence of all the three Vedas.^[11] From the view point of chronology of the Vedas, the name of the Hotṛ comes first. But, from the view point of performance of the Yajña, the name of Adhvaryu comes first.

The word adhvaryu has been explained in the Nirukta as follows—

adhvaryuradharyuradharaṃ yunaktyadharasya netādharaṃ kāmayata iti vā/^[12]

Thus, according to Yāska the Adhvaryu is called so because he connects or applies the yajuṣ Mantras in the sacrifice, or because he is the leader of the sacrificial religion or because he wants to perform the sacrifice fruitfully. Seeing the importance of the Adhvaryu in Vedic rituals, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa identifies him with the head of the sacrifice^[13] and the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa glorifies him by calling him the very foundation (pratiṣṭhā) of the sacrifice.^[14] As stated in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, the Hotṛ is called so because he invites the gods to the sacrifice.

It is stated as follows—

yadvāsa tatra yathābhājanaṃ devatā–amumāvahāmumāvahetyāvāhayati tadeva hoturhotratvaṃ hotā bhavati /^[15]

Sāyaṇa while commenting on this statement says that the word hotṛ comes from the root hve and not from the root hu^[16]. The Udgātṛ is mainly known as the chanter of the Stotras.

Regarding the Brahmā priest, Yāska puts his view as follows—

brahmā sarvavidyaḥ sarvaṃveditumarhati /^[17]

Such reference is also available in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa.^[18] He minutely observes all the functions carried out by the priests. Because, any fault caused by any mistake due to carelessness of the priests in the sacrifice needs to be amended and this is done by making an expiatory offering to the respective gods for whom the rites are being done. Due to this reason, he has been designated as the physician of the sacrifice.^[19] It has already been stated that the four principal priests represent the four Vedas. They too represent four groups of the priests.These four principal priests have been glorified in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa by the name mahārtvija^[20]. The remaining priests are included in the respective four groups.^[21] In each group, there are three assistant priests.

The assistants of the Hotṛ are—

1. Maitrāvaruṇa,
2. Acchāvāka,
3. Grāvastut.

[The following priests are three assistants of the Adhvaryu, viz.,]—

1. Pratiprasthātṛ,
2. Neṣṭṛ and
3. Unnetṛ.

The sub-priests of the Udgātṛ are—

1. Pratihartṛ,
2. Prastotṛ and
3. Subrahmaṇya.

The names of the three assistants of the Brahmā are—

1. Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin,
2. Āgnīdhra and
3. Potṛ.

These are the four groups of the priests belonging to the four Vedas^[22]. It is to be stated here that though the reference of a seventeenth priest known as Sadasya is also found in some texts,^[23] yet the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa has not given much importance to him^[24]. The Vaitāna Śrautasūtra says that Sadasya is an assistant of Brahmā.^[25] The names of the sixteen priests have also been stated in the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra^[26] and also in the Āpastamba Śrautasūtra^[27]. All these sixteen priests are necessary only in Soma sacrifices and not in other sacrifices. The number of priests differs according to the nature of the sacrifice. It has already been stated that the Homa type of sacrifices such as Agnihotra etc. needs only one priest i.e., the Adhvaryu. The Iṣṭi type of sacrifices needs only four priests. The Cāturmāsyas need one more viz., Pratiprasthātṛ along with the four of the Iṣṭi type of sacrifices. The animal sacrifice is in need of six priests.

It should be stated here that in Soma sacrifices there are some other helpers such as the Śamitṛ, the Camasādhvaryus etc. They too seem to be priests as they are connected with the word priest or adhvaryu.The Śamitṛ priest is needed for slaying an animal and preparing the offering in sacrifice. On the other hand, the role of the Camasādhvaryus in the Soma sacrifice is to assist the priests either in filling up or in bringing the soma vessels to the priests. But, they are not counted as priests of Somayāga.^[28]

It may be noted in this context that the earliest reference to the priests of Somayāga is found in the Ṛgveda^[29] where only the names of the seven priests are mentioned. They are—

1. Hotṛ,
2. Potṛ,
3. Neṣṭṛ,
4. Āgnīdhra,
5. Praśāstr,
6. Adhvaryu and
7. Brahmā.

Again, the word saptahotā found in a formula of the Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā^[30] too refers these seven priests. From the commentary of Mahīdhara^[31] on the concerned formula, it is clear that these seven priests are for the Agniṣṭoma Soma ritual. Thus, it can be said that in the early Vedic period, in Soma ritual only seven priests were appointed and their number is increased in later Vedic period to sixteen or seventeen.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf., ṛtvik kasmāt? iraṇaḥ/ Nirukta , 3.19

[2]:

cf., irayitā hyasau saṃstutīnāṃ bhavatītiiraṇaḥ ṛtvik / Durgācārya on ibid., 3.19

[3]:

cf., ṛgyaṣṭā bhavatīti śākapūṇiḥ / Nirukta , 3.19

[4]:

cf., ṛtuyājī bhavatīti vā / ibid., 3.19

[5]:

cf., athavāṛtaukālaviśeṣe yājī yajanaśīlo yājanaśīlo vā / tathā ca śrūyate -vasante brāhmaṇo’gnīnādadhīta, varṣāsu rājanyaḥ, śaradi vaiśya ityādi/ Durgācārya on ibid., 3.19

[6]:

Gopatha Brāhmaṇa , 2.3.10

[7]:

cf., ṛtvijo haiva devayajanam -ye brāhmaṇaḥ śusruvāṃso’nūcānā vidvāṃso yājayanti saivāhvalā …/ Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 3.1.1.5

[8]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 10.1.1.

[9]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 4. 3. 4. 20, 22

[10]:

Gopatha Brāhmaṇa , 1.5.24

[11]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 11. 5. 8. 4

[12]:

Nirukta , 1. 3. 9

[13]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 4.1. 5. 15

[14]:

cf., pratiṣṭhā vā eṣa yajñasya / yadadhvaryuḥ / Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa, 3.3. 8.10

[15]:

Aitareya Brāhmaṇa , 1.1.3

[16]:

Sāyaṇa on ibid

[17]:

Nirukta , 1.9

[18]:

Aitareya Brāhmaṇa , 5.5.5

[19]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 12. 6 1.1–2, 14. 2.2. 19

[20]:

Ibid., 13.1. 1. 4

[21]:

Ibid., 13.4.1. 4

[22]:

Gopatha Brāhmaṇa , 1.5. 24

[23]:

Ibid., 1.5. 24; Ṣad.Br., 2. 4. 5

[24]:

Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa , 10. 4.1. 1

[25]:

VaiŚS., 11.3

[26]:

Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 7.1. 7

[27]:

Āpastamba Śrautasūtra , 10. 1. 9

[28]:

Ram Gopal, op.cit., p. 532

[29]:

Ṛgveda Saṃhitā , 2.1,2

[30]:

Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā , 34.4

[31]:

Mahīdhara on ibid.