Voegeli Prasitra Rite (2004)

7/28/2019 Voegeli Prasitra Rite (2004)

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PROBLEMS INVEDIC ANDSANSKRIT LITERATURE

Edited By:Maitreyee Desbpande

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~ "rr:e 446IctifC4 ctilfHGI+i"~ ~ ,Musashi Tachikawa

Priisitra Rite of the Animal Sacrifice- r a n ~ o i s Voegeli

of Vedic Interpretation: In the light of the ~ u b h ~ y a mM. L . Wadekar

Siddharth Y. Wakankar

and Allied StudiesEditor

OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS VOLUME

337-348

349-359

360-374

375-379

380-386

387-408

409-412


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The Prasitra Rite of the Animal Sacrifice 361HirSS 4.5.31 :440-33:441 upahiitlllJ1 m a i t r l l v a r u ~ z a ~ ' a ~ ! l u l b pra!hwl1ti [31 :440]

adhyuddhim hotre harati vaniHhum agnfdhe3 ~ a t j , a v a t t a m sa'!lpadayati [32:441]pnlSitayc""il!l nUlrjayitvll [33:441]

They partake (of the itj,c""i) that has been invoked with the M a i t r a v a r U l ~ a as the sixth(officiating priest taking part into the meal). [31 :440] He brings the adhyuddhi to the Hotr(and) the lower intestine to the Agnldhra. He makes six cuttings (out of the lowerintestine). [32:441] After they have partaken (of the i ~ W ) they cleanse themselves.[33:441 ]

ManSS 1.8.5.35-36 upahl7yanulmlyc""i1l1 adhyiidhnfm hotre haranli vanisfhll1llagnfdhe [35] b h a k ~ a y i t v c l marjayante [36]

When (the itj,a) is being invoked (by the Hotr) they bring the adhYlldhl1f to theHotr and the lower intestine to the Agnldhra. [35] Having eaten (the i ~ W ) they cleansethemselves. [36]

VarSS 1.6.7.20-21 upahiitaya11l it/..ayam adhyiidhnfm hotre harallti [20] v a n i ~ , ! h l l l 1 lagnfdha adadhiiti yathagnfdhrabhagam

After the itj,a has been invoked they bring the adhyiidhnf to the Hott. [20] Hegives the lower intestine to the Agnldhra as the Agnldhra's share (of the remnants of theoffering). [21]

KatySS 6.9.3-7 itjllm fidadlulti [3] upahiitllyaql v a n i ~ , h u m agnfdhe [4] adhyadhllfrnllOtre [6] avclntaretj,{1 vii [7]He gives the (intermediate) (to the Hotr). [3] After (the i ~ / f i ) has been invoked(he gives) the lower intestine to the Agnldhra . [4] (He gives) the adhyildllll/ to the Hotr.[5] Or the intelmediate i ~ h 7 (is made of the adhyiidhnl) . [7]

These quotations show that the p/'(lsitra rite did not take place in these Schools.They seem to be interested only in the remnants of the offering4 especially assigned tothe Hotr and the Agnldhra, That some Srauta Siitras passed over the prciilra rite in theNP was known to Yajfiikadeva, one of the commentators of the KatySS, as is shown bythe following extract of his commentary to KatySS 6.8.13:Yajfiikadeva on KatySS 6.8.13 5 (ed. WEBER, p. 611, 11. 3-9) aklullltare snlyaledaivatlll1Y avadliya IlCl !l7vaty eva hOlavyam sauvi:",akrtany avad:vati sallviHakrtclnyavadaya na lavaty eva hotavyam a i ~ h l n y avadyatfti alas cfilnlVadlil1ll1!1 pradllniillt{{l!1 f/{[hhavati vacalUlt piirvalJl pradlllllUlVadfinam tatab s a u v i ~ ! a k r t { t / 7 { 1 1 1 1 tata a i ~ W / 7 { 1 1 1 1 itikral11a(1 / pnlsitrm!l III h l l y ( I Y l l 1 U l p a S l a m h { l 1 7 / ( l n a v a k { l . t h a s 1 7 t r e ~ u atapalhe ca pa!hitw!1nasti s a 1 1 / p r a d { t y a p a d d h a t i k t l r e ~ w kark{tClllyai.


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362 Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit Literaturethe deity, the oblation is not to be made at that same time. He cuts down portions for(Agni) S v i ~ ~ a 4 t . Having cut down portions for (Agni) Svi.'Hakrt, the oblation is not to bedone at that same time. He cuts down portions for the i ~ l c l " 6 , therefore also here (in theschool of Katyayana) the cutting down of portions does not end with (the ones used for)the principal (offering)1. Because of (its) explicit mention (by the ruti) the regularsequence is: first the cutting down of portions for the principal (offering), then (thecutting down of portions) for (Agni) S v i ~ ~ a k ! ' t , then (the cutting down of portions) forthe i ~ L i i . But the pnlsitra is not mentioned in the Sutras of Katyayana, Apastamba,Manava, K a ~ h a , and in the Satapatha( -brahmaI)a). It was taught by the author of thepaddathi of (Katyayana's) tradition and by the teachers of Karka as having to beperformed, but Bhartryajfia has taught: "It is not (performed) because it is not taught (asruti)".

As can be seen from the Sutra quotations above, Yajfiikadeva is absolutely correctin listing the KatySS, the ApSS and the ManSS as works which are silent on the prllifraportion of the NP's main offering (as for the ka!hast1tra we are unfortunately not in aposition to decide on the rightness of his affirmation). According to him, this omissionwas remedied by some teachers or commentators who nevertheless prescribe to cut downthe prll.{itra, but agreement on this matter was not universal for at least one of themdenies the NP of any such portion on the basis that no injunction concerning it is foundin the sniffs. This argument is quite sound for no mention of the praifra is found in thesections of the TS, MS or SB dedicated to the dissection of the victim, the offering ofits parts or the icjit rite of the animal sacrifices. The absence of comments on the prli.{itmin the Sarphitiis or BriihmaI)as of the YV could explain that some sillra/airas passed overthis rite in their description of the NP but the situation becomes complicated when wetake a look at the VaikhSS's account of the icja rite of the NP's main offering. In thefollowing passage a new element comes into play:

VaikhSS 10.20: J 19.8-11 medasvlllim avantarecjal71 avadyati, med({sopastflyahotur haste prakrtivad i ~ / { i m avadiiya medasiibhig/ulrayati, hotre 'dhYlfddhil!l ham(\'agnfdhe9 medasvil1{lf}1 v a n i ~ ! h U 1 J l brahnuJIJ-e v a k ~ o , vayalJl soma vrate laveti bra/1Ina tatpriislUlti

He cuts the fatty intermediate icjii. Having strewn (the Hotr's palm) with fat (and)having cut down portions of the i ~ L i i into the Hotr's hand as is done in the normal form(of the ritual)'O he besmears (the lcjii's p011ions cut down into the Hotr's hand) with fat.He brings the adhyuddhi to the Hot!, the fatty lower intestine to the Agnidhra (and) thechest to the Brahman. The Brahman eats it (after having recited) "(May) we, 0 soma, atyour service (oo .)" .

Besides the quarters reserved for the Hotr and the Agnidhra mentioned in the


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The Prclsitra Rite of the Animal Sacrifice 363previous Sutra quotations, the chest is here brought to the Brahman who eats it afterhaving recited RV 10.57.6. The v a k ~ a s could at first sight be confused with theBrahman's share of the remnants of the offering that are apportioned to the officiatingpriests after they have solemnly partaken of the irjii. In the ritual of the Full and NewMoon, which is supposed to serve as paradigm for the NP " , the consumption of theseremnants is done after they have been divided into four parts that are assigned by theSacrificer to each of the four priests officiating in this ritual. A portion of this "fourfolddivision" (eatztrd/ulkaraJ;a I2 ) is set aside for the Brahman and brought to him by theAdhvaryu who usually carries it together with the Sacrificer's share of the i ~ / c i l J That

v a k ~ a s in this passage of the VaikhSS refers to the pr{isitra and not to the Brahman'spiece of the eaturd/ulkaraJ;a comes up clearly when we look at parallel passages in theoldest Sutras of the TaittirTya tradition.

The BaudhSS mentions the prllsitra in the following passage which is found atthe very end of the section dedicated to the irjll of the NP's main offering '4 :

BaudhSS 4.9- 10:124.14-16 at/ulha b r a h m a ~ 1 e v a k ~ a b paril1areti, {(Id bra/ullclp r a t i g ! h ~ u l t i , vayam soma vrate tava manas t a n a ~ u bibhrata[7 / praj{ivan/o afiillahfti

Then he says : "Bring the chest to the Brahman (by going) around (the AhavanTyafire)!" The Brahman receives it (with) "May we, 0 Soma, at your service, bearing themind in (our) bodies, (blessed) with progeny obtain (you)." (= ~ V 10.57.6 ).

The use of the verb pari-H8- in the Adhvaryu's sCl/?lprai:\'(l and prali-GRAH- todescribe the action of the Brahman receiving the v a k ~ a s leaves no doubt on the pre/.vitretnature of the chest for the very same verbs are used in the aetiological myths related tothe pn"'i.fitra portion in the TS and SB'5 . The prciSitra) being born out of Rudra's fury,is a dangerous portion of the offering which must be brought around (pari-H8-) theAhavanTya fire to the Brahman who is sitting at this moment of the ritual on his dedicatedseat at the southeastern corner of the sacrificial area. This path must be followed to avoidbringing the prllsitra into contact with the vedi and other sacrificial substances orimplements '6 . Thereafter the prilsitra is to be received (prati-GRAH-) by the Brahmanwith great care and the appropriate mantras.

If we turn to the second oldest Sutra of the TaittiIiyas, the ViidhSS, we also finda reference to the chest as p r l l ~ H t r a but it has become only a passing mention in thefollowing passage describing the irj.cI of the NP's main offering:

ViidhSS 5.3.2.18-22 atyclkramya yathilyatanam smeal! sc/dayitvcihhighiiIJ'(Ipralywili iivrtya hotra irj.iim iidad/Ulti medasvad a \ l ( l l 1 t a r e ~ l c l l l 1 [18] IIpa/ll/tii)'c/m i ~ l c l y c ' i 1 J llJIataslle 'gllfdha c'idad/ulti [19] I ' ( / k ~ o b r a h l 1 l a ~ w upohali [20] p r e / l I a l l l i [21] /lu/ljayallt e[22]


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364 Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit LiteratureHaving walked past (the vedi) he s e ~ t s the two ladles in their respective places (on

the altar). Having poured (clarified butter) over (the quarters gathered into i ~ I i i ' s plateand) having turned towards the West he gives the i{lii. - the intennediate i ~ / a togetherwith fat - - to the Hotr. [18] After the i ~ / i l has been invoked he gives the two kidneys tothe Agnldhra. [19] He pushes the chest towards the Brahman. [20] They pal1ake (of theirrespective share of the i ~ / a ) [21] They cleanse themselves. [22]

The dealings with this dreadful portion of the offering have been reduced in5.3.2.20 to v a k ~ o bra/l1naf}a lIpohati. Although the wording differs significantly fromBaudhSS 4.9-10:124.14-16 in its use of upa-UH- ("push towards") instead of theexpected pari-H/!.-, this passage doubtless refers to the practice of can'ying the pn/,{il/'{/to the Brahman.

The BaudhSS and ViidhSS show that the pre/sitra rite was part of the i ~ / 1 of theNP's main offering in the oldest layer ofthe Taittinya Siitras. They also indicate that theanimal sacrifice's pnUitra was a portion cut down from the chest of the victim. Thechoice of the chest as the quarter of the beast from which the pn/,\:itra is taken is notsurprising. TS 6.3.10.5 lists the v a k ~ ' a s among the three parts from which portions haveto be taken first to make up the main offering of the NP I7 The chest is then one of theforemost daivatii.IlY avadanani and it is also used as a part of the i ~ / i l l . It is then perfectlysuitable to furnish the prasitra in contradistinction to the qua11ers chosen for the S v i ~ ~ a k r toffering 19 or the ones used to "enrich" the it/ii..

The prilsitra rite of the NP's main offering has survived later only in theVaikhSS. Considering Yajfiikadeva's comment quoted above, does it mean that the oldestTaittirlya Siitras and the VaikhSS willfully diverged from their SaJ-rhitas and Brahmal)asby imposing a pniitra to the NP where the srutis required none? Or do the divergencesamong Siitras imply that the pnlsilra was considered as a kind of optional rite in the NP?Some indications favouring the second hypothesis are found in the VadhSS's sectionrelated to the offering of the pasupuro{IMa, offering which is, as I have said before, thesecond occasion to perfonn the i{hi in the animal sacrifice.

Explicit mention of the cutting down of a prasitra portion of the p a l I p l l r o ~ / i l s ais found in all Taittirlya Siitras, except the BharSS 20 . The Maitrayal!lyas as well as themain text of the KatySS21 are silent about it but for the latter Yajfiikadeva's commentaryfi lIs the blank"". The mandatory or non-mandatory character of the pnlsitra rite seemsbetter asserted in the case of the pa.\:lIpuro{la.\'a than in the case of the NP's main offering.There is also a clear , ~ l k l 1 ( 1 division on this matter: the Taittirlyas perform it whereas theMaitrayal!lyas do not. The question of the \ ' l I p u r o ~ / l i ( { ' s pn'Wtra would then make notmuch problem if it were not complicated by a textual peculiarity of the VadhSS.


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The Pr(Wlra Rite of the Animal Sacrifice 365In my critical edition of ch. V of the ViidhSS (VOEGELI forthcoming), which is

based on 9 mss. of this Sutra13 among which two recensions of the text can hedistinguished, I have decided to take one of these recensions (the "K)" recension 24 ) andthe independent ms. K / 5 as a basis for reconstructing the i ~ l i I ceremony of the

p a s l l p u r o ~ / l i s a . The result is the following:VadhSS 5.3.1.20-28 atylikramya yathliyatanam srucau sildayitvil pJ'(/.\'ilral7l

a v a ( ~ y a t y [20] apa l f p a s p r . \ y e ~ W I 1 1 avadyalY [21] upahiUliylil1l i ~ W ) ' l i l l l agllidha ildadlulli[22] prlt.


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366 Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit LiteratureThe difference between the recensions of the VadhSS is twofold. The K3

recension includes the pnlitra rite whereas it is absent from the K J recension. Conversely the K J recension briefly mentions the rite of the a v i l n t a r e ~ l i i 2 8 whereas the K3recension is silent about it. Considering the parallel sources quoted above (nn. 20 and 21)these two versions of the paupuroMa's iiI rite in the VadhSS are perfectly legitimate.We cannot dismiss one or the other on the basis of a putative corruption of the text. Theobvious question becomes then: why is the pnUitra missing in one of these recensions?

A.ryadasa's Vyakhya to the VadhSS29 helps us to answer this question. He makesthe following comment on VadhSS 5.3.1.20--28:

havilyaji iavidhe priiitram avadyati / pniSitrasthane sahaiva piUri)'iI p u r o ~ l c i S a mII I bruvan sa yatnlsmai pasUpltroasa'!l pariharatftyadi p n l ' \ : i t r a p r a l i ~ e d h a s y a

p l l r o ~ l i I s a v i ~ a y a t V { [ 1 ? l jFulpayatiHe cuts the prasitra in (an animal sacrifice of) the havilyajiia type. By saying"(he brings) the p u r o ~ h 7 a together with the ( i ~ h 7 ' s ) plate", instead of (giving directions

for) the pnl.vitra, (the author of the Sutra) makes known that the prilsitra is excluded fromthe ( p a u ) p u r o ~ h 7 s a ( ' s ia rite, also when he says) "When he carries the cake (remnant)to him (i.e. the Brahman) around (the A.havanlya fire)"30 etc.

Though far from being clear in all respects this passage distinctly instructs us thatthe perfonnance of the prlWtra in the p a s u p u r o ~ h 7 s a ' s i ~ l a rite is tied to the differencebetween haviryajiia and non-haviryajiia type of animal sacrifice. One should cut downthe pril.(itra if one is perfonning a haviryajiia type of animal sacrifice but one should,cOlTespondingly, not do so if one is perfonning an animal sacrifice part of a larger Somaceremony. A.ryadasa's explanation is actually verified in the text of the VadhSS itself.

The VadhSS' s textual composition has a unique characteristic. Whereas the restof the Srauta Sutras of the YV devote a separate section solely to the NP and refer backto this section when an animal sacrifice is done in the Soma context, the VadhSSexpounds twice the manipulations of the. animal sacrifice. Its first account makes up theVth prapii!haka which is dedicated to the NP but more than 95% of the text of thisprapil,thaka is found exactly as such in the VI and VIIth prapa!hakas which expound the

A g n i ~ t o m a , at these places where the ritual manipUlations of the a g n f ~ ' o m Z v a p a ' \ : l I b a n d h a 3 Jare gone through. In the A g n i ~ t o m a section (VIth prapil!haka) the passage parallel to5.3.1.20-28 is the following:

VadhSS 6.6.1.21-27 alyilkral7lya yatlUlyalanam srucau slida:vitv7vadilmlnisa'!zbhidy7bhig!ullya holra i ~ h l m ildadlulty [21] upalnltilyilm i ~ l l i y i l l 1 1 agllfdha ildadlulti[22] pril.vnanti [23] l1uI,jayante [24] sahaiva piltrzjlil p u r o ~ / 7 . v a l 1 1 p t 7 r v e ( ] ( l h a v a l l ~ " { { J ! 1sahiidbhir brahma(ze pariharati [25] pnisl/(Iti brahl1Ul [26] l1ulrjayale [27]


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The Pri7.


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368 Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit Literaturethe ritualists "extracted"34 the procedure of the first of these three animal sacrifices outof its Soma context and turned it into a single sacrificial session lasting at most two daysand which should be perfonned by an iihitiigni either once or twice a year during hiswhole life. The main oblation material of the a g l l f ~ o m l y a p o being very different from thatof the DP the ritualists tenned the NP a haviryajna. It is this process of adaptation of thea g n f ~ o m f y a p O into a haviryajiia which, in my view, holds the key to our priisitraproblem. Turning the a g n ~ s o m l y a p o into a stand-alone sacrifice the ritualists must haveavailed themselves of some freedom, more precisely of the freedom to integrate into theirhaviryajna some features of the DP. In the case of the a s u p u r o c j i i . \ ~ a thepriiilrCl makesnot much problem because a single cake is involved in this offering and so the standardprocedure of the DP can be applied with but few hindrances. The case of the NP's mainoffering is more complex. Some specific quarters of the beast provide materials for theoffering to the principal deity of the sacrifice, other quarters are employed for the offeringto Agni S v i ~ ~ a k r t and some more are used in making up the it/it. The sections of theSarrhitas and B r a h m a ~ a s treating of the a g n f ~ o m l y a p o moreover do not refer to a priiSitraportion, even if the avadli.lla operation is far more complex in the animal sacrifice thanin the DP. Some ritualists may have felt that the "independent" animal sacrifice requiredto be more in tune with the DP's structure and added a prli.sitra to the main offering.They chose to take it from one of the daivatli.ni quarters of the animal, which seemslogical when one considers the tripartite nature (daivat1ni, s a u v i ~ ! a k r t i i n i and aicjani) ofthe different parts taken out of the beast's carcass. Other masters of the ritual lore adheredmore closely to the word of the srutis and passed over the priWtra despite its importantsymbolical nature.

ApssBaudhSSBharSSDPHirSSKatySSKapSKSManSSMSms./mss.

AbbreviationsApastamba Srauta Sutra [ed. GARBE]Baudhayana Srauta Sutra [ed. CALAND]Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra [ed. KASHIKAR]darsaptiruamiisau, ritual of the Full and New MoonHiral)yakcsin ( S a t y a ~ a ~ h a ) Srauta Sutra [ed. ANANDAsRAMA]Katyayana Srauta Sutra [ed. WEBER]K a p i ~ ~ h a l a - K a ~ h a Sarrhita [ed. RAGHU V1RA]

K a ~ h a k a Sarrhita [ed. VON SCHROEDER]Milnava Srauta SUtra [ed. VAN GELDER]Maitrilyal)l Sarphitil [ed. VON SCHROEDER]Manuscript/Manuscripts


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The PriWtra Rite of the Animal SacrificeNP~ VSBTSVadhSSVarSSVaikhSSYV

nirfu!hapasubandha, "independent" animal sacrifice~ g Veda [ed. MOLLER]Satapatha Brahmal)a (Madhyandina) [ed. WEBER]Taittinya SaI11hita [ed. WEBER]Vadhiila Srauta SutraVaraha Srauta Sutra [ed. KASHIKAR]Vaikhanasa Srauta Sutra [ed. CALAND]Yajur Veda

Bibliography

369

W. CALAND (ed.) The Baudhayana Srauta Sutra belonging to the TaittirfyaSQ/llhitii., New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1982 [2d repr.].W. CALAND (ed.) The Vaikhanasa-SrGutasutram. The description of vedic rites

according to the Vaikhanasa school belonging to the black Yajlll'l'eda, Calcutta: RoyalAsiatic Society of Bengal, 1941 .

B. B. CHAUBEY (ed.) Viidhula-Srautasutram . Critically edited with Introductionand Indices, Hoshiarpur: Katyayan Vaidik Sahitya Prakashan, 1993.

R. GARBE (ed.) The Srauta Satra of Apast'amba belonging to the TaittirfyaSaqlhiltl with the commentary ofRudradatta, 3 vols, New Delhi: Munshiram ManoharlaJ,1983 [2d repr.].

J. GONDA The H a v i r y a j i i a ~ Somab. The interrelations of the Vedic solemnsacrifices. Sailkhayana Srautasutra 14,1-13. Translation and notes, Amsterdam, Oxford,New York: North-Holland Publishing Company, 1982.

J. C. HEESTERMAN The Broken World of Sacrifice. An Essay ill Anciellt IndianRitual. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1993 .

y. IKARI Vadhula Srautasutra 1.1-1.4[Agnyadheya, Puncmtdheya}. A New Critical Edition of the Vadhula Srautasutra. I, Zinbun: Annals of the Institute for Researchin Humanities, Kyoto University, No. 30 (1995), Kyoto: Zinbun Kagaku Kenkyusyo.

Y. IKARI "A Survey of the New Manuscripts of the Vadhiila School - MSS. ofK, and K /' Zinbun: Annals of the Institute for Research in Humanities, KyotoUniversity, No. 33 (1998), Kyoto: Zinbun Kagaku Kenkyusyo, pp. 1-30.e. G. KASHIKAR (ed., transl.) The Srauta, Paitrmedhika and Parise:Wi Sittras ofBharadwlja. Part I Text & Part II Translation . 2 vols., Poona: Vaidika SarpsodhanaMal)


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The PrMilra Rite of the Animal SacrificeReferences to ch . V of the VadhSS are taken from my critical edition of thisforthcoming). The numbering is different from and should not be confused(1993) .

371charter (VOEGELIwi th CHAUBEY

References to ch. VI of the VadhSS are taken from an unpublished draft of the critical edition ofch. VI and VII ( A g n i ~ \ o m a section) done by Prof. lkari that he kindly lent to me . My thanks go tohim for having let me use this draft throughout my Vadhula studies. As with the references to ch.V the numbering is different from and should not be confused with CHAUBl:Y (1993).Thc s e l 1 l i - d a ~ u ! a used by CAi .AND in his editions of the BaudhSS and VaikhSS is here transcrihed asa comma. The daw!a of other editions is transcribed as a slash .All translations are mine, and I would like to thank Prof. Werner Knobl from Kyoto University forhis help with some difficult vyiikhyu passages.

2 In his translation of this sutra, KASHIKAR (1964) p. 188, takes adhyuddhi- as "the testis with penis".As I will show in another publication (VOEGELI forthcoming) this identification is questionnable. Thedifferent sources available are very vague about the exact location of the adhyuddhi- (TS. oradhyiidhnf- in MS). I shall thus leave this term untranslated.3 Emended. The ed.: agnfdhre.

4 Called c a t u r d h i i k a r a ~ l a in the Full and New Moon ritual (cf. below in the text, p. 3).5 KatySS 6.8.13 f e ~ a m irjilpiltlyum usicya krorja1l1 anasthfni ca pr{isyati r o ~ l i v m j a 1 l 1

Having sprinkled the rest (of the' broth) into the irju's vessel he throws (in it) the chcst and theboneless (parts), with the exception of the buttock .6 I could not find the source of this quotation but it has an obvious b r i l h m a ~ U / - l i k e flavour, especiallyin its use of l{ivati.7 pradulluntam is probably WEBER'S mistake and should really be read pradlulnullfa1l1.8 Cf. TS 3.8.3, MS 3.10.3-4:133-135, SB 3.8.3.15-29. The avadilna of the beast is not discussed inthe KS /K3pS .9 Emended. The ed.: agnfdhre.10 Cf. VaikhSS 6.12:68.1-4.11 As GONDA (1982) p. 94, n. 1 to the translation of SallkhSS 14.5.1, rightly points out the translation

of a r S a p i i r ~ w m i i s a u by "Full and New Moon" is preferable to the usual "New and Full Moon".In the same work (p. 7-10, among others), GONDA aptly discusses the extent to which thc DP canbe considered as a paradigm for the NP.

12 On the term c a t u r d h i i k a , . a ~ l a cf. BaudhSS 24.29:214.8-12.13 On the share of the Brahman in the DP cf. BaudhSS 1.18:27.15 (where the expression brahl11abllllg{/is used) ; BharSS 3.3.2,8; ApsS 3.3.3,9; HirSS 2.3.32,36:211; VaikhSS 7.2:69.17-20, 7.2:70.4-5;ManSS 1.3.3.20,23.14 The of the NP's main offering is discussed in BaudhSS 4.9-10 :124.11-16.15 Cf. TS 2.6.8.3-7, SB 1.7.4.6-17.16 Cf. TS 2.6.8.4 Y{lt tirafclnam atihared anabhividdhm.n yajii{byubhi vidhyed a g r e ~ / { / pari Iwrati

tfrtlu!naiwl pari harati


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372 Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit LiteratureIf he were to bring (the priWtra by going) crosswise over (the altar) he would pierce what isunpierccd of the Sacrifice. He brings it (by going) around in front (of the Ahavani"ya) . Hc hrings (it)around by this path.The Vajasaneyins have an opposite version of the ritual that requires the prasitm to be carriedacross (tiryak) the vedi . This peculiarity is self-explanatory in the 58 for the gods first carried theprasitra around the altar with the dreadful results that ensued (cf. 58 1.7.4.6 te hOCII'1 /bhagiiyeil/ad d a k $ i ~ l O t a dsintiya pari hatraw. etc.). The 58 nevertheless mentions the practice of"some" who carry the prtiSitra around the vedi in 1.7.4 .12 (tall 110 piirve!1O pari haret / pt7rve!/{/haike pari Iwranti). The TaittirIyas are doubtless to be counted among these eke.

17 Cf. TS 6.3.10.5 hfdayasydgre 'vadyaty (aha jihvdyii (ltha v a k ~ a s o ( ..) y(isyaiw/III a\'(/diiya yatlu7k'lmamlitlare:\'am avadyatiFirst he cuts down a portion of the hearl. Then (he cuts down a portion) of the tongue (and) then(he cuts down a portion) of the chest. ( .. ) Having thus cut down portions of this (animal) hc cUlsdown portions from the rest (of the quarters) at will.These three parts are a lways mention ned in the parallel passages of the MS 3.10.3 : 131 . 14-133.9 andof thc S8 3.8.3. 15-17 as the ones from which portions have to be cut down first to make up the I11tlinoffering.

18 Seven parts are cut down to constitute the i.jtl. The first six of them al e also used to produce themain offering: the heart. the tongue, the chest. the liver and the two kidneys. To these dail'attlll)"avadal/uni the lower intestine is added as the seventh part (cf. BaudhSS 4.9: 123.6-8; BhiirSS7.19.10; Ap5S 7.24.10; Hir5S 4.5.11 :437-438). To these basic i.jtl pieces one can add some"boneless" parts as supplement among which the (right?) lung (kloman). the spleen (plflwlI), thepericard (?, purftata) are specified in some Siitras (cf. ViidhSS 5.3.1.64; BhiirSS 7.19.11; ApsS7.24.11-12; MiinSS 1.8.5.20; KiitySS 6.8.i2).

19 The parts used for the S v i ~ ! a k r t offering are . the same everywhere , viz. the right foreleg , the leftbuttock and a part of the rectum (BaudhSS 4.9: 123.4-6; ViidhSS 5.3.1.47,54-62; BharSS 7.19.4;ApsS 7.22.6; HirSS 4.4.57-58:433; MiinSS 1.8 .5.19; KatySS 6.8.8) .

20 Cf. BaudhSS 4.121: 18-19 athodmili atytlkralllya yathii yatallamsruwII stldayi/I'a prtlsitr(J1Ilavadaye.jum avadyati. upohiifayiim it/ayiilll agnfdha tldadhuti ~ { / ( ! a v a t t a l l l , prtlsllonfi. IIlllljayanteThen, having walked north past (the Iedi). having seated the ladles in their respective pl:lees (on thealtar and) having cut down the pnWtru he cuts down (portions for) the i.jii. After the i.j,' has beeninvokcd he gives to the Agni"dhra (his share of it) in six cuttings. They partake (of thc i.jii). Theycleanse themsclves.ApsS 7.23.1 priisitrwl1 UI'Udave.jal.11 lUi yujwmllluhhtlgamHaving cut down the pniSitra (he cuts down) the i.jii (but) not the Sacriliecr's share.H irSS 4.4.71 :435 praS'ifr(Jm ida ca kriyefe pnU;((7ya'!1 mUljall{/l!l i ~ ! a l e p a p h ( J l f k a / " { / ~ I l I I I O I I I O I l p / " { / ~ l f t " . \ 1 1lI1{lIjanam I I p a V e ~ O d ( I S { / / l m . 1 1 kapalavimoc{///{//!I co kriyal/fe(The procedures pertaining to) the pr,Wfra and the it/il are done (by the Adhvaryu) . After (the i ~ f i i )has been eaten the cleansing (of the partakers of the it/il), the oblations of the scrap of the dough andthe chaff of grains, the cleansing (o f the Wife) in the p r i i ~ l f t a waters, the banishment of the poker andthe loosening of the potsherds are done .VaikhSS 10.18: 116.16-17 prii.fitr(J1II al'adyaff.ja,!, ca na yajalllllllahlulgall/


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The PriiSitra Rite of the Animal SacrificeHe cuts down the prilsitra and the it/a but not the Sacrificer's share.But cp. :

373

BharSS '7.17.13014 IIpuhutiilll it/iilJl l I 1 u i t r i i \ , ( J r H ~ / C 1 ~ u ~ ! h a ! t l ' i j u ~ prlislIl/!ti [13] llllirj"yullte [14]The ofticiating priests partake of the it/a that has been invoked with the Maitravarul.la as the sixth(officiating priest). [13] They cleanse themselves. [14]

21 Cf. MiinSS 1.8.5.8 agnfdhrabhligam apayiityec!ayai puroc!iiswJI pr{l(yabhiglulmyatiHaving set apart the Agnidhra's share he pours in return (clarified butter) over the cake for the ic!,I.ViirSS 1.6.6.24 it/al1tUl!l k!'tl'li p ! ~ u J i i j y u s y u s J ' / l I ' e ~ l o p u h u t y u puruitiHaving done (the procedure) that ends with the it/a (and) having scooped up speckled butler with thesrUI ' ( / he goes away (to the Siimitra fire-hall) .K5tySS 6.7.25 itj(lm ul'UJyutiHe cuts down the irja.

22 Yiijnikadeva on K5tySS 6.7.25 i r j i i g r a h u ~ w l ! 1 prilsitrabhiigildfnilm upy l I p a l ( / k ~ a ~ l i i r ( I / { / 1 I IThe word itja has also the implied meaning of priisitru portion etc.

23 Which are also used by Prof. Ikari in his New Critical Edition of he Vc7dhala Sralltasii(ra and whichhe describes in IKARI (1995), pp. 4-12.

24 Which consists of three mss.: the mss. K, (described IKARI (1995) p. 10), N, (described IKARI (1995)p. II) and T, (described IKARI (1995) p. 11-12). N, is a direct copy of K,- and T, a direct copy of(cf. the stemma in IKARI (1998) p. 6) . - .

25 Described IKARI (1995) p. 9-10 .26 The plural implies that it is not the Adhvaryu who carries it to the Brahman but some unnamed

"assistants"27 The K, recension c o n s i ~ t s of four mss.: the mss . K, (described IKARI (1995) p. 5-6, probably, the

oldest ms. of the ViidhSS found so far by Prof. Ikari), (described IKARI (1998) , p. 5, 6, 10), M(described IKARI (1995) p. 6-7) and C (described IKARI (1995) p. 8-9). and M are direct copiesofK, C is a copy made by Caland of a copy of M sent to him during the years 1923-26. This nagaricopy sent toCaland has unfOltunately been lost.The ms. N, is described in IKARI (1995), p. 10-11.

28 The portion of the ilja brought to the Hotr and divided by the Adhvaryu into the Hotr's right hand.Immediately after the cutting down of this special part of the irjii the Hotr starts his invocation tothe goddess I ~ i i (itjopahvanG, the text of which is found in AsvsS 1.7.7 and SailkhSS 1.12.1).The text of the K, recension alludes to this subrite of the irjii ceremony by the laconic hotra it/iillliiJuJhiity.

29 Aryadiisa is the main commentator of the ViidhSS. His vyakhyii is yet unpublished . The followingextract is based on the two mss. of this work I have at my disposal: ms. No. Tl147 of the OrientalResearch Institute and MSS. Library, Trivandrum and ms . No . R2978 of the Government OrientalManuscripts Library, Madras.

30 Cpo this last quotation with the Brahmatva section on the prilsitra of the DP in ViidhSS 3.5 .2.2 sa,l'(ftnislII(fi prii.fi(ral/ l praharati tad apa I I p a s p r ~ \ ' { / pratfk,wte siilyas. (f (vli cak,'lIsii p / ' ( / ( i p a ~ n i l l / f ( iWhen he (i.e. the Adhvaryu) brings forward the prc7Sirra to him, he (i .e. the Brahman), havingtouched waler, beholds it (saying) "I behold thee with Siirya's eye" .


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Problems in Vedic and Sanskrit LiteratureThe animal sacrifice which takes place during the Upavasatha day of the A g n i ~ ! o m a , cf. below inthe text, p . 8.The remaining less than 59'0 of the Vth prup,,!huku's text which docs nol wrrespond to what is

found in Ihe VI and VIlth prap,,!hukus exposes sub-rites of the animal sacritice which arc nol donein its Soma version like, e.g ., the introduclory libation with recitation of Ihe ~ w ! r / h o r r formula or Ihepreliminary ;'5!; of a cake baked on eighl potsherds dedicated 10 Agni. The names of Ihc dcilics 10which the main oblations arc addressed arc also different in the SUI!I/lrui ,"(/s of thcsc IWo sections.This handling of the pri1sifra is theonly divergence between mss . of the Vth pral',,!/wka \vhich isnot the result of obvious scribal errings or irreparable corruptions of the text.When the new critical edition of the ViidhSS undertaken by Prof. lkari and some of his students(among whom the author of the present paper) will be completed, it will be interesting 10 check howmany discrepancies of the kind discussed here actually exist between the lW O recensions.Incidentally, Aryadiisa's comment seems to imply that he knew the text as it has bccn handed dowilin the K3 recension. Otherwise he would not have bothered to specify "hu\iry(jliul'iJhc".And not a "barren cow" as it is often refered to, cf. VOEGELI (2001) .TI1US the name nirur//w-pasuballdha. nin,r/IJao can be understood either as the participle of nir-VAHor as that of n;r-UH-. In my view the former option better reflects the historical situation that ledto the creation of the NP.

Voegeli Prasitra Rite (2004)

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