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Differences in the rituals of the Ṛgvedic families

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

J. Gonda
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Extract

Scholars seem to be almost unanimous in admitting that there must have existed striking differences between the ritual institutions which are more or less clearly alluded to in the hymns of the Ṛgveda-saṃhitā, and the systematized rituals described and discussed in the brāhmaṇas and ritual sūtras. It has even been surmised that in ṛgvedic times there did not yet exist one elaborated and practically homogeneous ritual system. The probabilities would rather be in favour of the supposition that the chief Vedic families—in the first place those to which we owe some important collections of hymns—performed divine service according to substantially parallel but partly divergent traditions of their own, which, however, did not fail to influence each other. Evidence of these differences is expected from a careful comparison of the relevant facts found in the so-called family books of the Ṛgveda.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , June 1979 , pp. 257 - 264
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1979

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References

1 Abbreviations used: AiĀ —Aitareya Āraṇyaka; ĀpŚS — Āpastambairautasūtra; BhĀS — Bhᾱradvᾱjaśrautasūtra; JB — Jaiminīyabrᾱhmava; KᾱṭhGS — Kᾱṭhakagrhyasūtra; KᾱtyŚS — Kᾱtyᾱyanaśraviasūtra; KB — Kauṣītaki- or Śᾱṅkhᾱyanabrᾱhmaṇa; KhGS —Khᾱdiragrhyasūira; PB — Pañcavimśabrᾱhmaṇa; ṚV — Ṛgvedasaṃhitᾱ; ṚVKh. — Ṛgvedakhila; ŚB — Śatapathabrᾱhmaṇa; ŚŚS — Śᾱnkhᾱyanaśraulasūtra; TB — Taittirīyabrᾱhmaṇa; TS —Taittirīyasaṃhitᾱ; VS — Vᾱjasaneyisaṃhitᾱ.

2 See especially Bergaigne, A., ‘Kecherches sur l'histoire de la liturgie védique’, Journal asiatique, VIII, 13, Paris, 1889, 5 ff., 121 ff.Google Scholar; and recently Elizarenkova, T. Ja., Bigveda, Moscow, 1972, 37 fGoogle Scholar.

3 I refer to Gonda, J., Vedic literature (A History of Indian Literature, I, 1), Wiesbaden, 1975, 29 fGoogle Scholar.

4 See, e.g., for a ritual peculiarity of the Bhāradvāja family — which developed into a ‘school’ with sūtra works of their own ( Gonda, J., The ritual sūtras (A History of Indian Literature, I, 2), Wiesbaden, 1977, 518)Google Scholar — ĀpŚS 1, 14, 10. A modification of the full and new moon sacrifices(KB 4, 6, 1–11 Sarma; ŚŚS 3, 11, 1 ff.; ĀpŚS 3, 17, 12) was called after Vasistha; a similar modification was customary in the Dāksāyana family (ĀpŚS 3, 17, 4); and see ĀpŚS 22, 18, 12; 14. Compare also references such as ĀpŚS 2, 16, 5 (see also 24, 6, 13); 5, 11, 7. For special initiatives, achievements, situations of founders or members of families bearing upon ritual see e.g. ŚB 4, 3, 4, 21; PB 6, 6, 8; 11; JB 1, 80; KᾱtyŚS 10, 2, 21; — KᾱtyŚS 1, 9, 3; ĀśuGS 17, 9; — ĀpŚS 10, 20, 12; BhŚS 1, 15, 11; KhGS 2, 1, 17; 24; KᾱfhGS 40, 2 ff.; AiĀ 1, 2, 2.

5 For reasons of space I shall confine myself to Ṛgveda II–VII.

6 Bergaigne, , op. cit., 20 ffGoogle Scholar.

7 See Gonda, , op. cit., 177 Google Scholar; Bergaigne, , op. cit., 16; 18Google Scholar.

8 See below.

9 See e.g. Keith, A. B., The religion and philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads (Harvard Oriental Series, XXXI–XXXII), Cambridge, Mass., 1925, I, 294 fGoogle Scholar.

10 Which in ĀpŚS 10, 29, 7 denotes the adhvaryu and his assistants; in the Ṛgveda the singular may have had a somewhat more general meaning.

11 For another use of the dual (in connexion with the Aśvins) see ṚVKh. 5, 7, 5, 11; VS 14, 1–5; TS 2, 6,4, 1, etc.

12 Geldner, K. F., Der Rig-Veda übersetzt (Harvard Oriental Series, XXXIII–XXXV), Cambridge, Mass., 1951, I, 345 Google Scholar; see also pp. 339 f. on 3, 4, 7.

13 Renou, L., Études védiques et paṇininéennes (EVP), XII, Paris, 1964, 111 Google Scholar.

14 Bergaigne, , op. oit., 138 Google Scholar.

15 Nor is mention made of the grᾱvastut, pratfotar (of. 1, 153, 2), pratihartar, subrahmaṇya (cf. 10, 62, 4), unnetar, and pratiprasthᾱtar.

16 For this see Geldner, , op. cit., III, 1 ffGoogle Scholar.

17 Cf. Hillebrandt, A., Vedische Mythologie, 2nd ed., Breslau, 1927, I, 411 Google Scholar.

18 For juhū ‘ladle’ in I, VIII and X, see Renou, , EVP, II, Paris, 1956, 107 Google Scholar.

19 I refer to van Buitenen, J. A. B., The pravargya, Poona, 1968, ch. 1Google Scholar.

20 Some terms occur in other maṇḍalas, especially X, not in II–VII: avabhṛtha, ᾱjya, iṣṣṭ, graha, prayᾱja, medha.

21 See Geldner, , op. cit., I, 55 Google Scholar; Renou, , EVP, III, Paris, 1957, 23 fGoogle Scholar. (with many references), IV, Paris, 1958, 32; XV, Paris, 1966, 103.

22 Moreover, in VS 27, 30 taken from ṚV 4, 47, 1, etc., in AiB 5, 6, 7 quoting ṚV 7, 47, 1–3; TB 2, 4, 7, 6 quoting ṚV 4, 47, 1.

23 See Gonda, J., The dual deities in the religion of the Veda, Amsterdam Academy, 1974, 223 Google Scholar.

24 Cf.ŚB 3. 6. 3. 10; ĀpŚS 7, 3, 3; 12, 12.

25 See Renou, , EVP, III, 19 f.; IV, 69Google Scholar.

26 If one wishes to call special attention to combinations of rare expressions in the same context one is studying stylistics rather than religion or ritual. So instances such as 5, 42, 1 p⋯ṣadyoniḥ pᾱñcahotᾱ ‘being in the spotted (sacrificial butter), attended by fivehotars’—both recorded only once in the Ṛgveda—can be left out of consideration.

27 There are some names of single and dual deities that are foreign to these maṇḍalas.

28 See especially Oldenberg, H., Die Religion des Veda, 4th ed., Stuttgart and Berlin, 1927, 307 fGoogle Scholar.

29 Most compounds with the very frequent ṛta ‘(sacred) Order’ are, though rather rare, fairly well distributed: ṛtacit ‘conversant with Order’ (4 occurrences) is found in IV, V, VII; ṛtajᾱta ‘born of ṛta’ in III, V, VI, VII; ṛtajña ‘knowing ṛta’ in IV, V, VII; ṛtanī ‘leading in accordance with ṛta’ only in II; ṛtapᾱ ‘guarding ṛta’ in VI and VII, etc.

30 See also Bergaigne, , op. cit., 18 Google Scholar.