The Rashtrakutas and their Times c20.67

c20.67

The Smritis had preached the gospel of the Pañcamahāyajñas, which were intended as substitutes for the Vedic sacrifices involving slaughter. Vast majority of the Brahmana donees of our period are described as performers of these sacrifices. During our period Smarta agnihotra was fairly common at least among professional priests; Atrisamhitā, which belongs to our period, says that a Brahmana, who does not keep agnihotra, is a person whose food should not be accepted.⁴⁸ The prevalence of agnihotra during our period is proved also by the testimony of Alberuni, who observes that the Brahmanas who kept one fire were called Ishtins and those who kept three were called agnihotrins.⁴⁹ Some of the Nigama writers include agnihotra among things prohibited in the Kali age, but that view was not the view of our age.