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Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t5: Brahmanas

Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s10.t5

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English

Brahmanas

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Brahmana is an ancient Indian Brahmanism Sutra, also known as “Brahman book” or “Brahmanas”, formed about between 1000 BCE and 700 BCE. It is an important book of ancient codes and records, further explaining the origin, purpose, meaning and methods of sacrifice, based on the four Vedas. Brahmana is a prosy scripture, its contents are mainly in three aspects: ritual procedure, illustrating the ritual details and a variety of specific provisions, like the type of sacrifice, number of sacrificial fire and priests, time and location of sacrifices, etc.; interpretation, explaining the hidden meanings of hymn, prayers and spell used in rituals, ultimate implications, indicating the purpose and, meaning and philosophy to be achieved of ritual.

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There are 15 types of existing Brahmana; they are all attached to the Vedas. Among which the most important ones are: *Aitareya Brahmana* and *Kausītāki Brahmana* attached to *Rig Veda*; *Pañcavimśa Brahmana*, *Sadvimsa Brahmana* and *Jaiminiya Brahmana* attached to *Sama Veda*; *Satapatha Brahmana*, *Caraka-Katha Brahmana* and *Taittiriya Brahmana* attached to *Yajur Veda*; and *Gopatha Brahmana* attached to *Arharva Veda* and so on. Brahmana were passed on from generation to generation by priests of different schools in accordance with the master-apprentice relationship, as during the teaching, there formed different schools. Brahmana’s basic principle is to emphasize the role of ritual and the position of priest, and provides the theoretical basis for Brahmanism which is guided by sacrifice. From the viewpoint of academic value, Brahmana is the oldest and most valuable information for studying ancient Brahmanism religious rituals and social development status, through the provisions of these rituals, the construction details of sacrificial altar, and the methods to decide sacrificial date, we can learn the status of material production of that time, as well as the development level of astronomy, mathematics, calendar and other natural sciences.

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Indian Brahmana and a variety of related sacrificial rituals and procedures of ancient Brahmanism had been introduced to China long time ago together with Buddhism, thus Chinese people have a certain understanding of it. In many Chinese translated Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist classics written by Chinese eminent monks, there were related records as well. For example, in Sui Dynasty, the Chinese eminent monk, Ji Zang in his book *Illustration of Sata-sastra* described horse sacrifice, the most popular and largest ritual in ancient Brahmanism, “therefore set the horse sacrifice, choose a white horse, set it free for 100 days, or say three years, then trace its footprint, at the cost of gold, with all means to take the horse and kill it, while killing the horse they would sing: Vasu kills thee, the horses might go to heaven for its sacrifice.”

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(Zhu Mingzhong)

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