Hindu Administrative Institutions c8.s2.114

c8.s2.114

In the *Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa*, (Eggeling Trans., v. 4. 4. 15) ‘a Brahmana then hands to him the sacrificial (wooden sword . . . .), the sacrificial sword being a thunderbolt, that Brahmana, by means of that thunderbolt makes the king to be weaker than himself : for indeed the king who is weaker than a Brahmana, is stronger than his enemies. . . .’ ‘Again after the consecration when the king addresses the *purohita* for blessing the latter pronounces five times ‘Thou art Brahman.’ (*Ibid.*, 4. 4. 9-13). There is a special chapter (*Adhyaya* v.) in the *Aitareya Brāhmaṇa* where the position occupied by the *purohita* is given with instructions in detail. Without the *purohita* who is necessarily a Brahman, a king is not honoured by the gods. *Āpastamba* declares that the Brahman alone must be a teacher, though he knows of Kṣatriya and Vaiśya teachers also. But it must be remarked that a *purohita* was not necessarily a teacher or a *ṛtvik*. But it has been a long-standing practice that the *purohita* sometimes did the duties of the ācārya and ṛtvik. Vasiṣṭha, for example, plays all roles in the Rāmāyaṇa (Bala Kāṇḍa, chap. viii). He officiates as a ṛtvik (chap. xviii. 21-24) is engaged in performing saṃskara rites for the princes (vi. 128) he is consecrating Rāma. Thus in one and the same person is united the functions of these three. Fick notes some evidence from the Pāli literature to this effect. (Trans., Matra, p. 168 and 169.) It is further seen that his office is ordinarily hereditary and ties of friendship are strong. (Ibid., 170.) The purohita is characterized as the āhavanīya fire, his wife the Gārhaspatya, and his son the anvāhāvyapacana fire—the sacred fires leading the king to heaven. Again the purohita is Agni Vaisvānara, possessed of five missiles, speech, feet, skin, heart, and organ. Hence he must be adorned and made to feel happy (Ait. Br., viii. 24). The purohita is analogous to Bṛhaspati, the purohita of Gods. Under his guidance and care a king could overcome his enemies and make his people contented and prosperous (Ibid., 25). Again ‘in whose reign the Brahmana goeth first,’ the people pay homage to him who wins plenty of wealth (Ibid., 26). That Brahman is selected for this office who knows the three purohitas and the three appointers. ‘Agni is the purohita, the Earth the appointer. Āditya is the purohita, the atmosphere the appointer, Āditya is the purohita, the sky is the appointer’ (Ibid., 27). Keith (H. O. S., vol. 25).