The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c10.29

c10.29

Insofar as we know it from its rules, it is a simple and, all told, a rather dull affair, conspicuous only by its unremitting repetitiousness. Every day, in the early morning and at sunset, a portion of boiled milk is offered in the fire and the rest drunk by the sacrificer or, if he has engaged the ritual services of a brahmin, by the latter. Although milk is the normal offering substance, other food or drink can be used—rice or other vegetal preparations, the Soma beverage, and even meat. We have here the basic paradigm of Vedic sacrifice in its simplest form: on the one hand, the cult of the fire involving the sacrifice of a little bit of food or drink; on the other hand, the meal or, albeit reduced to the barest minimum, the solemn banquet.