The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c11.24

c11.24

True, we do find statements in the ritual texts that claim a total cosmic effect for the śruti, for instance, that the sun will not rise without the daily performance of the *agnihotra*, the milk offering in the fire.²⁹ This is, of course, in line with the ritualistic technique of identification, which equalizes the elements of the macro- and microcosmos with those of the ritual. The ritual can in this way be viewed as the central mechanism of an ideally ordered universe. Such statements are, however, obviously arthavāda and therefore lack ultimate authority, even though it would be wrong to ascribe them simply to priestly self-importance. They follow logically from the system of identification. The point, however, is that if the ritual is an essential condition for the maintenance of the universe, it is contradictory that its faithful performance is left to the decision of the single individual. But, as we already saw, the cosmic import is just arthavāda in praise of the agnihotra. That is, in the final analysis, Vedic ritualism rejects its rich potential for magical meaning.