The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c12.12

c12.12

The critical point is that the classical theory of sacrifice has resolutely and as a matter of principle turned its back on society. Why this is so will concern us further on. At this point, it may suffice to note that the king as such has no *locus standi* on the place of sacrifice, which is also spatially segregated from the life of the community.²⁵ Whatever may have been the original meaning of the proclamation formula at the rājasūya—"This is your king, O Bharatas, Soma is our, the brahmins', king",²⁶—the commentators invariably take it to mean that brahmins are set apart from the king's power, and conversely, that the king is excluded from the brahmin's ritual domain. Although Indo-European comparison shows that the Latin cognate of the Indian *rājan*, the *rex*, does have religious connotations,²⁷ it is important to note that the word *rājan* can be applied to any man of substance without any thought of sacrality.²⁸