The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c6.s3.17

c6.s3.17

It is easy to see that the well-known relationship of the brahmin "chaplain," the *purohita*, and his royal patron is extremely dangerous to the brahmin's purity, and to his hierarchical position. This is clearly shown by the story of the purohita Vṛśa Jāna and his patron king, Tryaruṇa.⁶³ Once when the king was driving his chariot, he killed by accident a brahmin boy. His purohita Vṛśa has to shoulder the guilt of killing the brahmin boy: "Under thy chaplainship has such an (untoward) thing happened to me," as the *Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa* has the king say to his purohita. Of course, the classical ritual knows how to deal with death. By means of the *vārśa* melody, Vṛśa is able to restore the boy to life. But the story makes clear that the purohita's function is to deal with evil, which would otherwise befall his patron, in the same way as the brahmin, whose original function is not to redress the ritual fault, but "to heal the sacrifice," i.e., to take over the burden of death.