History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c52.20

v3.c52.20

Jaimini in several *adhikaraṇas* deals with the śruti texts about Vājapeya. They may be briefly indicated here. In I. 4. 6–8 he shows that in the sentence 'one desiring to secure overlordship should sacrifice with Vājapeya' the word Vājapeya is the name of a rite (*karmanāmadheya*) and that that sentence does not lay down some subordinate matter (such as what material is to be used) in the model sacrifice and that the word vājapeya does not mean gruel or similar substance. In Jai. III. 1. 18 it is said that the text 'of the Vājapeya the yūpa is 17 aratnis' means that the yūpa required for the sacrifice of animals in the Vājapeya is to be 17 aratnis high and not that any other thing like the Ṣoḍaśīpātra was to be 17 aratnis. When the Tai. Br. (I. 3. 4) says that seventeen animals are to be killed for Prajāpati, they are 17 separate yāgas and not one rite ( *karma* ). When it is said that caru is prepared in milk in seventeen śarāvas ( pots ), the method of taking out handfuls of grains ( as in darśapūrṇamāsa ) is not applicable. Jai. says ( in XI. 4. 30 ) that the vessel ( kumbhī ), the śūla and the spit for roasting the omentum are the same for all the victims, that the omentum of the victim for Prajāpati is not sprinkled with the ājya remaining after the prayāja offerings are made ( IV. 1. 33-39 ) and that the chariot which was occupied by the sacrificer is to be specially given to adhvaryu and not any one of the seventeen chariots i. e. there is a restrictive rule about the share in chariots for the adhvaryu, while there is none as to the other priests ( X. 3. 74-75 ).²⁶⁴³