History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.958

v4.c63.t2.958

The Tai. Br.¹⁸⁷⁵ (III. 4. 1-19) contains a description of the procedure of human sacrifice. The oldest texts even do not show that a human being was killed. The whole procedure is symbolical. The Vāj. S. (XXX. 5 ff.) has many passages in common with the Tai. Br. The Tai. Br. III. 4. 1 (=Vaj. S. 30. 5) begins, 'the brāhmaṇa should be offered to brahman (spiritual power), the kṣatriya to kṣatra (military power), the vaiśya to the Maruts' &c. Acc. to Āp. Śr. XX. 24, a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya performs this sacrifice, whereby he attains power and valour and all prosperity. There are eleven sacrificial posts and eleven animals to be offered to Agni and Soma. After the rite of *paryagnikaraṇa* is performed on the brāhmaṇa and others, they are presented to the several deities and then discharged from the sacrificial posts, eleven goats are killed and oblations of their flesh and limbs are offered. Acc. to the com. on Vāj. S., it is begun on the 10th day of the bright half of Caitra and goes on for 40 days, which are occupied with 23 *dīkṣās*, 12 *upasads* and five *sutyas* (days on which soma is extracted). After this *yāga*, the *yajamāna* usually resorted to a forest as a sannyāsin.¹⁸⁷⁶