History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.9

v5.c71.s1.9

*Ṛta* is distinguished from sacrifice (*yajña*). It is not any particular sacrificial rite itself nor the institution of sacrifice. It stands for the ordered course of sacrifice in general In Ṛg. IV. 3.⁴. Agni is styled *ṛtacit* (conversant with or observing ṛta) and is invoked to know the ṛta (of the sacrifice); in several verses we meet with the words 'ṛtena ṛtam' (e. g. in Ṛg IV. 3.9 ṛtena ṛtam niyatam-iḷa ā goḥ', V. 15.2 'ṛtena ṛtam dharuṇam dhārayanta yajñasya sāke, V. 68.4 ṛtam-ṛtena sapantā 'conforming to or joining ṛta with ṛta', where 'ṛtena' appears to mean the correct course of sacrificial rites and 'ṛtam' the settled order in the universe. Soma is said to be the thread of ṛta spread on the *daśāpavitra* (Ṛg. IX. 73.9 'ṛtasya tantur-vitataḥ pavitra ā). In Ṛg. I 84.4 it is said 'O Indra, drink this (soma) that is extracted ..the streams of the bright (soma) flow towards thee in the seat of ṛta' (i e. in the soma sacrifice) Vide also Ṛg IV 1 13—(asmākam-atra pitaro manuṣyā abhi pra sedur-ṛtam-ā śuśānāḥ) 'in this world former men, our ancestors, approached ṛta etc', Ṛg I 71 3 (dadhannṛtam dhanayannasya dhītim-ādidaryo)' Ṛg. X 67 2 (ṛtam śamsanta ṛju dīdhyānā yajñasya dhāma prathamam mananta) 'the Aṅgirasas,, declaring the ṛta and reflecting straightforwardly first thought of the abode of Yajña', Ṛg. X 37 1 (maho devāya tad-ṛtam saparyata, 'offer this ṛta to the great God')