The Religion of the Veda: The Ancient Religion of India (from Rig-Veda to Upanishads) c7.17

Language: English

c7.17

What a comparison! The petty sacrificial post (*svaru*), destined to hold fast an animal victim, gaudily ornamented with paint—it is described technically as having a knob for a head, along with sundry other barbaric beauties—brings us down with a thud from heaven to the mockeries of the sacrifice. Our good friend the poet is after all a monger in technical rites who cannot, even in the moment of his inspiration, quite forget his trade. Lest we think that just this particular poet has nodded for a moment, another hymn repeats the, to us, offensive comparison:

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