The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c27.s7.40

Language: English

v1.c27.s7.40.1

The Hotṛ must from his name have been originally at once the performer of the offering and the speaker of any words which accompanied it, but the distinction between the two portions of the functions of the Hotṛ must have developed quite early, perhaps even before the close of the Indo-Iranian period. In the Vedic ritual text-books a fundamental distinction is drawn between two kinds of offerings, which are called Yajatayas and Juhotayas respectively: in the former there is but one speaker and actor, who is, however, called Adhvaryu, not Hotṛ, from the more important side of his functions; in the latter there is, beside the Adhvaryu who performs the manual acts, the Hotṛ to recite. The extent of the function of the Hotṛ varies very greatly: in a large number of offerings the only verses which he has to repeat are the Puronuvākyā and the Yājyā. The first is a verse addressed to the god inviting him to be present at the offering to be made to him; the latter is said just at the end when the Adhvaryu is about to throw the offering into the fire; after it the Hotṛ says the word Vauṣaṭ, of doubtful sense and meaning,¹ and thereafter often a brief formula addressed to the god bidding him enjoy the offering, terminating with Vauṣaṭ again, the whole phrase forming the ‘secondary Vaṣaṭ’ (*anu-vaṣaṭkāra*) which is constantly referred to in the sacrifice.

v1.c27.s7.40.2

The Yājyā verse is preceded by the word *ye yajāmahe*, and it is very possible that it is merely a development from it: but at least in the Rigveda there were series of such verses composed. The Puronuvākyās seem to have been later in development, though some may be seen in the Rigveda. In their place often are found longer recitations such as accompany the main offerings of the Soma: there is a peculiarity in the verses thus used which suggests that the ritual in its development still retained traces of its older form. In the hymns used are inserted Nivids, apparently also called Madas, which are invitations to the god with an enumeration of his titles to come and intoxicate himself with the Soma. These Nivids, as they are preserved to us, are of undoubtedly later composition than the hymns of the Rigveda, but it is perfectly reasonable to believe that in principle they represent the oldest form of the invitation to the gods.² We may conceive a time when the Nivid and the mere formula *ye yajāmahe* represented the whole of the words of the Hotṛ, but we have no clear ground on which to trace the precise development of the form of the ritual.

v1.c27.s7.40.3

The Adhvaryu in his turn has a certain number of formulae, normally in prose, to repeat as the several acts of the sacrifice proceed, in order to avert evil and invoke prosperity, but his main duty must have at first been, and even in the later ritual was, the management of the practical part of the offering, the preparation of the cakes and the straining and purifying of the Soma, the arranging of the many utensils, and the actual pouring of the offerings in the fire appropriate to each. In this work he had the constant aid of the Agnīdh, whose name denotes him as specially concerned with the kindling of the fire. This priest with the Adhvaryu, the Hotṛ, and the Brahman to oversee it all, managed many of the lesser offerings, and he was specially in these cases concerned with the keeping of fire burning, but naturally did much else beside. The position in which he stood to the Adhvaryu is neatly shown by the procedure, which was gone through before the Hotṛ said his Yājyā verse: he must be told to do so by the Adhvaryu, but before this takes place the Adhvaryu must address the Agnīdh with the words, ‘Om: make him hear’, to which the Agnīdh replies solemnly, ‘Be it so. Let him hear’. The episode is deliciously significant of the absurdities of the developed ritual.³ The close union of the two priests is perhaps the explanation of the two Adhvaryus in the list of priests already mentioned, though in the later tradition the second was the Pratiprasthātṛ.