The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c27.s7.40.1

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.