A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism Klaus K Klostermaie

157 sad-äcära
sacrifice
(yajña)
The central act of Vedic religion, considered
indispensable for the continuation
of the world and the well-being of
society and individuals. The Vedas
describe the creation of the world in
terms of a sacrifice and derive the institution
of the four VARŒAS from the sacrifice
of a primeval puru•a (human). In
the course of time the ritual of sacrifice
became very intricate and elaborate,
and the performance of sacrifices
became the prerogative of brahmins,
who received an extensive schooling in
everything pertaining to it. The roles of
various classes of priests were precisely
defined in the sacred books.
Besides the regular routine of sacrifices
(such as new moon and full moon
sacrifices, quarterly seasonal sacrifices,
daily oblations) there were special sacrifices
performed to obtain particular
objectives: thus a person desirous of
going to HEAVEN (after death) was
enjoined to perform a special sacrifice; a
king desirous of establishing his
supremacy over his realm was to perform
a horse sacrifice (aÿvamedha), a
complex ritual stretched out over a
whole year. It is extensively described in
the BRÄHMAŒAS, and has received a
great deal of attention from Western
Indologists. The last recorded aÿvamedha
was performed in the 18th
century by a Rajput king.
Sacrifices were believed to provide
strength to the gods, on whose activities
depended the maintenance of the world.
They were also used to expiate sins and
to gain power. The sacrifice was supposed
to have a great hidden power
(prabhäva) which could become dangerous
if not handled properly by brahmins.
Animals (especially goats), liquor
(especially the fermented juice of the
SOMA plant), plants and cooked FOOD
(especially barley cakes) were the ingredients
of Vedic sacrifices. Killing an
animal in a sacrifice was not considered
an act of violence (hiƒsä), since it was
prescribed by the Veda and conferred
on the victim the privilege of a higher
REBIRTH. Some animals such as the
camel or the donkey were not considered
suitable for sacrifice: they were
believed to be lacking medha, the sacrificial
substance.
The puru•amedha (human sacrifice)
was ranked as the highest among the
Vedic sacrifices, imitating the primordial
sacrifice of the primeval puru•a. Its
protective power was considered so
great that in ancient times no bridge
was considered safe unless a human
being had been sacrificed and built into
its foundations.
Human sacrifice was a major feature
of the Goddess religions of India.
Several Puräæas have lengthy descriptions
of the ritual of human sacrifice,
and there are historic records of regular
human sacrifices in places such as
Kämäkhyä (Assam), a centre of DEVÏ
worship, and in Tanjore (Tamilnäõü)
far into the 19th century.
An important aspect of all sacrifices
is the intention or purpose of the sacrifice
(yajñänta) and the fee given to the
officiating priest (dak•iæa). The gifts
given to brahmins for their services
were often considerable: cattle, houses,
land, entire villages.
Under the influence of Buddhism
and Jainism many Hindu communities
abandoned animal sacrifices and substituted
offerings of fruit, flowers and
vegetables to honour the gods. (See also
AGNICAYANA; PÜJÄ.)
sad-äcära
(‘ethics’, ‘right behaviour’)
Seen as an essential ingredient of all
religion by Hindus. The specific
sadäcära of various saƒpradäyas
(sects) also contains dietary and liturgical
precepts, which vary from one to
the other.