for students of BA III Sem BHU

2. LaterVedic Period
• Time of great many changes
changes in the status of Gods
complexities in ritual performances
specialized class
novel concepts
Upanishads

3. To invoke
Gods
To grant
victory in
battle
Acquisition
of cattle
Boon for
sons &
prosperity
Panch
mahayajnas
for cultural
duties
LaterVedic Sacrifices

4. Sacrifices
• Baldeva Upadhyaya
• Atharvaveda:
• Shautra Sutra & Guhya Sutra
• Yajurveda:
• Satapath Brahman:
• Aitereya Brahman:
• Taitriya Samhita:

5. Meaning ofYajna
Spiritual meaning Religious meaning Scientific meaning
It’s a process to awaken
hidden self fire in man.
Mode to please Gods. Cyclical & Continuous
process
Concept of Edam na mam:
Nothing is mine
Tool to express religious
faith.
Maintains natural balance.
Yajna offering: Swaha
Meaning sacrificing one’s
selfish mind & motives.
Holds the merit of best
good deed.
By cycle ofYajna everything
reaches back to its original
place.

6. Elements ofYajna
1. God :
2. Havya:
3. Mantra:
4. Rtwija:
5. Dakshina:

7. Number of yajnas
• Aitereya Brahaman: 5-
• Smriti texts:

8. Types ofYajnas
• Shrautagni:
• Smartaagni:
Smartagni
PaakYajnas
performed by every
householder
Simple and general
7 in number
Related to
aspirations of
householder
Eg. Marriage, Death
sanskars & rituals
Shrautagni
Performed by
both- Grihpati &
Kings
Large scale
Extensive &
Detailed
Haviryaag & Soma
Yaag

9. Haviryaag
Agnihotra Dashpoornmash Agrayan ishti Chaturmasya Pashubandh Sautramani PitraYaag
Performed
daily
Performed on full
moon & no moon
Agra= first
Ayan=To eat
Done on full
moon of 4th
month
Performed at
beginning of
Uttaranayan-
Dakshinayan
For Sutrama=
Indra
For long
age and
prosperity
Morning-
Evening
Full moon:Agni-
Soma
Offering of fried
ground rice cakes
First eating of new crop
Cant eat them before
this yajna
At the
beginning of
each new
season
Rite of tying
animal for
yajna
Along with
Ashwin &
Saraswati
Of parents
ancestors.
Offering of
Ghee, Rice,
Jowar, Milk
No moon: Agni-
Indra
Offering of milk &
curd
Performed twice a
year.
For Indra & Agni
Jaimini: for
getting milk-
ghee for yajna
Performed at
time of
accession to
throne.
To help Sun Performed by 4
priests
On Poornima &
Amavasya
Others: for
sacrifice
For purpose of
prosperity
Performed
by Janak
Winter: offering of rice
Spring: offering of yav
6 priests Offering of
Jowar & Soma
rasa.

10. SomaYajnas
1. Agnishtoma
Pikir grant
inscription mentions that Pallava kings did it.
2. Uktha:
3. Kshodashi:
4. Vajpeya: Pikir grant inscription
mentions that Pallava kings did it.
5. Rajsooya: Kharvela of Kalinga,
Pushyamitra Sunga performed it.
6. Ashwamedha:
7. Agnichayan:
8. Purushmedha:

11. VajpeyaYajna
• Taitiriya Brahman:
• Aashwalayan:

12. RajsooyaYajna

13. AshwamedhaYajna
• Shatpath &Taitiriya Brahman:
• Historical examples:

14. PurushmedhaYajna
• Shatapath Brahman
• Shatpath Brahman:
• Archaeological evidence Shyenchiti

15. Continuity of Vedic tradition of Yajnas
Archaeological evidence
• Fire altars
• Contents from the sacrificial pit
• Kausambi: Syenchiti
• Jagat gram: Syenchiti
• Purola: Syenchiti
• Coins & Inscriptions bearing titles of kings

16. Syenciti: Purola, Uttarkashi
As told in texts
At Purola
Brick alter identified as Syena chitti by the excavator. The structure is in the shape of a
flying eagle Garuda, head facing east with outstretched wings having a square chamber
in the middle yielded the remains of pottery assignable to circa first century BCE to
second century CE along with a copper coin of Kuninda , few bone pieces and a thin gold
leaf impressed with a human figure identified as Agni.

17. Jagatgram, Dehradoon
• Excavated by, ASI between the year 1952 - 54.
• Excavations revealed remains of three fire altars
and other associated material including inscribed
bricks.
• Fire altar known as Syena chiti (in form of flying
Eagle)
• Sanskrit inscriptions in the late third century CE
Brahmi characters on bricks used in one of the
three Jagatgram altars inform that the king
Silavarman, alias Pona, of Yugasaila, who
belonged to the Vrishagana gotra, performed four
Asvamedha sacrifices here.

18. Ashwamedha yagna of
Yudhisthira

20. Samudragupta’s
Ashvamedha type
coin

21. Kumaragupta’s
Ashvamedha type
coin

22. Dhanadeva-Ayodhya inscription (1st century BCE)
Mentions twoAshvamedha rituals by Pushyamitra Sunga in Ayodhya

23. Hathibada
Ghosundi
Inscriptions
(2nd-1st-
century BCE)

24. Second AshvamedhaYajna by Satavahan king Satkarni I
Naneghat Inscription

25. Kings who performed Ashwamedha

26. Panch Mahayajnas
Panch rinas
Brahma Yajna Pitra Yajna Deva Yajna Bhoot Yajna Nriyajna
Studying
Vedas
By Shraddha
& tarpan
To express
gratitude
towards Gods.
To provide for
all unaware
helpless
beings
For honouring
the guests

27. Upanishads

28. Upanishads
• Rgveda: Aitereya Upanishad, Kaushutaki Upanishad
• Yajurveda: Taitiriya Upanishad, Kathopanishad, Isha Upanishad, Brihadaryanka
Upanishad, Maitrayaniya Upanishad, Shewtashvatar Upanishad
• Samveda: Chhandogya Upanishad, Ken Upanishad
• Atharvaveda: Mundakopanishad, Prashanopanishad, Maandukyaopanishad

29. FromVedas to Upanishads
Vedas
Optimistic
towards
worldly life
Search for
answers
outside
Yajna as mean
Upanishads
Not interested
in worldly
pursuits
Search for
answers within
Knowledge as
mean

30. FromVedas to Upanishads
Polytheism Monotheism Henotheism
Monoism
(Upanishadic
thought)

31. Atma
Rgveda:
Kathopanishada
Chhandogya Upanishad:
Mandukya Upanishad:

32. Supreme
element
Eternal
Beyond Space
Timeless
Sad-chit-anand
BRAHMA

33. BRAHMA
• Brihadaranyak Upanishad-Neti-Neti
• Analysis by negation :
• Three traits of Brahma: Sat-chit-Ananda (being, existence- consciousness-
bliss.
• Names: Prajapati, Purush,Jeystha brahma, Skambha

34. BRAHMA: Conceptual examples
Mundakopanishad: Spider & her web
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:Yajnavalkya-Maitreyi dialogue, Neti Neti,
‘Ahambrahmasmi’
Chhandogya Upanishad: Udalak-Shewtaketu dialogue, Satyakaam Jabal-
Gautam dialogue, ‘Tattvamasi’
Kathopanishad: Nachiketa-Yam dialogue
Kenopanishada: Uma Haimvati aakhyaan

35. • Non absolute
• Bodily self
• Limited
• Stationary
• Iti-Iti
PAR BRAHMA
(Ramanujan stressed on it)
• Absolute
• Formless cosmos
• Limitless
• Extensive
• Neti Neti
APAR BRAHMA
(Shakar Stressed on it)

36. Unity of Atma & Brahma
• Sum and substance of Upanishad’s teaching is evolved in concept of Atma & Brahma.
• Remarkable discovery on part of ancient seers that the two are one and same.
• Both realized as supreme element, truth, knowledge.
• TaitiriyaUpanishad
• BrihadaranyakUpanishad:
• ChhandogyaUpanishad
• BrihadaranyakaUpanishad:
• MandookyaUpanishad:

37. Hand of God ?