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| Yajnya Shaala (Place of ritual) |
In the previous episodes, I have been talking about various things preparing a ground for the final act namely the Vedic ritual. As we discussed in the very beginning, the ritual part of the Vedas is described by the Brahmana part of the Vedas. They contain elaborate step by step instructions for conducting a typical Vedic ritual.
Before I start off, let me clarify some things. In contrast to what many people believe, most of the fire rituals that are conducted today in Indian temples and households are not really Vedic rituals. They have some similarities but they are not strictly Vedic. They are later developments in what we call as Hinduism today. Actual Vedic rituals are rarely conducted in India today. There are some families in southern Indian states like Kerala, that still try to keep the tradition alive and perform some of the Vedic rituals over generations. But they are gradually becoming almost a relic of the past.
The Brahmanas describe varieties of fire rituals that could run for a day or may be several days or even a complete year. It is a massive affair needing dozens of experts working in a well-coordinated fashion. Normally some rich man or a King sponsors such an affair. He is called the Yajamana. Experts from all four Vedas are employed, each playing their respective role.
Unlike the fire rituals that are performed these days, a typical Vedic ritual is conducted in temporary enclosures. These shelters are meant only for that purpose and are completely destroyed at the end of the ritual – probably for the same secrecy reasons that I talked about a few episodes ago.
I am following one of the well-known texts namely the Satapata Brahmana which forms a part of White Yajur Veda for my discussion. I am also choosing one of the well-known rituals called Soma Yaga as a typical case. I will also restrict myself to discussing only some salient and interesting aspects of this ritual. So, let us start.
First and foremost is to setup a temporary shelter for conducting the fire ritual. The texts say that this shelter should be erected in a place that is ‘pleasant to the Devas’. Afterall, as I said earlier, every fire ritual is a communion with these heavenly beings that descend on invitation through the Vedic Mantras and rituals. They are the guests of honor and obviously, the place has to be agreeable to them. The place could be an elevated place, may be on the banks of some water body, surrounded by lush greenery and so on. Basically, it should please the Devas.
This shelter has mainly two halls. The bigger one is called the Maha Vedi or the Larger hall. This is rectangular in shape with its longer side aligned along East-West direction. On the eastern end of this hall, a place is reserved for the construction of the main fire altar that we discussed a few episodes ago. This altar could be in the shape of a falcon, ready to soar high in the sky, or it could be in the shape of a turtle with its limbs stretched outside its shell, or it could even be circular in shape like a chariot wheel. We discussed all these shapes, a few episodes ago. On the eastern edge of this hall, poles called Yupa would be erected later on. These poles are meant to tie the sacrificial animals before they are sacrificed.
Just behind the main altar, i.e. towards the west and almost in the center of the hall is a chamber called Soma Hall. This chamber would house the carts needed to bring the Soma. What this Some is, we will be discussing in next episode.
Just behind the Soma hall, i.e. to the west of it, is a small hall meant for various priests to sit and recite the mantras. This is called the recitation hall or the so called Sadas.
This is roughly the layout of the main or larger hall.
To the west of this larger hall, there is also a smaller hall called western hall. This hall houses three smaller fire altars. There will be a square shaped altar on the extreme east called the Aahavaniya. To the west of this fire altar there would a circular fire altar called Gaarhapatya. Then just to the south of these two altars, there would be a semicircular fire altar called Daakshinaagni. As we discussed few episodes ago, the areas of these three altars should be same. That is where all kind of geometric skills and mathematics come handy. These altars are used for various purposes as dictated by the text.
And finally, there would be a small chamber in the extreme west, meant for the wife of the Yajamana. Obviously, it is called Patnisaala or wife’s chamber. During the entire period of the ritual, both Yajamana and his wife are supposed to live in the precincts of the ritual halls.
In addition to all these main areas there are several other places ear marked for various purposes – place to eat the meals, place to rest and so on. So, it is a self-contained enclosure for all those involved in the ritual throughout the period of the ritual.
Probably, I should mention that only the people qualified to perform Vedic rituals are allowed entry into these halls. Others are strictly prohibited. The general public, if at all, can only watch from a distance far from these halls. So, there is always a shroud of secrecy.
Let us continue, assuming that the halls are setup. The priests and the Yajamana along with his wife enter the halls. Even this entry is an elaborate affair. I will skip all that.
What next? We will see that in the next episode.
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A series discussing the most ancient of the Indian scriptures, nay the world scriptures namely the Vedas. © Dr. King, Swami Satyapriya 2021
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