Vol. Ill, No. 4,] Some Notes on the Vedic Sacrifices, 

 [N.S.'j 



203 



An Account of the Priests in the Yedic Ceremonials 



are not required in most of the sacrifices. 

 Sattra. Here we sliould note that 



e all found in 



a 



m 



It has been observed before, that in all the sacrifices the 

 Brahmanas alone should oflBciate as priests. But we shonld carefully 

 distingiiish theBrahnianaRtvik or the officiating piiests (1st) from 

 the sacrificer himself and (2nd) from the other agents that are nei- 

 ther sacrificers nor priests. To the latter class belonged the superin- 

 tendent of the sacrificial compound, viz.y the Sadasya, the few Cha- 

 masadwaryus, the f amita or the Slaughterman, the seller of the 

 Soma creeper and such other minor functionaries. 



The maximum number of priests is sixteen; but all of them 



They 

 a Sattra the priests 

 are the sacrificers as well, ^.e., all the sixteen priests together 

 with the Grihapati or the householder have an equal and full 

 share in the fruit of a Sattra. It is for this reason that such duties 

 as (Dakshinadana) the bestowing of the priest's remuneration or 

 (Rtvig-varana) the ceremony for formally choosing the priests, are 

 not seen in a Sattra. Because, these duties are only meant for 

 persuading or creating an interest for the priest -who have, of 

 course, no share in the fruit of the other kind of sacrifices. In a 

 corn sacrifice like the Dar^apurnamasa there are only four priests, 

 viz : — the Adhyarju, the Hota, the Agnidhra and the Brahma. 



The sixteen priests have, of course, respective duties assigned 

 to each. Here I give a table which will explain the ordinary duties 

 of each of these sixteen priests, together with the share of the 

 residue of the Soma juice, to which each of these are entitled at the 

 completion of a sacrifice, and also to which of the four Vedas do 

 they severally belong. 



^_ ^H -r 



The full share-holders 

 The half share-holders 



The one-third share- 

 holders. 



The one-fonth share- 

 holders. 



o 





c3 -^ 



EH 



C5 



m > 











to L 



Adhyaryn... I Brahma 



# ■ t 



Pratipras 

 thuta. 



Neshta 



Unneta 



> • 



Brahmana- 

 chhansi. 



Agnidhra... 



Potii 



o 



IS • 



^ S 



^ o 



ce 



> 



Udgata 



« » « 



Pratiharta 



33 



s 



d> 



c3 



> 



Prastota ... 





Hots. 



Maitravar- 

 una. 



Sabramhan- 



Achchha 

 vaka. 



Grivastafc 



Here it is interesting to note that in a Soma sacrifice the 

 priests used to drink the residue of the Juice left after the oblatioTj 



