96 Bajendralala Mitra— On Human Sacrifices in Ancient India. [No. 1 



of the Big Veda have been attemped to be divorced from their commentary 

 in the Aitareya Brahmana may be fairly brought to bear upon it. 



As the passage in the Taittiriya is a curious one, though long, I shall 

 quote it entire, pointing out within brackets in the foot notes the differen- 

 ces observable in the Vajasaneyi Sanhita. It runs thus : 



I. " To a (divinity of the) Brahman (caste), a Brahmana should be 

 sacrificed (dlabhate) ; 2. To a (divinity of the) Kshatriya (caste), a Ksha- 

 triya ; 3. To the Maruts, a Vaisya ; 4. To Tapas (the divinity presiding over 

 penances), a S'udra ; 5. To Tamas (the presiding divinity of darkness) a thief • 

 6. To Naraka (the divinity of hells), a Virana (one who blows out sacrificial 

 fires) ; 7. To Papaman (the divinity of sins), a hermaphrodite (or a eunuch) ; 

 8. To Akraya (the divinity of commerce), an Ayogu (one who acts against 

 the ordinances of the S'astra) ; 9. To Kama (the divinity of love), a courtezan • 

 10. To Atikrushta (a detested divinity), a Magadha (the son of a Vaisya 

 by a Kshatriya woman)* ; 



II. To Gita (the divinity of music), a Suta or musician (the son of a 

 Kshatriya by a Brahmana woman) ; 12. To Nritta (the divinity of dancing), 

 one who lends his wife to another (a cuckold) f ; 13. To Dharma (the 

 divinity of duty), one who frequents assemblies and preaches morality ; 14. 

 To Narma (the divinity of humour), a wit ; 15. To Narishta (a dependent 

 goddess), a coward ; 16. To Hasa (the divinity of laughter), a person of 

 an ambling gait; 17. To Ananda (the divinity of delight), a favourite of 

 women; 18. To Pramada (the divinity of joy), the son of an unmarried 

 woman ; 19. To Medha (the goddess of intelligence), a coach-builder ; 20. To 

 Dhairya (the divinity of patience), a carpenter (carver) ;J 



21. To S'rama (the divinity of labour), the son of a potter ; 22. To Maya 

 (the divinity who delights in art), a blacksmith ; 23. To Kiipa (the divinity 

 of beauty), a jeweller ; 24. To the divinity of prosperity, an agriculturist 

 (sower of seeds, vapa) ; 25. To Saravyi (the divinity of arrows), an arrow- 

 maker ; 26. To Heti (the goddess of arms), a bow-maker; 27. To Karma 

 (the divinity of art-work), a bowstring-maker ; 28. To Dishta, a maker of 



f The Vajasaneyi Sanhita, assigns the Suta to Nritta, and the cuckold to Grita. 



