102 Rajendralala Mitra — On Human Sacrifices in Ancient India. [No 1 



177, Now to ugly divinities should be immolated very short, very 

 tall, very lean, very fat, very white, very dark, very smooth, very' hairy 

 few-toothed, numerously-toothed, frequently-twinkling- eyed, and very glar- 

 ing-eyed, persons ; 178, to the goddess for unattainable objects of hope, 

 a woman who has passed the age for conception ; 179, (and) to the goddess 

 of hope for attainable objects, a virgin."* 



In explanation of the purport of this long passage in the Taittiriya 

 Brahmana, Apastamba says : " The Purushamedha is pentadiurnal ; a Brah- 

 mana or a Rajanya (Kshatriya) should celebrate it. He thereby acquires 

 strength and vigour; he enjoys all fruition. (The number of) days 

 should be as in the Panchasaradiya rite, and as a sequel to the Agnishtoma 

 rite, eleven animals, meet for the Agnisomiya, should be tethered to eleven 

 sacrificial posts, and, three oblations to Savitri having been offered with 

 the mantra Deva savitastat savitur visvdni deva savita Sfc, on the middle 

 day they should be sacrificed (or consecrated updkrita). Having sacrificed 

 twice eleven men, reciting the mantra Brahmane BrdJimandn dlahheta, (the 

 priest) places the sacrificed (or consecrated, updJcritd) victims between the 

 sacrificial posts. The Brahma (priest), then placing himself on the south 

 side, recites the hymn to the great male Narayana beginning with the verse 

 sahasra sirsa purusha, Sfc, and, then turning a burning brand round the 

 victims, consigns them to the north; (the other priests), then offering an 

 oblation with clarified butter to the presiding divinity, place them (there). "f 

 Sayana Acharya, after quoting this opinion of Apastamba, and ex- 

 plaining the different terms used in the Brahmana to indicate the different 

 gods and goddesses and the persons deemed meet for them, adds, " the human- 

 formed animals beginning with Brahmana and ending with Virgin, are im- 

 molated (alabdliavydJi) along with the sacrificial animals on the middle day 

 of the five days of this Purushamedha, which is a kind of Somayaga."| 



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