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108 Rajendralala Mitra— 0» Human Sacrifices in Ancient India. \J$ . 1 



10. " A Brahmana is sacrificed to Brahma.'* Brahma is verily 

 Brahmana ; Brahma thrives through Brahmana. To the Kshatriya (divi- 

 nity) a (person of the) Bajanya (caste), (should he sacrificed). The Ksha- 

 triya is verily Bajanya. The Kshatra thrives through, a Kshatra. To the 

 Maruts a Vaisya (should be sacrificed). The Visa istheMaruts. The Visas 

 thrive through the Visas. To Tapas (the presiding divinity of penances), a 

 S'lidra (should be sacrificed). Tapas is verily S'udra. Tapas thrives through 

 Tapases (works of penance). Even as these gods thrive through these 

 animals (victims), so do they, thriving, cause the institutor of the sacrifice 

 to thrive in all his wishes.f 



11. "Offers oblation with butter. The butter is verily vigour. 

 Through that vigour, vigour is given to this (institutor of the sacrifice)! 

 Offerings are given with butter, which is the gods' most favourite glory ; and 

 since butter promotes their favourite glory, they, thriving, cause the insti- 

 tutor of the sacrifice to thrive in all his wishes, t 



12. " The persons appointed. The Brahma, from the south, praises 

 the great male Narayana, with the sixteen Rig verses beginning with Sahag- 

 srasirsha &c. (the Purushasukta), for verily the whole of the Purushamedha 

 is sixteen membered for the attainment of everything, and for the 

 subjugation of everything; and he is praised with the words, "thus 

 thou art, thus thou art." In this way he is worshipped for certain. Now. 

 as it is, this is said about it, the animals are consecrated by turning 

 a flaming brand round them, but left unslaughtered," (asanjwvptah)§ 

 [Katyayana explains that the Brahmanas &c, are let loose, like the Kapinjala 

 bird in the Asvamedha ^ar^ae.—Kapinjalddi-vadutsrijanti Brahmanddin ; 

 and his commentator adds, " after a flaming brand has been turned round 

 them :" paryagnikritanutsrijantityarthaTi.~\ 



* A quotation .from the Sanhita. 



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