180 
Rajendralala Mitra — Beef in Ancient India. 
[No. 2, 
for holding the liver (vapdsrapami). The former next sanctifies the animal 
by a mantra, and the Agnidhra places before the immolator the burning 
brand which is cast aside by the Adhvaryu, who orders the immolation with 
an appropriate mantra ending with the word sanjnapaya “ immolate.” The 
immolator now casts the animal on spread lcusa grass so as to have its 
head towards the west, and the feet pointing towards the north, and com- 
pletes the slaughter, saying at the end “ it is immolated” (sanjnapta). The 
institutor of the sacrifice and the priests should sit during the operation 
with their faces averted, so as not to behold the . sanguinary work, and the 
Adhvaryu should go on making expiatory offerings to obviate the evils likely 
to ariso from the victims lowing, or shivering, or attempting to run away, or 
dying by natural causes during the ceremony. A number of mantras, most- 
ly from the Sanhitas of the Rig and the Yajur Vedas are given for the various 
operations and offerings mentioned, as also for an interminable and unsuffer- 
ably tedious series of offerings which are to follow the immolation ; but it 
would be foreign to the subject of this paper, to describe them here. I must, 
therefore, refer the curious to the MS. from which these details have been 
taken. 
That the animal slaughtered was intended for food, is evident from the 
directions given in the AVvalayana Sutra to eat of the remains of the 
offering ; but to remove all doubt on the subject I shall quote here a passage 
from the Taittiriya Brahmana, in which the mode of cutting up the victim 
after immolation is described in detail ; it is scarcely to be supposed that the 
animal, would be so divided if there was no necessity for distribution. The 
passage runs thus : “ celestial and human executioners, (Samitara) commence 
your work ; carry the victim for the purpose of cutting it up. Anxious to 
divide the victim for the masters of the ceremony, collect the ulmuJca fire for 
the animal brought here (to the shambles). Spread the kus^i grass ; obtain 
the permission of the mother, of the father, of the uterine brother, of the friend- 
ly members of the herd of the victim. Place it so that its feet may point 
towards the north ; let the eyes reach the sun ; let its vital airs attain the 
regent of the wind ; let the ears attain the regents of the quarters ; let its 
life reach the ether above ; let its body abide on the earth. Separate its 
hide so that it may remain entire (without rents). Before cutting open 
the naval separate the fat. Close its breath that it may remain within ; 
(i. e. by tying up the mouth). Cut open its breast so as to make it appeal' 
like an eagle (with spread wings). Separate the forearms ; divide the arms 
into spokes ; cut out the shoulders (clods) in the form of tortoises ; remove 
the hips (rumps) so as not to injure them ; divide the thighs (rounds) 
with the bone entire in the shape of a door, or of the leaf of the oleander ; 
separate successively in order the 2G ribs ; divide the different members 
so that none be less than what it should be. Dig a trench for burying the 
