Written by London Swaminathan
Date: 3 October 2017
Time uploaded in London-21-57
Post No. 4268
Pictures shown here are taken from various sources such as Facebook friends, Books, Google and newspapers; thanks.
Purushamedha Yajna-Human Sacrifice
Following is the third and last part of 179 victims as given in the Taittiriya Brahmana; first two parts and the introduction about Sunashepa episode are given in the past three days. Please read from ‘Sunashepa Episode: Golden carpet and Silver Chariot to Brahmins’—article.
91.To the mentally wrathful, a blacksmith, or one who works at a forge
93, to him who presides over griefs, a groom who runs before a chariot
94.To the two who preside over gains above or below, one’s expectation (Utkula and Vikula), a cripple who cannot move even with the help of a crutch
95, him who presides over expected profits, one who harnesses a horse to chariot
96, to him who protects gains, one who unharnesses a horse i
97, to the portly.bodied, the son of one who is addicted to her toilet;
98, to him who presides over politeness, one who puts collyrium on his eyes
99, to the divinity of sin, a maker of leather sheaths for swords;
100, to Yama (the destroyer of life), a barren woman.
101, To Yami, a mother of twins
102., to the goddesses woo preside over, the mantras of the Atharva Veda, a woman who had aborted;
- to the divinity of the first year of Jupiter’s cycle, woman who is confined long after due time
104.To that of the second year ditto, one who has not conceiveds for the second time;
105, the third year of ditto, one who is able to bring on delivery before due time;
106, to that of the fourth year ditto, one who can delay delivery
- to that of the fifth year ditto, one who becomes lean without delivery
108, to one who produces a misleading impression of the world, a woman who appears old in youth
- to the divinity of forests, a forest ranger or keeper
110.To the divinity of a side forest, one who protects forests from fire.
- To the divinities of the lakes, a fisherman who catches fish both in water and also from the bank
112.To those of ponds, one who catches fishes with hooks.
113.to those of bays, one who earns his livelihood with a net
114, to those female divinities, who presides over waters amidst prairies, one who earns his livelihood with fishing hooks
- To the divinity of the further bank, a Kaivarta, or one who hunts fish from the banks
116.to that of the near bank, a Mérgira (or one who catches fish with his hands only)
117, to the divinities of fords, one who catches fish with by putting up stakes in waters
- To those who preside over other than fords, one who earns his livelihood by catching fish with nets
- to those who preside over sounding waters, one who catches fish by poisoning them with poisoned leavesplaced in the water.
- To those of caverns in mountains, a Kirata (hunter)
121, To those of peaks of mountains, a Yambhaka;
122, to those mountains, a Kimpurusha.
- To the divinity of echoes, a news-dealer
124.To that of sounds, an incoherent speaker
125, to that of fading sounds, one who speaks much;
126.To that of unending sound, a dumb person
127, to that of loud sound, a player on the Veena
- To that of musical sound, a player on the flute
129, to that of all kinds of sounds, a trumpeter than a blower of conch shells
131, to those of who preside over the of seasons, one whose profession is to collect fragments of skins
132.To those of statesmanship (or of time, place and opportunities, for peace negotiations, a preparer of musical instruments with leather.
- To the goddess presiding over abhorrence, a (man of the) Paulkasa (caste)
134, to the goddess of affluence, one who is always careful or wakeful,
135, to that of indigence, a careless or sleepy person
- To that of scales (or weighing instruments), a purchaser
137.To the god presiding over the radiance of jewels, a goldsmith
- to the Visvedevus, a leper
139.To the divinity of diseases other than leprosy, a naturally lean person
140.To the goddess of motion, a scadal monger
141, to that of prosperity one who is not impudent
142, to the god of decay, one who splits wood
143, To the divinity of mirth, a loose woman
144.To that of song, a player on the Vina or a songster
should be sacrificed
145.To that of aquatic animals a Sabbulya (one whose body is brindled, or has two colours, a piebald woman
- To that of congratulatory words, a woman of perfect form
147.To that of dancing, one who plays on flutes, one who leads the octave in a chorus and one who beats time with his hands.
148.To that of manifest delight, one who invites people to a dance, or one who makes a sound to indicate the cessation of a dance.
149.to that of internal delight, on plays on the talava (a musical instrument, probably the archetype of the modern table) or one who produces music from his mouth.
- To the divinity of gambling with dice, a proficient gambler
- To that of the Krita age, a keeper of a gambling hall
152, to that of the Treta age, a marker or reckoner at a gambling table
- To that of the Dwapara age, one who is a spectator at a gambling table
- To that of the Kali age, one who does not leave a gambling hall even after the play has stopped,
155.To that of difficult enterprises, a teacher of gymnastics on the tip of a bamboo:
156, to that of roads, a brahmachari (bachelor)
157.To the Pisachas, one who commits robberies on public highways and then hides in mountain:
158, to the goddess of thirst, one who skins cattle:
159, To that of sin, a cattle poisoner
160, To that of hunger, a cow butcher
161, To the goddess of hunger and thirst, one who lives by begging beef from a butcher
162, To the divinity of land, a cripple who moves about on a crutch
163.To that of fire, a chandala
164 to that of the sky, one whose profession is to dance on the top of a bamboo
- To that of the celestial region, a bald person
- to the presiding divinity of the sun, a green-eyed person
167, To the divinity of the moon, one who twinkles his eyes too frequently.
168.To the presiding divinity of the stars, one affected with white leprous blotches
169, to that of day, an albino with tawny eyes
170, To that of night, a black person with tawny eyes.
171.To the goddess of speech, a fat person
172, to Vayu, the five vital airs- Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, samana of that person
173.To Surya should be immolated his eyes
174, to Grandrma, his mind
175.To the regents of the quarters his ears;
176 his life, to Prajipati.
- 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 glaring eyed persons.
178, to the goddess for unattainable (and) objects of hope a woman who has passed the age of conception
179.And to the goddess of hope for unattainable (and) objects, a virgin. -Taittiriya-Brahmana
On the above Apastamba remarks “The is a penta- diurnal; a Brahman or a Kshatriya should celebrate it. He thereby acquires strength and vigour; be enjoys all fruition.
My comments:
The list should not be taken literally; as usual the seers speak in mysterious language. Human sacrifice did not happen at any time in Hindu History whereas the aboriginal tribes had practised them till recently.
The list shows that we are talking about a highly skilled and highly organised, high thinking people. They are not nomads or pastoral. The references to doctor, astronomer, musicians, musical instruments, chariots, speech (Vak) etc show that they were city dwellers.
The words and gods they use to describe certain qualities or virtues, show that they were far superior in thinking to Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese and Mayans even if we take the period of Brahmanas is around 1000 BCE.
But 50 foreign “scholars” who scrutinised Vedas word by word, sentence by sentence never did it for any other religious book. They did it to justify whatever said in those book but not to oppose it. This shows their true colours and motive.
Those “scholars” (in fact idiots or cunning rascals) never agreed even on a single mantra of the 10,000 Rig Vedic mantras. Leave alone the huge Brahmana literature, which came before the unhistorical Moses, Greek Homer and others. Latin and Tamil did not exist at that time.
Foreigners fooled Indians by placing the Vedas in 1200 BCE and Brahmanas in 1000 BCE. A big difference in or a big jump in knowledge or rituals or approach or thinking process. This is impossible to achieve for “pastoral nomads”. Brahmana literature is encyclopaedic. They talk in decimal numbers and they have big mathematical calculations for erecting Fire Altars. They went to Egypt and helped them in erecting pyramids (For proof, please read my article Did Indians build Egyptian Pyramids?)
In short whatever the foreigners said about Vedas or the Vedic Hindus or their age, shouldn’t be believed.
Hindus should convene scholarly conferences and take mantra by mantra and write down all available Hindu interpretations. Even before Sayana we have several interpretations. More over the lost (huge) Vedic literature must be taken into accounts; the fragments are still available in other literature.
Even for this list I have depended only on foreign translations; one would never know whether they have corrupted the texts or translations to suit their needs!
Please read all the connected articles for my views on the subject. They have been posted in the past one week.
Source book: The Vedas and Brahmanas, J Murdoch,Caxton Publications, Published 100 years ago.
–Subham–
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Tamil and Vedas 