The Efficacy of Sacrifice Clemens Cavallin THE EFFICACY OF SACRIFICE THE EFFICACY OF SACRIFICE Correspondences in the Àgvedic Br¡hmaªas by Clemens Cavallin Göteborg 2003 Skrifter utgivna vid Institutionen för religionsvetenskap, Göteborgs Universitet Nr. 29 © Clemens Cavallin 2003 ISSN 1102-9773 ISBN 91-88348-29-6 Göteborg University Department of Religious Studies Box 200 405 30 Göteborg Sweden For Natalie, Gabriel, Rafael and Monica Contents Contents ............................................................................................................ VII Acknowledgements .............................................................................................XI Abbreviations ...................................................................................................XIII Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Issues............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Delimitation of the material............................................................. 9 1.3 Àgvedic Br¡hmaªas....................................................................... 13 1.3.1 Chronology............................................................................................................. 13 1.3.2 Editions and translations ........................................................................................ 14 1.3.3 Contents of the Àgveda Br¡hmaªas ....................................................................... 15 1.4 Method......................................................................................... 18 1.5 Previous research ......................................................................... 21 Sacrificial Theory ............................................................................................... 35 2.1 Evolutionary theories of sacrifice.................................................... 36 2.2 Sociology of sacrifice .................................................................... 40 2.3 Psychology of sacrifice .................................................................. 43 2.4 The discarding and reappearance of evolutionary explanations............ 45 2.5 Sacrifice as dependent upon the mind .............................................. 51 How the Correspondences are Expressed ......................................................... 63 3.1 Different ways of expressing correspondences .................................. 63 3.2 Nominal Sentences ........................................................................ 65 3.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 65 3.2.2 The nature of nominal sentences............................................................................. 66 3.2.3 Complete identification........................................................................................... 74 3.2.4 The sharing of characteristics — partial identification............................................ 79 3.2.5 Inclusion in a class .................................................................................................. 82 3.2.6 Predication of a function or role.............................................................................. 83 3.2.7 Causal relation......................................................................................................... 84 3.2.8 Word order .............................................................................................................. 85 3.2.9 Variants of nominal sentences in AiB..................................................................... 92 3.3 Verbal sentences ........................................................................... 97 3.3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 97 3.3.2 Sentences with copula ............................................................................................. 98 3.3.3 Dative ...................................................................................................................... 99 3.3.4 Instrumental............................................................................................................. 99 3.4 Words that indicate correspondences ..............................................100 VII 3.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 100 3.4.2 Bandhu ................................................................................................................. 100 3.4.3 R±pa ..................................................................................................................... 102 3.4.4 µyatana................................................................................................................. 103 3.5 Myth ...........................................................................................105 3.6 Analogy.......................................................................................107 3.7 Conclusion..................................................................................109 The System of Correspondences in AiB ..........................................................111 4.1 Introductory remarks....................................................................111 4.2 List 1. The frequent correspondences in AiB paĔcik¡ 1–5.................113 4.3 The direction of the correspondences ..............................................122 4.4 The inverted correspondences........................................................127 4.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 127 4.4.2 Agni and g¡yatr¤.................................................................................................... 128 4.4.3 Indra and tri¯°ubh ................................................................................................. 129 4.4.4 Indra’s vajra and speech........................................................................................ 129 4.4.5 Breath and V¡yu.................................................................................................... 130 4.4.6 Seed and breath ..................................................................................................... 131 4.4.7 Vir¡j and food........................................................................................................ 132 4.4.8 The hymn and the people ...................................................................................... 133 4.5 The most frequent correspondences ................................................133 4.5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 133 4.5.2 Cattle and jagat¤..................................................................................................... 134 4.5.3 Cattle and pairing .................................................................................................. 136 4.5.4 B¬haspati and brahman......................................................................................... 137 4.5.5 Praj¡pati and the year ............................................................................................ 138 4.5.6 Anu¯°ubh and speech............................................................................................ 139 4.5.7 Tri¯°ubh and strength............................................................................................. 140 4.5.8 The libations for pairs of gods as connected to breath.......................................... 141 4.5.9 The hymn and the people; the nivid and the k¯atra............................................... 142 4.5.10 The fivefold sacrifice and the fivefold cattle ...................................................... 142 4.5.11 Sattra................................................................................................................... 143 4.6 Conclusion..................................................................................146 Comparison with Kau¯¤taki Br¡hmaªa .............................................................149 5.1 Introductory remarks.....................................................................149 5.2 List 2. Correspondences that occur in both AiB and KB ...................151 5.3 The direction of the correspondences .............................................158 5.4 Inverted correspondences ..............................................................161 5.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 161 5.4.2 Cattle and the metres: pa©kti, b¬hat¤, jagat¤........................................................... 161 5.4.3 Agni and Ahir budhnyas ....................................................................................... 162 5.4.4 Indra, his vajra and the metre tri¯°ubh.................................................................. 163 5.4.5 Breath and V¡yu.................................................................................................. 164 VIII 5.4.6 The metres and the soma-pressings...................................................................... 165 5.4.7 The prag¡tha s¡man and cattle .............................................................................