Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
Sundara Pandian
---------------------------------------------
In the daivasura sampad vibhaga yoga ( Chap. XVI ),
Krishna places the performance of yajnas ( sacrifices )
and the study of the Vedas as some of the transcendental
qualities belonging to godly men endowed with divine
nature. ( xvi, 1-3 ). In the same chapter, Krishna
classifies demons announcing with the verse,
dvau bhutasargau loke 'smin daiva asura eva ca |
daivo vistarasah prokta aasuram partha me srnu ||
( xvi, 6 )
[ There are two kinds of beings in this world, the
divine and the demonical; the divine has been
described at length; hear from me, O Partha, of the
demoniacal .]
Included as demons are those who perform sacrifices
disregarding ordinance in the Brahmin religious scriptures.
aatmasambhaavitaah stabdhaa dhandamaanamadaanvitaah |
yajante naamayajnais te dambhena vidhipurvakam ||
( xvi, 17 )
[ Self-complacent and always impudent, deluded by
wealth and false prestige, they sometimes proudly
perform sacrifices in name only, without following
any rules or regulations. ]
What about those who discard the Brahmin religious
scriptures? Krishna calls them as demons, too.
yah saastravidhim utsrjya vartate kaamakaaratah |
na sa siddhim avaapnoti na sukham na paraam gatim ||
( xvi, 23 )
[ He who discards scriptual injunctions and acts
according to his own whims attains neither perfection,
nor happiness, nor the supreme destination .]
Krishna then stresses that the scriptures should be
strictly followed in the next verse.
tasmaac chaastram pramaanam te kaaryaakaaryavyavasthitau |
jnaatva saastravidhaanoktam karma kartum ihaa `rhasi ||
( xvi, 24 )
[ Hence, let the scriptures( Vedas etc.) be your authority
in deciding what ought to be done and what ought not to
be done. Having known what is said in the ordinance of
the scriptures you should act here. ]
In the daivasura sampad vibhaga yoga, it is thus concluded
that one who does not follow the principles laid down in the
scriptures is called an asura, demon, and one who follows the
scriptual injunctions faithfully is called a deva, or demigod.
Arjuna gets a new doubt : What is the fate of those *believers
in God* who do not follow the Brahminical traditions and
beliefs ? This marks the beginning of the next yoga titled
sraddhatraya vibhaga yoga ( Chap. XVII ).
In the sraddhatraya vibhaga yoga ( Chapter XVII ) of the
Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks Krishna about the fate of those
believers in God who do not follow the traditions of
Brahminism :
yE saastravidhim utsrjya yajantE sraddhayaa 'nvitaah |
tEsaam nisthaa tu kaa krsna sattvam aahO rajas tamah ||
( xvii, 1 )
[ What is the position of the devotion of those, O, Krishna,
who though disregarding the ordinances of the scriptures,
offer sacrifices filled with faith ( sraddha ) ? Is it
one of goodness ( sattva ), of passion ( rajas ) or of
dullness ( tamas ) ? ]
But Krishna does not find such faithful people entitled to
liberation. His verdict is :
asaastravihitam ghoram tapyante ye tapo janaah |
dambhaahamkaara samyuktaah kaama raaga balaanvitaah ||
karsayantah sarirastham bhutagraamam acetasah |
maam cai 'vaa' ntahsarirastham taan viddhy aasuraniscayaan ||
( xvii, 5-6 )
[ Those men who perform severe austerities unenjoined by the
Sastras ( Brahmin religious scriptures ) wedded to vanity
and egotism impelled by the force of their desire and
passions ; fools, tormenting the aggregated element forming
the body, and Me, also seated in the inner body, know these
demonical in their resolve. ]
Krishna thus points out that even the slightest deviation
from the recognised Brahminical works is intolerable.
This article will become a book if I am asked to write
all the vedic hymns glorifying animal sacrifices in yajnas.
The vedas are indeed very rich in hymns glorifying animal
sacrifices in yajnas and graphic details are given in them.
- S.Pandian
s...@cec1.WUSTL.edu
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Sandeep Kulkarni
> Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
> ---------------------------------------------
yagnas and hence are the only ones who offer sacrifices (animals).
But I really haven't seen that depicted in Ramayana etc where they have all
kinds of yagnas. All the yagnas just show offerings of food , ghee etc.
Sandeep.
A.Varshneya
>From article <1992Sep2.0...@wuecl.wustl.edu>, by s...@cec1.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian):
>> Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
>> ---------------------------------------------
>kinds of yagnas. All the yagnas just show offerings of food , ghee etc.
>
'sacrifices' is very misleading ( I say this because many posts in this
thread seem to imply this translation ). Yagya, as I know it, does not
mean sacrificing ( to mean 'killing' ) animals.
Atul
m vishnu
(In my opinion) the Bhagavad Gita is actually attacking the Vedic
religion in the earlier parts. For example, consider the following verses:
II:42
This flowery discourse which
The ignorant ones procleam, Son of Prtha
Delighting in the letter of the Veda
And saying "there is nothing else,"
II:43
Being of desirous natures, intent on heaven,
Offering rebirth as the fruit of action,
Addicted to many specific rites,
Aimed at the goal of enjoyment and power;
II:44
To those (the ignorant ones) attached
to enjoyment and power,
Whose thought is stolen away by this discourse,
Resolute-natured insight
In meditation is not granted.
II:45
The Vedas are such that their scope is
confined to the three gunas;
Be free from those three gunas, Arjuna
....
II:46
As much value as there is in a well
When water is flooding on every side,
So much is the value of the Vedas
For a Bramin who knows.
Yet in the later chapters the BG praises Vedic rituals and advocates the
performance of them strictly according to the scriptures. To me, this
is one of the observation that leads to the conclusion that the
later portions of BG are indeed (as alleged by many such as Swami
Vivekananda, Mahathma Gandhi etc) later additions.
BG, which is based on the Samkhya and Yoga philosophy in the earlier
chapters are molded to the Vedantic (complete with Maya-vaadham)
philosophy in the later chapters.
Another observation is that in verse II:34-36, Krishna says
And also people will relate
Thine undying infamy;
And, for the honored,
Disgrace is worse than dying
The great warriors will think
That thou abstainest from joy in battle
through fear,
And among those by whom thou hast
been held in high esteem
Thou shalt come to be held lightly
And the hostile ones will speak of thee
Many words that should not be spoken
Deriding thy capacity.
What greater hardship than that ?
These verses are in direct contrast to the central (ie later interpolated)
message of BG which says one should be indifferent to both praise and
insults.
Meenan Vishnu
Shirdi R. Prem
>> Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
>yagnas and hence are the only ones who offer sacrifices (animals).
>But I really haven't seen that depicted in Ramayana etc where they have all
>kinds of yagnas. All the yagnas just show offerings of food , ghee etc.
precedes the Krishnavatara..... Maybe animal sacrifice was
something that became chic in the period between the two avatars.
Prem!
Sundara Pandian
>> Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
>> ---------------------------------------------
>
>kinds of yagnas. All the yagnas just show offerings of food , ghee etc.
>Sandeep.
The Valmiki Ramayana indeed mentions animal sacrifices. I give below
references to some verses on Valmiki Ramayana on animal sacrifices, taken
from a book on India in the Ramayana age.
` There were four orders of priests ( rtviks, I 12.5 ) officiating at a
sacrifice : namely, `hota' or the caller whose business it was to recite
Vedic `rks' or chants in praise of gods ; `udgata' or the singer who
accompanied offerings into the sacrifice ( especially Soma ) with psalms;
`adhvaryu' or the master of ceremonies whose business it was to mutter
prayers and formulae at the proper moment ; and `brahma' or the supervisor
of the entire ritual and kindler of the sacred fire. The sacrificial
priests had to be well-versed in the Vedas. ( I 14.3 )....
A graphic idea of the Aswameda sacrifice ( sacrifice of the consecrated
horse ) performed in those days is given in the description of the one
celebrated by Dasaratha ( I. 13-4 ) and another by Rama ( VII. 91-3 ).
Animals were, no doubt, slaughtered during sacrifices. The Asvamedha
centered on the slaughter of the consecrated horse and offering of its
members to the deities. There are frequent allusions to animals brought
for slaughter to sacrifices ( III 56.9 ; 70.6 ). Beasts were slain at
Ravana's funeral ceremony which was perfomed according to Vedic rites
( VI.113.117 ).'
[ Note : I = Balakanda, III = Aranyakanda, VI = Yuddhakanda and
VII = Uttarakanda. Also I.14.3 means the 3rd verse of the
14th canto of the Balakanda, etc., ]
- S.Pandian
s...@cec1.WUSTL.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Seetamraju Udaybhaskar
>> Bhagavad Gita on animal sacrifice in yajnas
>> ---------------------------------------------
>kinds of yagnas. All the yagnas just show offerings of food , ghee etc.
>Sandeep.
There is not much reference to yagnAs in the preceeding avatars of vishnu
either. (What is the exact description of what bali did?-- a typical yagna
as we know it, or was it `different'?).
ANyway, animal sacrifices may have been deemed a necessity for the dwapara and
kaliyugas.
Seetamraju Udaya Bhaskar Sarma
(email : seetam @ ece7 . eng . wayne . edu)
joseywa...@gmail.com
Love and Peace to All