అశ్వమేధ యాగం: కూర్పుల మధ్య తేడాలు

కొత్త పేజీ: {{అనువాదము}} The Ashvamedha (Sanskrit aśvamedhá अश्वमेध "horse sacrifice") was one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion...
 
దిద్దుబాటు సారాంశం లేదు
పంక్తి 1:
{{అనువాదము}}
{{Hinduism small}}The '''Ashvamedha''' ([[Sanskrit]] ''{{IAST|[[:wikt:aśvamedha|aśvamedhá]]}}'' {{lang|sa|अश्वमेध}} "'''[[horse sacrifice]]'''") was one of the most important royal rituals[[ritual]]s of [[historical Vedic religion|Vedic religion]], described in detail in the [[Yajurveda]] (YV TS 7.1-5, YV VSM 22–2522–25 and the pertaining commentary in the [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] ŚBM 13.1–51–5). The [[Rigveda]] does have descriptions of horse sacrifice, notably in hymns [[RV 1]].162-163 (which are themselves known as ''{{IAST|aśvamedha}}''), but does not allude to the full ritual according to the Yajurveda.
 
[[Gayatri Pariwar]] have been organising performances of a modernised version of the sacrifice, not involving actual animal sacrifice, since 1991.
 
==The Vedic sacrifice==
Contents [hide]
The Ashvamedha could only be conducted by a king (''[[raja|rājā]]''). Its object was the acquisition of power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom.
1 The Vedic sacrifice
1.1 Known historical performances
1.2 Performances in Itihasa
1.3 Indo-European comparison
2 Vedanta and Puranas
3 Arya Samaj
4 Modern anxieties and propaganda
5 Notes
6 References
7 See also
 
 
[edit] The Vedic sacrifice
The Ashvamedha could only be conducted by a king (rājā). Its object was the acquisition of power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom.
 
The [[horse]] to be sacrificed must be a stallion, more than 24, but less than 100 years old. The horse is sprinkled with water, and the [[Adhvaryu]] and the sacrificer whisper mantras into its ear. Anyone who should stop the horse is ritually cursed, and a dog is killed symbolic of the punishment for the sinners. The horse is then set loose towards the North-East, to roam around wherever it chooses, for the period of one year (or half a year, according to some commentators). The horse is associated with the [[Sun]], and its yearly course.
If the horse wanders into neighbouring provinces hostile to the sacrificer, they must be subjugated. The wandering horse is attended by a hundred young men, sons of princes or high court officials, charged with guarding the horse from all dangers and inconvenience. During the absence of the horse, an uninterrupted series of ceremonies is performed in the sacrificer's home.
 
After the return of the horse, more ceremonies are performed. The horse is yoked to a gilded [[chariot]], together with three other horses, and [[Rigveda|RV]] 1.6.1,2 (YV VSM 23.5,6) is recited. The horse is then driven into water and bathed. After this, it is anointed with [[ghee]] by the chief queen and two other royal consorts. The chief queen anoints the fore-quarters, and the others the barrel and the hind-quarters. They also embellish the horse's head, neck, and tail with golden ornaments. The sacrificer offers the horse the remains of the night's oblation of grain.
 
After this, the horse, a hornless he-[[goat]], a wild ox (''go-mrga'', ''[[Bos gavaeus]]'') are bound to sacrificial stakes near the fire, and seventeen other animals are attached to the horse. A great number of animals, both tame and wild, are tied to other stakes, according to a commentator 609 in total (YV VSM 24 consists of an exact enumeration).
 
Then the horse is slaughtered (YV VSM 23.15, tr. Griffith)
:Steed, from thy body, of thyself, sacrifice and accept thyself.
:Thy greatness can be gained by none but thee.
 
The chief queen ritually calls on the king's fellow wives for pity. The queens walk around the dead horse reciting mantras. The chief queen then has to mimic copulation with the dead horse, while the other queens ritually utter obscenities.
Steed, from thy body, of thyself, sacrifice and accept thyself.
Thy greatness can be gained by none but thee.
The chief queen ritually calls on the king's fellow wives for pity. The queens walk around the dead horse reciting mantras. The chief queen then has to mimic copulation with the dead horse, while the other queens ritually utter obscenities.
 
On the next morning, the priests raise the queen from the place where she has spent the night with the horse. With the ''Dadhikra'' verse (RV 4.39.6, YV VSM 23.32), a verse used as a purifier after obscene language.
 
The three queens with a hundred golden, silver and copper needles indicate the lines on the horse's body along which it will be dissected. The horse is dissected, and its flesh roasted. Various parts are offered to a host of deities and personified concepts with cries of ''svaha'' "all-hail". The ''Ashvastuti'' or Eulogy of the Horse follows (RV 1.162, YV VSM 24.24–4524–45), concluding with:
:May this Steed bring us all-sustaining riches, wealth in good kine, good horses, manly offspring
:Freedom from sin may [[Aditi]] vouchsafe us: the Steed with our oblations gain us lordship!
 
[[Image:Ashvacoin.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A coin created by Samudragupta I to commemorate the Ashvamedha ritual. The tethered horse is depicted on the left; the queen, carrying ritual equipment, is on the right]]The priests performing the sacrifice were recompensed with a part of the booty won during the wandering of the horse. According to a commentator, the spoils from the east was given to the [[Hotar]], while the [[Adhvaryu]] a maiden (a daughter of the sacrificer) and the sacrificer's fourth wife.
May this Steed bring us all-sustaining riches, wealth in good kine, good horses, manly offspring
Freedom from sin may Aditi vouchsafe us: the Steed with our oblations gain us lordship!
A coin created by Samudragupta I to commemorate the Ashvamedha ritual. The tethered horse is depicted on the left; the queen, carrying ritual equipment, is on the rightThe priests performing the sacrifice were recompensed with a part of the booty won during the wandering of the horse. According to a commentator, the spoils from the east was given to the Hotar, while the Adhvaryu a maiden (a daughter of the sacrificer) and the sacrificer's fourth wife.
 
The Shatapatha Brahmana emphasizes the royal nature of the Ashvamedha:
 
The [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] emphasizes the royal nature of the Ashvamedha:
:Verily, the Asvamedha means royal sway: it is after royal sway that these strive who guard the horse. (ŚBM 13.1.6.3 trans. Eggeling 1900)
It repeatedly states that "the Asvamedha is everything" (ŚBM 13.4.2.22 trans. Eggeling 1900)
 
===Known historical performances===
A historically documented performance of the Ashvamedha is during the reign of [[Samudragupta]] I (d. [[380]]), the father of [[Chandragupta II]]. Special coins were minted to commemorate the Ashvamedha and the king took on the title of ''Maharajadhiraja'' after successful completion of the sacrifice.
 
There were a few of later performances, one by Raja of Kannauj in the 12th century, unsuccessfully, as [[Prithviraj Chauhan]] thwarted his attempt and later married his daughter. The last known instance seems to be in 1716 CE, by [[Jai Singh II of Amber]], a prince of [[Jaipur]]<ref>Bowker, John, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 103</ref>
[edit] Known historical performances
A historically documented performance of the Ashvamedha is during the reign of Samudragupta I (d. 380), the father of Chandragupta II. Special coins were minted to commemorate the Ashvamedha and the king took on the title of Maharajadhiraja after successful completion of the sacrifice.
 
===Performances in Itihasa===
There were a few of later performances, one by Raja of Kannauj in the 12th century, unsuccessfully, as Prithviraj Chauhan thwarted his attempt and later married his daughter. The last known instance seems to be in 1716 CE, by Jai Singh II of Amber, a prince of Jaipur[1]
[[Image:Asvamedha ramayana.JPG|thumb|right|300px|illustration of the Ramayana by Sahib Din, 1652. Kausalya is depicted slaying the horse (left) and lying beside it (right)]]
 
Performances of the Ashvamedha feature in the [[Sanskrit Epics|epics]] [[Ramayana]] (1.10&ndash;15) and [[Mahabharata]].
 
In the Mahabharata, the sacrifice is performed by [[Yudhishtira]] (Book 14), his brothers guarding the horse as it roamed into neighbouring kingdoms. [[Arjuna]] defeats all challengers. The Mahabharata says that the Ashvamedha as performed by Yudhishtira adhered to the letter of the Vedic prescriptions. After the horse was cut into parts, [[Draupadi]] lies beside the slain animal (14.89). {{Fact|date=February 2007}}
[edit] Performances in Itihasa
illustration of the Ramayana by Sahib Din, 1652. Kausalya is depicted slaying the horse (left) and lying beside it (right)Performances of the Ashvamedha feature in the epics Ramayana (1.10–15) and Mahabharata.
 
In the Ramayana, [[Rama]]'s father [[Dasharatha]] performs the Ashvamedha, which is described in the ''bala kanda'' (book 1) of the poem. The Ramayana provides far more detail than the Mahabharata. Again it is stated that the ritual was performed in strict compliance with Vedic prescriptions (1.14.10). Dasaratha's chief wife [[Kausalya]] circumambulates the horse and ritually pierces its flesh (1.14.33). Then "Queen Kausalya desiring the results of ritual disconcertedly resided one night with that horse that flew away like a bird." [1-14-34].<ref>[http://www.valmikiramayan.net/bala/sarga14/bala_14_frame.htm Translation by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao & K. M. K. Murthy]</ref> At the conclusion of the ritual Dasharatha symbolically offers his other wives to the presiding priests, who return them in exchange for expensive gifts (1.14.35).<ref>[http://www.valmikiramayan.net/bala/sarga14/bala_14_frame.htm Online version of the Ramayana in Sanskrit and English]</ref>
In the Mahabharata, the sacrifice is performed by Yudhishtira (Book 14), his brothers guarding the horse as it roamed into neighbouring kingdoms. Arjuna defeats all challengers. The Mahabharata says that the Ashvamedha as performed by Yudhishtira adhered to the letter of the Vedic prescriptions. After the horse was cut into parts, Draupadi lies beside the slain animal (14.89).[citation needed]
 
The ritual is performed again towards the end of the poem, but in very different circumstances. It figures centrally in the ''uttara kanda'' (book 7) where it leads to the final major story in the poem. In this narrative, Rama was married to a single wife, [[Sita]], who at the time was not with him, having been excluded from Rama's capital of [[Ayodhya]]. She was therefore represented by a statue for the queen's ceremony (7.x{{Fact|date=February 2007}}). Sita was living in [[Valmiki]]'s forest ashram with her twin children by Rama, [[Lava (Ramayana)|Lava]] and [[Kusha]], whose birth was unknown to Rama. In its wanderings, the horse, accompanied by an army and the monkey-king [[Hanuman]], enters the forest and encounters Lava, who ignores the warning written on the horse's headplate not to hinder its progress. He tethers the horse, and with Kusha challenges the army, which is unable to defeat the brothers. Recognising Rama's sons, Hanuman sends them to Ayodhya where they are reconciled with their father, who also accepts Sita back at court. Sita, however, no longer wishes to live, and is absorbed by the earth. It is never stated whether the sacrifice was completed, but after Sita's death Rama is said to have repeatedly performed the Ashvamedha using the golden statue as a substitute for his wife.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} <!-- citation of book, verse needed -->
In the Ramayana, Rama's father Dasharatha performs the Ashvamedha, which is described in the bala kanda (book 1) of the poem. The Ramayana provides far more detail than the Mahabharata. Again it is stated that the ritual was performed in strict compliance with Vedic prescriptions (1.14.10). Dasaratha's chief wife Kausalya circumambulates the horse and ritually pierces its flesh (1.14.33). Then "Queen Kausalya desiring the results of ritual disconcertedly resided one night with that horse that flew away like a bird." [1-14-34].[2] At the conclusion of the ritual Dasharatha symbolically offers his other wives to the presiding priests, who return them in exchange for expensive gifts (1.14.35).[3]
 
Some historians believe that the bala kanda and uttara kanda were latter interpolations to the authentic form of the Ramayana, due to references to Greek, Parthians and Sakas, dating to no earlier than the 2nd century BCE<ref>The cultural Heritage of India, Vol. IV, The Religions, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture</ref>
The ritual is performed again towards the end of the poem, but in very different circumstances. It figures centrally in the uttara kanda (book 7) where it leads to the final major story in the poem. In this narrative, Rama was married to a single wife, Sita, who at the time was not with him, having been excluded from Rama's capital of Ayodhya. She was therefore represented by a statue for the queen's ceremony (7.x[citation needed]). Sita was living in Valmiki's forest ashram with her twin children by Rama, Lava and Kusha, whose birth was unknown to Rama. In its wanderings, the horse, accompanied by an army and the monkey-king Hanuman, enters the forest and encounters Lava, who ignores the warning written on the horse's headplate not to hinder its progress. He tethers the horse, and with Kusha challenges the army, which is unable to defeat the brothers. Recognising Rama's sons, Hanuman sends them to Ayodhya where they are reconciled with their father, who also accepts Sita back at court. Sita, however, no longer wishes to live, and is absorbed by the earth. It is never stated whether the sacrifice was completed, but after Sita's death Rama is said to have repeatedly performed the Ashvamedha using the golden statue as a substitute for his wife.[citation needed]
 
===Indo-European comparison===
Some historians believe that the bala kanda and uttara kanda were latter interpolations to the authentic form of the Ramayana, due to references to Greek, Parthians and Sakas, dating to no earlier than the 2nd century BCE[4]
{{main|horse sacrifice}}
Many [[Indo-European]] branches show evidence for horse sacrifice, and comparative mythology suggests that they derive from a [[PIE ritual]]. The Ashvamedha is the clearest evidence preserved, but vestiges from Latin and Celtic traditions allow the reconstruction of a few common attributes.
 
The Gaulish personal name ''Epomeduos'' is from ''*ek'wo-medhu-'' "horse+mead", while ''ashvamedha'' is either from ''*ek'wo-mad-dho-'' "horse+drunk" or ''*ek'wo-mey-dho-'' "horse+strength". The reconstructed myth involves the coupling of a king with a divine mare which produced the [[divine twins]]. Some scholars, including [[Edgar Polomé]], regard the reconstruciton of a PIE ritual as unjustified due to the difference between the attested traditions ([[EIEC]] s.v. ''Horse'', p. 278).
 
==Vedanta and Puranas==
[edit] Indo-European comparison
Main article: horse sacrifice
Many Indo-European branches show evidence for horse sacrifice, and comparative mythology suggests that they derive from a PIE ritual. The Ashvamedha is the clearest evidence preserved, but vestiges from Latin and Celtic traditions allow the reconstruction of a few common attributes.
 
The [[Brhadaranyaka Upanishad]] (a mystical appendix to the [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] and likely the oldest of the Upanishads) has a [[creation myth]] where ''{{IAST|Mṛtyu}}'' "Death" takes the shape of a horse, and includes an identification of the Ashvamedha with the Sun:<ref>implicitly, in ''{{IAST|eṣa vā aśvamedho ya eṣa tapati}}'' "verily, that Ashvamedha is that which gives out heat [''tap-'']"</ref>
The Gaulish personal name Epomeduos is from *ek'wo-medhu- "horse+mead", while ashvamedha is either from *ek'wo-mad-dho- "horse+drunk" or *ek'wo-mey-dho- "horse+strength". The reconstructed myth involves the coupling of a king with a divine mare which produced the divine twins. Some scholars, including Edgar Polomé, regard the reconstruciton of a PIE ritual as unjustified due to the difference between the attested traditions (EIEC s.v. Horse, p. 278).
:Then he became a horse (''ashva''), because it swelled (''ashvat''), and was fit for sacrifice (''medhya''); and this is why the horse-sacrifice is called Ashva-medha [...] Therefore the sacrificers offered up the purified horse belonging to [[Prajapati]], (as dedicated) to all the deities. Verily the shining sun [''ye tapati''] is the Asvamedha, and his body is the year; Agni is the sacrificial fire (''arka''), and these worlds are his bodies. These two are the sacrificial fire and the Asvamedha-sacrifice, and they are again one deity, viz. Death. (BrUp 1.2.7. trans. Müller)
 
The [[Upanishad]]s describe ascetic austerities as an "inner Ashvamedha", as opposed to the "outer" royal ritual performed in the physical world, in keeping with the general tendency of [[Vedanta]] to move away from priestly ritual towards spiritual introspection; verse 6 of the [[Avadhuta Upanishad]] has:
:"Through extreme devotion [''{{IAST|sam-grahaneṣṭi}}''] he [the ascetic] performs ashvamedha within [''{{IAST|anta}}'']. That is the greatest sacrifice [''{{IAST|mahā-makha}}''] and the greatest meditation [''{{IAST|mahā-[[:wikt:yoga|yoga]]}}'']."
 
According to the [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]] (185.180),<ref>Quoted in {{cite web
[edit] Vedanta and Puranas
| last =Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (a mystical appendix to the Shatapatha Brahmana and likely the oldest of the Upanishads) has a creation myth where Mṛtyu "Death" takes the shape of a horse, and includes an identification of the Ashvamedha with the Sun:[5]
| first = A.C.
| title = Srimad-Bhagavatam
| publisher = The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
| date = 1975
| url = http://vedabase.net/sb/5/7/5/en
| accessdate = 2006-07-31}}</ref> the Ashvamedha is one of five rites forbidden in the [[Kali Yuga]].
 
==Arya Samaj==
Then he became a horse (ashva), because it swelled (ashvat), and was fit for sacrifice (medhya); and this is why the horse-sacrifice is called Ashva-medha [...] Therefore the sacrificers offered up the purified horse belonging to Prajapati, (as dedicated) to all the deities. Verily the shining sun [ye tapati] is the Asvamedha, and his body is the year; Agni is the sacrificial fire (arka), and these worlds are his bodies. These two are the sacrificial fire and the Asvamedha-sacrifice, and they are again one deity, viz. Death. (BrUp 1.2.7. trans. Müller)
In the [[Arya Samaj]] reform movement of [[Swami Dayananda]], the Ashvamedha is considered an [[allegory]] or a ritual to get connected to the "inner Sun" ([[Prana]])<ref>as a [[bahuvrihi]], ''saptāśva'' "having seven horses" is another name of the [[Surya|Sun]], referring to the horses of [[sun chariot|his chariot]].; [http://www.akhandjyoti.org/marapr05/article12.html?Akhand-Jyoti/2005/Jul-Aug/Ashvamedha/ akhandjyoti.org] glosses 'ashva' as "the symbol of mobility, valour and strength" and 'medha' as "the symbol of supreme wisdom and intelligence", yielding a meaning of 'ashvamedha' of "he combination of the valour and strength and illumined power of intellect"</ref>
The Upanishads describe ascetic austerities as an "inner Ashvamedha", as opposed to the "outer" royal ritual performed in the physical world, in keeping with the general tendency of Vedanta to move away from priestly ritual towards spiritual introspection; verse 6 of the Avadhuta Upanishad has:
 
Following Swami Dayananda, Arya Samaj disputes the very existence of the pre-Vedantic ritual; thus [[Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati]] claims that
"Through extreme devotion [sam-grahaneṣṭi] he [the ascetic] performs ashvamedha within [anta]. That is the greatest sacrifice [mahā-makha] and the greatest meditation [mahā-yoga]."
:"the word in the sense of the Horse Sacrifice does not occur in the Samhitas [...] In the terms of cosmic analogy, ''ashva'' is the Sun. In respect to the ''adhyatma paksha'', the ''Prajapati-Agni'', or the ''[[Purusha]]'', the Creator, is the ''Ashva''; He is the same as the [[Varuna]], the Most Supreme. The word ''[[:wikt:medha|medha]]'' stands for homage; it later on became synonymous with oblations in rituology, since oblations are offered, dedicated to the one whom we pay homage. The word deteriorated further when it came to mean 'slaughter' or 'sacrifice'."<ref>''The Critical and Cultural Study of the Shatapatha Brahmana by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati'', p. 415</ref>
According to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana (185.180),[6] the Ashvamedha is one of five rites forbidden in the Kali Yuga.
arguing that the animals listed as sacrificial victims are just as symbolic as the list of human victims listed in the [[Purushamedha]]<ref>ibid., p. 476</ref> (which is generally accepted as a purely symbolic sacrifice already in Rigvedic times). Other commentators accept the existence of the sacrifice but reject the notion that the queen lay down with the dead horse. Thus [[Subhash Kak]] in a blog posting suggests that the queen lay down with a toy horse rather than with the slaughtered stallion, due to presence of the word ''Ashvaka'', similar to ''Shivaka'' meaning "idol or image of Shiva"<ref>{{cite web
| last = Kak
| first = Subhash
| title = Some Things Don't Square Up
| url = http://www.sulekha.com/blogs/blogdisplay.aspx?cid=4549#
| accessdate = 2006-07-31 }}</ref>
 
[[All World Gayatri Pariwar]] since 1991 has organized performances of a "modern version" of the Ashvamedha where a statue is used in place of a real horse, according to Hinduism Today with a million participants in [[Chitrakoot]], [[Madhya Pradesh]] on April 16 to 20, 1994.<ref>[http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1994/6/1994-6-04.shtml Hinduism Today, June 1994]</ref> Such modern performances are [[sattvika]] [[Yajna]]s where the animal is worshipped without killing it,<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/13/stories/2005101316990400.htm Ashwamedha Yagam in city],'''The Hindu'''</ref>, the religious motivation being prayer for overcoming enemies, the facilitation of child welfare and development, and clearance of debt,<ref>[http://www.ashwamedhayaagam.org/whyamy.html Ashwamedhayagnam.org]</ref> entirely within the allegorical interpretation of the ritual, and with no actual sacrifice of any animal, nor any sexual connotations.
 
==Modern anxieties and propaganda==
[edit] Arya Samaj
In the Arya Samaj reform movement of Swami Dayananda, the Ashvamedha is considered an allegory or a ritual to get connected to the "inner Sun" (Prana)[7]
 
The mock [[bestiality]] and [[necrophilia]] involved in the ritual caused considerable consternation among the scholars first editing the [[Yajurveda]]. [[Ralph T.H. Griffith|Griffith]] (1899) omits verses VSM 23.20&ndash;31 (the ritual obscenities), protesting that they are "not reproducible even in the semi-obscurity of a learned European language" (alluding to other instances where he renders explicit scenes in Latin rather than English). A. B. Keith's 1914 translation<ref>Keith, Arthur Berridale (trans), ''The Veda of the black Yajus school entitled Taittiriya sanhita'', Oxford, 1914, pp. 615-16</ref> also omits verses.
Following Swami Dayananda, Arya Samaj disputes the very existence of the pre-Vedantic ritual; thus Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati claims that
 
This part of the ritual offended the [[Dalit (outcaste)|Dalit]] reformer and framer of the [[Constitution of India|Indian constitution]] [[B. R. Ambedkar]] and is frequently mentioned in his writings as an example of the perceived degradation of Brahmanical culture.<ref>[http://www.ambedkar.org/ambcd/19A.Revolution%20and%20Counter%20Rev.in%20Ancient%20India%20PART%20I.htm B.R. Ambedkar, Revolution and Conter-Revolution in Ancient India]</ref>. It is also a popular topic in [[anti-Brahminism|anti-Brahminist]] propaganda, in spite of the fact that all contemporary performances do not involve any aspect of mock bestiality or necrophilia at all.The [[anti-Hindu]] propaganda website [[Dalitstan]] featured articles "exposing" the part of the ritual in question, conflated with other aspects of Hinduism related to sexuality (such as the [[Shivalingam]]) through deliberate falsifications and selective choice of quotes taken out of context with an intent to denigrate Hinduism.
"the word in the sense of the Horse Sacrifice does not occur in the Samhitas [...] In the terms of cosmic analogy, ashva is the Sun. In respect to the adhyatma paksha, the Prajapati-Agni, or the Purusha, the Creator, is the Ashva; He is the same as the Varuna, the Most Supreme. The word medha stands for homage; it later on became synonymous with oblations in rituology, since oblations are offered, dedicated to the one whom we pay homage. The word deteriorated further when it came to mean 'slaughter' or 'sacrifice'."[8]
arguing that the animals listed as sacrificial victims are just as symbolic as the list of human victims listed in the Purushamedha[9] (which is generally accepted as a purely symbolic sacrifice already in Rigvedic times). Other commentators accept the existence of the sacrifice but reject the notion that the queen lay down with the dead horse. Thus Subhash Kak in a blog posting suggests that the queen lay down with a toy horse rather than with the slaughtered stallion, due to presence of the word Ashvaka, similar to Shivaka meaning "idol or image of Shiva"[10]
 
All World Gayatri Pariwar since 1991 has organized performances of a "modern version" of the Ashvamedha where a statue is used in place of a real horse, according to Hinduism Today with a million participants in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh on April 16 to 20, 1994.[11] Such modern performances are sattvika Yajnas where the animal is worshipped without killing it,[12], the religious motivation being prayer for overcoming enemies, the facilitation of child welfare and development, and clearance of debt,[13] entirely within the allegorical interpretation of the ritual, and with no actual sacrifice of any animal, nor any sexual connotations.
 
 
[edit] Modern anxieties and propaganda
The mock bestiality and necrophilia involved in the ritual caused considerable consternation among the scholars first editing the Yajurveda. Griffith (1899) omits verses VSM 23.20–31 (the ritual obscenities), protesting that they are "not reproducible even in the semi-obscurity of a learned European language" (alluding to other instances where he renders explicit scenes in Latin rather than English). A. B. Keith's 1914 translation[14] also omits verses.
 
This part of the ritual offended the Dalit reformer and framer of the Indian constitution B. R. Ambedkar and is frequently mentioned in his writings as an example of the perceived degradation of Brahmanical culture.[15]. It is also a popular topic in anti-Brahminist propaganda, in spite of the fact that all contemporary performances do not involve any aspect of mock bestiality or necrophilia at all.The anti-Hindu propaganda website Dalitstan featured articles "exposing" the part of the ritual in question, conflated with other aspects of Hinduism related to sexuality (such as the Shivalingam) through deliberate falsifications and selective choice of quotes taken out of context with an intent to denigrate Hinduism.
 
== Notes ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>
==References==
*[[Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith]], ''The Texts of the White Yajurveda. Translated with a Popular Commentary'' (1899).
*Ramavarapu Krishnamurti Shastri (trans.), ''Krishna Yajurvedeeya Taittiriya Samhita'', Book VII, The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams, Tirumala Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh (2003).
* Dasaradhi Rangacharya,'Srimad-Andhra Vachana Shukla Yajurveda Samhita' (White Yajurveda Samhita in Telugu), Emesco Books, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (1999)
 
==See also==
[edit] Notes
* [[Purushamedha]]
^ Bowker, John, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 103
* [[Somayajna]]
^ Translation by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao & K. M. K. Murthy
* [[Ashva]]
^ Online version of the Ramayana in Sanskrit and English
^ The cultural Heritage of India, Vol. IV, The Religions, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture
^ implicitly, in eṣa vā aśvamedho ya eṣa tapati "verily, that Ashvamedha is that which gives out heat [tap-]"
^ Quoted in Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, A.C. (1975). Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
^ as a bahuvrihi, saptāśva "having seven horses" is another name of the Sun, referring to the horses of his chariot.; akhandjyoti.org glosses 'ashva' as "the symbol of mobility, valour and strength" and 'medha' as "the symbol of supreme wisdom and intelligence", yielding a meaning of 'ashvamedha' of "he combination of the valour and strength and illumined power of intellect"
^ The Critical and Cultural Study of the Shatapatha Brahmana by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati, p. 415
^ ibid., p. 476
^ Kak, Subhash. Some Things Don't Square Up. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
^ Hinduism Today, June 1994
^ Ashwamedha Yagam in city,The Hindu
^ Ashwamedhayagnam.org
^ Keith, Arthur Berridale (trans), The Veda of the black Yajus school entitled Taittiriya sanhita, Oxford, 1914, pp. 615-16
^ B.R. Ambedkar, Revolution and Conter-Revolution in Ancient India
 
[[Category:Ancient India]]
[edit] References
[[Category:Hindu traditions]]
Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith, The Texts of the White Yajurveda. Translated with a Popular Commentary (1899).
[[Category:Animal sacrifice]]
Ramavarapu Krishnamurti Shastri (trans.), Krishna Yajurvedeeya Taittiriya Samhita, Book VII, The Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams, Tirumala Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh (2003).
Dasaradhi Rangacharya,'Srimad-Andhra Vachana Shukla Yajurveda Samhita' (White Yajurveda Samhita in Telugu), Emesco Books, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh (1999)
 
[[de:Ashvamedha]]
[edit] See also
[[fr:Sacrifice du cheval]]
Purushamedha
Somayajna
Ashva
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