Vedic priesthood

2021-12-10T06:40:38Z

2409:4064:213:5561:74A7:34C5:D5B4:B675:

{{short description|Priests of the Vedic religion}}
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'''[[Priest]]s''' of the '''[[historical Vedic religion|Vedic religion]]''' are officiants of the ''[[yajna]]'' service. Yajna is an important part of Hinduism, especially the Vedas.<ref>{{Cite web|last=DHARMI|first=SANATAN|date=|title=What is Hinduism??|url=https://fxperry.blogspot.com/2020/02/What-are-the-basic-beliefs-of-Hinduism.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-03|website=}}</ref> Persons trained for the ritual and proficient in its practice were called '''{{IAST|ṛtvij}}''' ({{Lang|sa|ऋत्विज}} '[[rtu|regularly]]-[[yajna|sacrificing]]').{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} As members of a social class, they were generically known as {{Lang|sa-latn|vipra}} 'sage' or {{Lang|sa-latn|kavi}} 'seer'. Specialization of roles attended the elaboration and development of the ritual corpus over time. Eventually a full complement of sixteen ''{{IAST|ṛtvija}}''s became the custom for major ceremonies. The sixteen consisted of four chief priests and their assistants.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

==Chief priests==
{{Further|Yajna#Rituals}}
The older references uniformly indicate the Writtiks and Purohits then

''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'' as the presiding priest, with perhaps only the ''adhvaryu'' as his assistant in the earliest times. The phrase "seven hotars" is found more than once in the [[Rigveda]]. Hymn 2.1.2 of Rigveda states it as follows,

{{Quote|
तवाग्ने '''होत्रं''' तव '''पोत्र'''मृत्वियं तव '''नेष्ट्रं''' त्व'''मग्नि'''दृतायतः <nowiki>।</nowiki>
तव '''प्रशास्त्रं''' त्व'''मध्वरीय'''सि ब्रह्म चासि गृहपतिश्च नो दमे <nowiki>॥२॥</nowiki><ref>[http://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/ऋग्वेद:_सूक्तं_२.१ Rigveda 2.1.2 (Sanskrit)] Wikisource</ref>

Thine is the Herald's task and Cleanser's duly timed; Leader art thou, and Kindler for the pious man.
Thou art Director, thou the ministering Priest: thou art the Brahman, Lord and Master in our home.
|Rigveda 2.1.2<ref>[[Ralph T. H. Griffith]] (Translator), [[s:The Rig Veda/Mandala 2/Hymn 1|Rigveda 2.1.2]] Wikisource</ref>|title=|source=}}

The above hymn enumerate the priests as the ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'', ''{{IAST|potṛ}}'', ''{{IAST|neṣṭṛ}}'', ''agnīdh'', ''{{IAST|prashāstṛ}}'' (meaning the ''maitrāvaruna'') and ''adhvaryu''.

*The '''{{IAST|hotṛi}}''' was the reciter of invocations and litanies. These could consist of single verses (''{{IAST|ṛca}}''), strophes (triples called ''{{IAST|tṛca}}'' or pairs called ''pragātha''), or entire hymns (''sukta''), drawn from the [[Rigveda|''{{IAST|ṛgveda}}'']]. As each phase of the ritual required an invocation, the ''{{IAST|hotṛi}}'' had a leading or presiding role.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
*The '''adhvaryu''' was in charge of the physical details of the sacrifice (in particular the ''adhvara'', a term for the [[Somayajna]]). According to [[Monier-Williams]], the ''adhvaryu'' "had to measure the ground, to build the altar, to prepare the sacrificial vessels, to fetch wood and water, to light the fire, to bring the animal and immolate it," among other duties.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} Each action was accompanied by supplicative or benedictive formulas (''yajus''), drawn from the ''[[yajurveda]]''. Over time, the role of the ''adhvaryu'' grew in importance, and many verses of the ''{{IAST|ṛgveda}}'' were incorporated, either intact or adapted, into the texts of the ''yajurveda''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=DHARMI|first=SANATAN|date=|title=What are Vedas?|url=https://fxperry.blogspot.com/2020/06/what-are-the-4-main-vedas.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-03|website=}}</ref>
*The '''{{IAST|udgātṛi}}''' was a chanter of hymns set to melodies (''sāman'') drawn from the [[Samaveda|''sāmaveda'']]. This was a specialized role in the major [[soma (drink)|soma]] sacrifices: a characteristic function of the ''{{IAST|udgātṛ}}'' was to sing hymns in praise of the invigorating properties of ''soma pavamāna'', the freshly pressed juice of the soma plant.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
*The '''{{IAST|brahman}}''' was the reciter of hymns from the ''{{IAST|atharvaveda}}'' who was largely silent and observes the procedures and uses Atharvaveda mantras to 'heal' it when mistakes have been made.

The term [[Brahman]] in the above hymn 2.1.2 refers to deity [[Agni]] of hymn 2.1.1.<ref>Ralph T.H. Griffith (Translator), [[s:The Rig Veda/Mandala 2/Hymn 1|Rigveda 2.1.2]] Wikisource</ref>

The rgvedic [[Brahmanas]], [[Aitareya Brahmana|Aitareya]] and [[Kausitaki Brahmana|Kausitaki]], specify seven ''hotraka''s to recite ''shastra''s (litanies): ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'', ''brāhmanācchamsin'', ''maitrāvaruna'', ''{{IAST|potṛ}}'', ''{{IAST|neṣṭṛ}}'', ''agnīdh'' and ''acchāvāka''. They also carry a legend to explain the origin of the offices of the ''subrahmanya'' and the ''grāvastut''.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

===Purohita===
{{main|Purohit{{!}}Purohita}}
The requirements of the fully developed ritual were rigorous enough that only professional priests could perform them adequately.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} Thus, whereas in the earliest times, the true sacrificer, or intended beneficiary of the rite, might have been a direct participant, in Vedic times he was only a sponsor, the ''yajamāna'', with the ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'' or ''brahman'' taking his stead in the ritual.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} In this seconding lay the origins of the growing importance of the ''[[purohita]]'' (literally, "one who is placed in front"). It was not unusual for a ''purohita'' to be the ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'' or ''brahman'' at a sacrifice for his master, besides conducting other more domestic (''[[gṛhya|{{IAST|gṛhya}}]]'') rituals for him also.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} In latter days, with the disappearance of Vedic ritual practice, ''purohita'' has become a generic term for "priest".{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

==Assistants==
In the systematic expositions of the ''[[shrauta sutra]]s'',<ref>[http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/corpustei/transformations/html/sa_zAGkhAyanazrautasUtra.htm ''Shānkhāyana SS''] 13.14.1, [http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/corpustei/transformations/html/sa_AzvalAyanazrautasUtra.htm ''Āsvalāyana SS''] 4.1-6</ref> which date to the fifth or sixth century BCE, the assistants are classified into four groups associated with each of the four chief priests, although the classifications are artificial and in some cases incorrect:{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

*With the ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'':
**the '''maitrāvaruna'''
**the '''acchāvāka'''
**the '''grāvastut''' (praising the Soma stones)
*With the ''{{IAST|udgātṛ}}'':
**the '''{{IAST|prastotṛ}}''' (who chants the Prastâva)
**the '''{{IAST|pratihartṛ}}''' ("averter")
**the '''subrahmanya'''
*With the ''adhvaryu'':
**the '''{{IAST|pratiprasthātṛ}}'''
**the '''{{IAST|neṣṭṛ}}'''
**the '''{{IAST|unnetṛ}}''' (who pours the Soma juice into the receptacles )
*With the ''brahman'':
**the '''brāhmanācchamsin'''
**the '''agnīdh''' (priest who kindles the sacred fire)
**the '''{{IAST|potṛ}}''' ("purifier")

This last classification is incorrect, as the formal assistants of the ''brahman'' were actually assistants of the ''{{IAST|hotṛ}}'' and the ''adhvaryu''.{{clarify|date=January 2012}}

==Philological comparisons==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2015}}
Comparison with the sacred texts of [[Zoroastrianism]], a distinct religion with the same origins, shows the antiquity of terms for priests such as ''*atharwan'' ([[Vedic Sanskrit|Vedic]] ''[[atharvan]]''; cognate to [[Avestan language|Avestan]] {{Transl|ae|āθrauuan/aθaurun}}) and ''*zhautar'' (Ved. ''hotar''; Av. {{Transl|ae|zaotar}}) 'invoker, sacrificer'. While ''*zhautar'' is well understood, the original meaning of ''*atharwan'' is unknown. The word ''atharvan'' appears in the Rig Veda (e.g., in RV 6.16.13 where Agni is said to have been churned by Atharvan from the mind of every poet). In the Younger Avesta, {{Transl|ae|āθrauuan/aθaurun}} appears in a context that suggests "missionary," perhaps by metathesis from Indo-Iranian ''*arthavan'' "possessing purpose." However, a recent theory indicates that Proto Indo-Iranian ''*atharwan'' likely represents a substrate word from the unknown language of the BMAC civilization of Central Asia. It can be analyzed as BMAC ''*athar-'' plus the Indo-Iranian possessive suffix ''*-wan'', in which case ''*atharwan'' would be "one who possesses ''*athar''". Though the meaning of ''*athar'' is unknown, [[Georges-Jean Pinault|Pinault]] speculates that it meant "superior force" and connects it to the Tocharian word for "hero". In the ''[[Upanishads]]'', {{Lang|sa-latn|atharvan}} appears for example in {{Lang|sa-latn|atharvāngiras}}, a compound of {{Lang|sa-latn|atharvan}} and {{Lang|sa-latn|angiras}}, either two eponymous rishis or their family names.

In present-day Indian Zoroastrian ([[Parsi people|Parsi]]) tradition the word ''athornan'' is used to distinguish the priesthood from the laity (the ''behdin''). These subdivisions (in the historical Indian context, ''castes''), and the terms used to describe them, are relatively recent developments specific to Indian Zoroastrians and although the words themselves are old, the meaning that they came to have for the Parsis are influenced by their centuries-long coexistence with Hinduism. It appears then that the Indian Zoroastrian priests re-adopted the older {{Transl|ae|āθrauuan/aθaurun}} (in preference to the traditional, and very well attested derivative ''āsron'') for its similarity to Hinduism's {{Lang|sa-latn|atharvan}}, which the Parsi priests then additionally assumed was derived from Avestan ''[[atar|ātar]]'' 'fire'. This folk-etymology may "have been prompted by what is probably a mistaken assumption of the importance of fire in the ancient Indo-Iranian religion".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/atravan-priest|title = Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica}}</ref>

The division of priestly functions among the Hotar, the Udgatar and the Adhvaryu has been compared to the [[Celt]]ic priesthood as reported by [[Strabo]], with the [[Druid]]s as high priests, the [[Bard]]s doing the chanting and the [[Vates]] performing the actual sacrifice.

==See also==
*[[Agnihotra]]
*[[Agnistoma]]
*[[Brahmin]]
*[[Namboothiri]]
*[[Śrāddha]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ejvs.laurasianacademy.com/ejvs1001/1001a.txt The Turning-Point in a Living Tradition]

[[Category:Rishis]]
[[Category:Hindu priests]]
[[Category:Vedic period]]

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Vedic priesthood