(4) Somayāgas and Paśuyāgas
The yajñas where the soma plant is used as the substance are called as somayāga. There are more than a thousand somayāgas mentioned in the Vedas.
Before the commencement of the somayāga, dīkṣaṇiyēṣṭi is performed to initiate the yajamāna. While the initiation process takes place, the yajamāna applies collyrium to his eyes. It is stated that by applying collyrium, the yajamāna takes away the eye of his enemy. [1]
In the somayāga, the soma plant used in the ritual is bought by performing a rite called somakrayaṇa. A maroon yearling, having brown eyes, is exchanged with the sōma plant. The Śāṅkhāyana-Brāhmaṇa states that the one who performs the somakrayaṇa drives away his enemy from this world just like the Devas drove away the Asuras from this world[2].
The drawing of the soma-grahas[3] plays a vital role in this rite. Among them, the antaryāma graha is drawn solely for obstructing the enemy. Praising the antaryāma graha, the Vedas state, “Indra obstructed them using the Antaryāma, and that is why the Antaryāma has its name”[4].
The ukhtya graha is drawn in the somayāga by the yajamāna to seize his enemy's power and strength. The arthavāda heard regarding ukthya graha – “In that the Ukthya is drawn, verily the yajamāna thus appropriates the power and strength of his foe”[5].
The three marutvatīya grahas are also drawn to destroy the enemy. The Vedas praises the three marutvatīya grahas – “The grahas for the Maruts are a weapon which the yajamāna hurls at his foe; with the first he raises it aloft, with the second he hurls it; with the third he slays him. The grahas for the Maruts are a weapon which the yajamāna makes ready; the first is a bow, the second a bowstring, the third an arrow; with the first he fits the arrow, with the second he lets it go, with the third he pierces”[6].
The Upasad ceremony is an integral part of the somayāga, performed twice a day by the yajamāna to drive away his enemies. The destruction of the three cities of Tripurāsuras is narrated as laudatory verses for the Upasad. The phalavākyam of Upasad is – “The observance of the Upasads is for the driving away of foes.”[7]
During the first Upasad day of the somayāga, an avāntaradīkṣā is performed by the yajamāna. By performing this, the yajamāna overcomes his adversary and gains prosperity.[8]
While drawing both upāṁśu graha[9], if the adhvaryu wants to practice abhicāra, he puts the graha on the mound while reciting “ज॒ह्यथ॑ त्वा होष्या॒मि”[10]. The same is done even while drawing antaryāma graha.
Bhardvāja mentions optional oblations related to abhicāra in the eleventh Praśna dealing with the Jyōtiṣṭōma-somayāga. The Adhvaryu uses the blood of the animal to perform abhicāra during the subsidiary paśuyāga[11] or while he performs the pravargya ceremony[12].
The Agnīśomīya-paśuyāga is considered the archetype for all the other paśuyāgas. This is discussed in the Mīmāṁsā aphorism “दैक्षस्य चेतरेषु”[13] in great depth. In the Agnīṣōmīya, after the animal is killed, the Adhvaryu, after loosening its noose, has to put the noose on any log and recite “अ॒रा॒ती॒यन्त॒मध॑रं कृणोमि॒ यं द्वि॒ष्मस्तस्मि॒न्प्रति॑मुञ्चामि॒ पाश᳚म् ॥”[14] if he wants to practice abhicāra[15]. Hence, this optional rite is valid even for all the other modifications of the Agnīśomīya.
As the name suggests, the paśuyāgas use animals as an offering in the yajña. Before the animals are offered, it is tied to a post[16] worshipped and offered food. The Adhvaryu who wishes to make the yajamāna supportless and devoid of allies he cuts a branch for preparing the yūpa instead of the entire tree[17].
In the paśuyāgas, containing eleven animals[18], if the yajamāna wishes death upon his enemy, the Adhvaryu sets up the posts in a grave fashion. The northern five posts are to be higher than the southern five posts. Another post is erected in front of the Āhavanīyāgni. Doing so leads to the death of the enemy very soon[19].
If the Adhvaryu wishes to cause confusion and panic among the people of the King (who is an enemy), then he must interchange the animals, tying them to different posts[20]. That is, the order of tying up the animal is changed.
At the time of gridling the yūpa in a paśuyāga, if yajamāna was to deprive his enemy of his strength, then the Adhvaryu gridles the yūpa higher than the height of the yajamāna’s navel[21]. If he wishes to deprive rain in his enemy's kingdom, then he should girdle it below the height of the yajamāna’s navel[22]. In a normal case, it is tied at the same height as the yajamāna’s navel.
(5) Cāturmāsya
The Cārurmāsya consists of four parvans[23] – (1) Varuṇapraghāsa, (2) Sākamēdha, (4) Vaiśvadēva, and (4) Śunāsīya. Among them, the Sākamēdha rite, the mahāhaviṣ, which means ‘the great oblation’, is offered by the yajamāna to slay his wicked and spiteful enemy. The arthavāda for the mahāhaviḥ – “Verily, by the means of the Mahāhaviṣ the Devas slew Vṛtra; by the means of it they gained that supreme authority which they now wield; and so does he, the yajamāna, thereby now slay his wicked, spiteful enemy, and gain the victory: this is why he performs this sacrifice”[24]. Similar arthavādas and verses are found for the Varuṇapraghāsa.
[1] तदाञ्ज॑नमभव॒द्यदा॒ङ्क्ते चक्षु॑रे॒व भ्रातृ॑व्यस्य वृङ्क्ते॒ (Taittirīya-Samhitā 6.1.1.5)
[2] असुरा वा अस्यां दिशि देवान्त्समरुन्धन्नेयं प्राच्युदीची त एतस्यां दिशि सन्त: सोमं राज्यायाभ्यषिञ्च न्त ते सोमेन राज्ञैभ्यो लोकेभ्योऽसुराननुवन्त तथा एवैतद्यजमानः सामेनेव राज्ञैभ्यो लोकिभ्यो द्विषतो भ्रातृव्यान्नुदते (Śāṅkhāyana Brāhmaṇa 7.10)
[3] Cups used to draw sōma-juices for different Devatās
[4] इन्द्रो᳚ऽन्तर्या॒मेणा॒न्तर॑धत्त॒ तद॑न्तर्या॒मस्या᳚न्तर्याम॒त्वम् (Taittirīya-Samhitā 6.4.6.1)
[5] यदु॒क्थ्यो॑ गृ॒ह्यत॑ इन्द्रि॒यमे॒व तद्वी॒र्यं॑ यज॑मानो॒ भ्रातृ॑व्यस्य वृङ्क्ते (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.5.1.2)
[6] यज॑मानो॒ भ्रातृ॑व्याय॒ प्रह॑रति॒ यन्म॑रुत्व॒तीया॒ उदे॒व प्र॑थ॒मेन॑ यच्छति॒ प्रह॑रति द्वि॒तीये॑न स्तृणु॒ते तृ॒तीये॒नाऽऽयु॑धं॒ वा ए॒तद्यज॑मानः॒ सग्ग् स्कु॑रुते॒ यन्म॑रुत्व॒तीया॒ धनु॑रे॒व प्र॑थ॒मो ज्या द्वि॒तीय॒ इषु॑स्तृ॒तीयः॒ प्रत्ये॒व प्र॑थ॒मेन॑ धत्ते॒ विसृ॑जति द्वि॒तीये॑न॒ विद्ध्य॑ति तृ॒तीये॑न (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.5.5.5)
[7] यदु॑प॒सद॑ उपस॒द्यन्ते॒ भ्रातृ॑व्यपराणुत्यै (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.2.3.2)
[8] योऽवान्तरदी॒क्षामु॒पैति॒ भ्रातृ॑व्याभिभूत्यै॒ भव॑त्या॒त्मना॒ परा᳚ऽस्य॒ भ्रातृ॑व्यो भवति (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.2.2.7)
[9] Normally the upāṁśu graha is offered the moment it is drawn, but in case of abhicāra it has to be put down on the mound called as khara.
[10] यद्य॑भि॒चरे॑द॒मुं ज॒ह्यथ॑ त्वा होष्या॒मीति॑ ब्रूया॒दाहु॑तिमे॒वैनं॑ प्रे॒फ्सन् (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.4.5.6), also see Āpastamba Śrautasūtra 12.11.7
[11] See Bharadvāja Śrautasūtra 11.20
[12] यद्यभिचरेदमुष्य त्वा प्राणे सादयाम्यमुना सह निरर्थं गच्छ इति ब्रूयाद्यं द्विष्यात् ॥ (Bharadvāja Śrautasūtra 11.11.4)
[13] See Mīmāṁsāsūtras 8.1.6.13 with the commentary of Śabarasvāmī. Also see Jaiminīyanyāyamālā 8.1.6.
[14] See Taittirīya Samhitā 3.1.4.4
[15] यद्यभिचरेदातीयन्तमधरं कृणोमि यं द्विष्मस्तस्मिन्प्रतिमुञ्चामि पाशमिति तया वृक्षं स्थाणुं स्तम्भं वापिदध्यात्॥ (Āpastamba Śrautasūtra 7.17.7).
[16] These posts are called Yūpas, where the animals are tied. The yūpa is made of either Palāśa (Butea frondasa), Khadira (Acacia catechu), Bilva (Aegle marmelos) or Rauhītaka (Andersonia rohitaka).
[17] यं कामयेताप्रतिष्ठितः स्यादित्युक्तम्॥ (Āpastmba Śrautasūtra 17.1.18). Also see Taittirīya Samhitā 6.3.3.4)
[18] They are offered to eleven deities – Sarasvatī, Viśvē Dēvāḥ, Maruts, Savitā, Agni, Sōma, Bṛhaspati, Indra, Indrāgni, and Varuṇa.
[19] अनु॑ प॒शव॒ उप॑ तिष्ठन्ते पशु॒माने॒व भ॑वति॒ व्यति॑षजे॒दित॑रान्प्र॒जयै॒वैनं॑ प॒शुभि॒र्व्यति॑षजति॒ यं का॒मये॑त प्र॒मायु॑कः स्या॒दिति॑ गर्त॒मितं॒ तस्य॑ मिनुयादुत्तरा॒र्ध्यं॑ वर्षि॑ष्ठ॒मथ॒ ह्रसी॑याꣳ समे॒षा वै ग॑र्त॒मिद्यस्यै॒वं मि॒नोति॑ ता॒जक्प्रमी॑यते दक्षिणा॒र्ध्यं॑ वर्षि॑ष्ठं मिनुयाथ्सुव॒र्गका॑म॒स्याथ॒ ह्रसी॑याꣳ समा॒क्रम॑णमे॒व तथ्सेतुं॒ यज॑मानः कुरुते (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.6.4.2)
[20] यदि॑ का॒मये॑त प्र॒जा मु॑ह्येयु॒रिति॑ प॒शून् व्यति॑षजेत्प्र॒जा ए॒व मो॑हयति (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.6.5.4)
[21] यज॑मानमे॒वोर्जा सम॑र्धयति नाभिद॒घ्ने परि॑ व्ययति नाभिद॒घ्न ए॒वास्मा॒ ऊर्जं॑ दधाति॒ तस्मा᳚न्नाभिद॒घ्न ऊ॒र्जा भु॑ञ्जते॒ यं का॒मये॑तो॒र्जैनं॒ व्य॑र्धयेय॒मित्यू॒र्ध्वां वा॒ तस्यावा॑चीं॒ वाऽवो॑हेदू॒र्जैवैनं॒ व्य॑र्धयति (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.3.4.5)
[22] यदि॑ का॒मये॑त॒ वर्षु॑कः प॒र्जन्यः॑ स्या॒दित्यवा॑ची॒मवो॑हे॒द्वृष्टि॑मे॒व निय॑च्छति (Taittirīya Samhitā 6.3.4.6)
[23] Yāga performed based on the change of the moon
[24] महाहविषा ह वै देवा वृत्रं जघ्नुः । तेनो एव व्यजयन्त येयमेषां विजितिस्तां तथो एवैष एतेन पाप्मानं द्विषन्तम् भ्रातृव्यं हन्ति तथो एव विजयते तस्माद्वा एष एतेन यजते । (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 2.5.4.1)
To be continued.
