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Generally speaking, worship has its source in a feeling of dependence on the Power which governs the welfare of the individual and the community. The desire to obtain the favour of that Power is mainly responsible for the emergence of the concepts of 'rite' and 'prayer'. It is, therefore, but natural that Sacrifice, which comprises both rite and prayer should be the principal theme of a major portion of Vedic literature. The history of Man shows that, since times immemorial, every primitive community has developed some form of religion or another and that Sacrifice has always been the basis of all such religions. sacrifice consists inthe act of offering some magically potential thing to the divinity. It is through such an offering that an individual tries to establish communion with the divinity to which he makes the offering. Thereby he The essence of propitasiates that divinity or appeases its wrath. He also seeks to secure through such communion the power which is to lead him to prosperity in this world and to heaven after death. By performing a sacrifice a man tries to destroy his sins and to counteract the evil forces which are likely to victimise him. It seems that the sacrificial ritual has had its origin in the magic practices of the primitive people. (1) Cf. Taittiriya Brahmana III.2.1.4: yajno hi sresthatamam karma. SWE

419 Or it may have sprung up from ancestor-worship which has been current among the people from ancient times". 2 We find in the Rgveda a generally simple form of sacrifice³. Of course, some of the principal officiating priests, such as Hotr, Potr, Nestr, Agnidh, Pratsastr, Adhvaryu and Brahman, are mentioned in the Rgveda (II.1.2, 2.5). We also come across words and phrases like astu sraugat (I.139.1), vasat (VII.99.7), and svaha (II.3.11), which are specially employed while making an offering. Out of the three sacred fires, which constituted the basis of the later Vedic ritual, only one seems to have been known to the Egvedic people. The IV, which is essentially a ritualistic collection, represents a considerably advanced state of sacrifice. The Samaveda also must be characterised as a ritualistic collection, for it consists of samans which are to be chanted especially at a Soma-sacrifice. Though the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension mainly concerns itself with magic of a primitive character, it contains a number of significant references to Vedic ritual as such. The connection between the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension and the Yajurveda (2) For the various theories regarding the origin of sacrifice, see B.O.James, "Sacrifice (Introductory and Primitive)", Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics XI, pp. 1-7. (3) Cf. K.R.Potdar, Sacrifice in the gveda (Bombay 1953), pp. 279 ff. (4) Hillebrandt (Vedic Mythology or Vedische Mythologie II, p.29) is of the opinion that all the three fires were known in the times of the Rgveda (5) See: Renou, "Atharvaveda et Rituel" Journal Asiatique 243 (1955), pp. 417-38.

420 from the point of view of ritual becomes evident in many 6 cases . But on account of its prose formulas, the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension may be said to be nearer to the Brahmanas in the matter of ritual. We come across, in that Veda, many ritualistic terms, such as, diksa (VIII.9.17; cf. Apas 10.8.4), devayajana (IX.6.3; X.5.15-21; XII.2.42), praiga (V.26.4; XI.7.18), nivid (V.26.4; XI.7.19), havirdhana (VII.109.3; IX.3.7; XIV.2.34), pasubandha (XI.7.9) sapta homa (VIII.9.18), madhuparka (X.3.21), samsravya (1.51.1; cf. Apas 3.7.14), avaya (a prayer to avoid some evil II.35.1), vihavya (VII.5.4), dhisnya (II.35.1), agnisala (IX.3.7), purodha (office of Purohita V.24.1-17), pracinopavita (IX.1.24) and prayascitti (XIV.1.30). Sacrificial implements, like juhu, upabhrt and dhruva are mentioned in XVIII.4.5. The three pressings of Soma are referred to in Vedic Index 47.1-3 as well as IX.1.11-13 (ef. Atharvaveda, Paippalada recension IX.6.52). The Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension also knows of the oblations called ida (VII.21.1; XI.7.18; XVIII.4.30) and vinterin (IV.34.1). The concept of Brahmaudana (XI.1.1) seems to belong specifically to the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension , and the word paksau (Vedic Index 31.1; VIII.9.14) probably indicates the two wings of the Vedi (ef. Apes 16.17.10). The Uechista-brahma hymn (XI.7) mentions the names of a number of sacrifices such as Rajasuya, Vajapeya, Agnistoma, Asvamedha, Sodasin, Visvajit, Abhijit and Atiratra. (6) Cf. Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension XI.8.29 with Taittiriya Brahmana I.1.9.4.

421 The ritualistic use of the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension is well established by its two sutras, namely Kausika Sutra and Vaitana Sutra The Kalpas also have made an extensive use of the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension -mantras, as has been already noted, and the Parisistas have exhaustively employed the mantras of the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension in ritual and in religious observances as will be seen from what follows.