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( 177 ) including his chief queen, to such an ignoble custom if the rite had not been a long continuing custom. If it was a long continuing practice ; then the practice might have followed for the fear of the denial of rítualistic fruits. This definitely points to an actual state of affairs in the remotest ancient times when Gaņa women were divided only on the grounds of the degrees of their sexuality rather than on relationship of husband and wife.
The obscene ceremonial points towards two historical events. Firstly, when the Ganapati was sacrificed, there was great jubilation. Members of the Gaņa took to large scale festivities; cornmunal feastings and promiscuous sexual intercourse. This is clearly evidenced by the dialogues between the women, the Vāvātā etc., and men, the Adhvaryu, etc., with a sight on the sexual organ of each other. Secondly, he was the lord of all riches and he was entitled to have sexual intercourse with any and every woman of the Gaņa. The best and the most beautiful woman of the Gaņa, the Mahişi, was for the Ganapati. When this real state of affairs was later ritualised; both these events were blended together and transmitted to posterity in the performance of this obscene ceremonial.
Iranāryans did not know of Aśvamedha as contained in Vedic ritual. Though ritualisation of Aryan institutions had begun during their sojourn in Iran ; it had not yet largely developed. We do not find any mention of Ašvamedha in Avesta. When Brahmāryans after their final victory in Dāsrājana War, settled in Brahmävarta ; the original sipritual forces of Bhārata reacted upon the Āryan institutions. The Aryans had to change the character of their institutions to suit their changed conditions of life in Bhārata to cement their victory. Many Bhāratīyans were converted to Brāhmanism who took with them their original spiritual
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