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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAN
rent occasions such as those of Aştaka, Anvaştakya, wedding, Salagava sacrifice, reception to a Snātaka, honouring of a deseased relation on the 11th day?. Under the Haviryajñasoma, the Sankhāyana Srautasūtra prescribes the immolation of goats (14.2. 14; 14.6.2;14.7. 5), cow (14.3. 19; 14. 5. 7; 14.6. 3; 14.7 5); and barren cows (14. 2. 15). In the Srautrāmana ceremony a he-goat, an ewe (14.13. 1) and barren cow (14.13.2) were immolated. In the Vājapeya Yajña animals such as goat, ram, ewe and cow (XV. 1. 21-22) were killed. The Pāraskara Gphyasūtra mentions that in the Madhyama Aştaka ceremony the fat of a cow was oblated (3.3.8.9). The Gobhila Gịhyasūtra (3.10.18) states that the cow was sacrificed in the Aştaka festival. The Hiranyakeši Gịhyasūtra, (2. 5. 15. 8) mentions that at the time of taking the meat of cow, a part of the cow-meat was offered to the Brāhmaṇas. The Sūlagava sacrifice is prescribed for procuring cattle, sons, wealth, fame, long life and heavenly bliss. It is meant for propitiating Rudra and for averting plague among the cattle". Some of the Gịhyasūtras make it symbolical only and no killing of ox is mentioned 4. The Aśvala yana and the Paraskara Grhyasūtras describe actual killing of an ox and they incorporate the cow also as a sacrificial victim”. In the Vrşotsarga Yajña a bull was killed but according to some Rșis the bull was not killed. The sankhayana Srautasütra (4.17.11) also mentions the slaughtering of oxen in sacrifices.
The animal sacrifice is described in the Paraskara Gịhyasūtra, (3.11). In this the animal selected for sacrifice is other than cow (3.11.1). The limbs of the animal formed the 'daksiņā' of the Rtvik (3.11.9). It further mentions that for some expiation an ass also can be sacrificed (3.12.2). In the Nirudhapaśu Yajña many kinds of animals were sacrificed in view of fulfilling the special wishes and it has been already mentioned that animals were the objects of offering in the Yajñas.
Thus the allegations made by the Paumcariyaṁ about the slaughtering of animals in the sacrifices is corroborated by the Brahmanical literature itself. Now it sbould be seen whether the references are merely literary or actually the animals were immolated.
1. Ibid, p. 109. 222. 2. See SRL Gr. p. 110. 3. Pāra, 3. 8. 3. 4. Hiranyakesin Grhya Sutras. 5. SRL, Gr, p. 111. 6. Pūra, 3. 9. 9. 7. Sankhāyana Srautasūtra, 6, 1, 20. 8. Apastambya T ajña Paribhāsā, Su. 1,
