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To perform the Rājasūuya yajña a king would leave a strong and magnificent horse to roam about. It was accompanied by a large contingent of army. If another ruler on the way blocked the passage of the horse, it indicated that he was opposed to the sovereignty of the king. The offender was attacked and subjugated. The rulers who did not oppose accepted the rule of the sovereign. After roaming all around the designated area the horse was brought to the capital and a yajña was organized with a large yajña pit. The king was formally decorated with the title of Cakravartī during the yajña ceremonies and at the conclusion the horse was ritually sacrificed in the yajña pyre in that pit. The priests (Brahmă or the presiding priest, adharvyu, and hotā or oblation performer) and other participating Brahmins were offered gifts including thousands of gold coins, cows with gold-covered horns, young slave girls embellished with ornaments according to the status. Such Rājasūuya yajñas were performed by Rāmacandra, Pusyamitra, Samudragupta, and many other kings.
Descriptions of yajñas with human sacrifice are also found in Vedas. King Hariscandra organized a yajña. Sunaḥsepa was a poor riși (sage) who had seven sons. The king bought his youngest son for ten thousand cows. The boy was formally dressed and embellished with ornaments and brought into the yajña pavilion. The innocent beautiful child was tied to the yajña pillar. The poor kid did not want to untimely proceed to the heaven by burning into the fire. He started crying. At that moment great sage Viśvāmitra entered the yajña pavilion. He was against yajña sacrifice and violence. He liberated Ajīgarta from the yajña pillar.
Besides yajñas, the Vedic Aryans devised another method of pleasing deities; that of sacrificing animals and human beings before images of gods. They also devised the ritual of offerings to manes. The offerings here also included animal sacrifice. A guest is considered to be a god. Provision was also made to please him by offering meat. III luck or misery of man is caused due to some displeased god. Therefore, to please him by animal sacrifice has been advised. There are numerous social or family rituals that are considered incomplete without animal sacrifice.
The aforesaid description of cruel murders and barbarian sacrifices in name of religion does not refer to some aborigine tribe or
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