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JULY, 1983
fold.16 But in the Yajurveda Vratya denotes men, getting together in large number, making loud noise, hostile to the Rsis and not belonging to the community.17 The Vratyas are stated to be the fit objects to be sacrificed at the altar of the god called Atikrustha (Loud-noise)18 and they are thus included in the list of victims of human sacrifice mentioned in the Samhitas of the Yajurveda.19
According to Sayana20 the word (vratya) denotes as patita (fallen), while Apastambha etymologically makes the derivation of the word 'vratya' from the root 'vrata' (vow) and Vratya is stated to be Srotriya.21 Baudhayana describes Vratyas as a son of an uninitiated man.22 In the Visnudharma purāṇa23 Vratya signifies "One who has let go the proper time for the sacrement of initiationship. 24
According to the Praśnopanisad, 25 'Vratya' means one uninitiated "because of his being the first born and there being no one else to initiate him; therefore, he was pure by nature."26
In the Mahabharata27 a Vratya has been regarded as fallen person and the Vratyas are equated with the Candalas, 28 while the Brahmāṇḍa
16
17
18
19 Ibid., XXX. 8.
20
21
29
Tandaya Brahmana, III. 4. 5. 1.
Apastambha Dharmasutra, II. 37, 13-17, SBE. II, pp. 37, 118-19. 22 Baudhayana Dharmasutra, 1. 8.
23
Visnudharma Purana, III. 233. 72. Cf. Manu, II. 39, X. 39, Bloomfield, Atharvaveda and Gopatha Brahmana, p.95 on. Vratya is derived from compounds like anyavrata, apavrata, etc. having a different custom'.
ླ
sa udatisthat sa pracim disamanu vyacalat....ya evam vidvamsam vratyamupavadali ..sa udatistat sa daksinam disamanuvyacalat....tam yajnayajiyam ca vamadevyam ca yajnasca yajamanasca pasavascanu vyacalan, Atharvaveda, 15. 2., 1, 3, 9, 10, pp. 315-16.
27
vrate samavetah vratyah, vide Dacca University Bulletin 'Vratya', p. 2. M.L. (Magadhan Literature), pp. 3-4.
Vajaseniya Samhita, XXX. 5. 22.
28
24 Vide Vratyas in Ancient India, p. 12.
25
vratyastvam pranaikarsiratta visvasya satpatih vayaniadyasya datarah pita tvam matarisvanah, Prasnopanisad, 2. 11.
26 Vratyas in Ancient India, p. 9.
Mahabharata, Karnaparva, 37, 44-46.
In the verse 32 the Vratyas have been stated to be evam silesu vratesu balhikesu duratmesu, cf. Dronaparva, 14, 3, 17, where the Andhaka-Vrsnis have been called vratyas. Vide Vratyas in Ancient India, p. 9.
Mahabharata, Anusasanaparva, line 2621.
Mbh. classes the vratyas with the offsprings of society, such as incendiaries, drunkards and so on.
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