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Antipathy to the Rafasiya . Why?
twelve Prayujām havimas! is Hike going on an expedition baring yoked the chariots in the spring, until the rainy season comes Further, to offer the next six Prayujām havimi is to come back, as it were, at the time of ralny season (yarha punardvarteran varsikam abhi ŚB V 5.2 4) The Kuru. pancala people used to say, "The seasons being yoked, verlly, carry us We march after the yoked seasons, They said like this because their kings were performers of the Rajasaya" (SB V 425 -taddha smantal hurupalcala ahuk tayo na asman yukta sahanti rtün prayuktan anucarama y adeşin rajano rijasvavalina asuh )18 Thus expeditions and invasions are included in the Raja siya-ritual in a sybolical way The actual expeditions etc must be taking place before the ritual of the sacrifice We have already mentioned the expeditions made by Pandavas before the performance of the Yudhihira's R asuya Thus there are expeditions before the Rajasüya-performance and therefore there is a danger of annlbllation 10 the war The epic and purinic texts, therefore, oppose the Rajasaya-performance
But now a question will patuarally arise - What is then the duference between the danger of the Ağvamedba and that of the Rajsüya? For before the Ašvamedha sacrifice also there are expeditions , there are battles. there are annihilation. But no objection is raised against the Asyamedbr from this point of view On tho contrary in the case of Rome, Bharata advised him not to perform the Rajasaya and prescribed the Asylmedha before the performance of which many battles did take place. Thus it 18 not merely the battles which make the thinkers oppose to the Ranstva Then, what is it? The epic, poranic and vedic texts have not raised this question at all They naturally have no answer to it Now lot me try to give a possible answer
One of the very loterestiog peculiarity of the Rajasalye sacrifice is that in the ritual of this sacrifice the king's relative (presumably a younger brother) has to take an expressedly lower position and to perform some self 10sultog activities Thus when the king is being consecrated one of the persons who have to make the king consecrated is the king's relative (SB Y 3 5 12. Katyass XV 530) After the consecration 16 Over, there a 4 symbolical expedition and the sacrificiog king ritually wing the cows of his own relative Thus, towards the north of the Abavantyt-fire one hundred or more cows of the king's relativo are placed (SB V 431) The max equipped with arms etc as if he were golog on an expeditwa He has now to win those cows SB V 4 3 2 gives the reason why cows are to be won Tour according to it, when Varuna was consecrated his valour departed from him.
13 For the expedition in the Rajutya soe Weber Königswie, p 58, 93, 06. 14, Cro & Jaiminiya-avamedha I 508
