Rajasuya: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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The rajasuya is associated with the consecration of a king<ref name=Knipe-2015/> and is prescribed as a ritual to establish a king's sovereignty.<ref>{{cite news |title=Importance of yagna |date=2018-06-27 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/importance-of-yagna/article24272552.ece |access-date=2019-06-01 |lang=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It is described in the Taittiriya corpus, including Apastamba ''[[Śrauta|Śrauta Sutra]]'' 18.8–25.22.<ref name=Knipe-2015/> It involves ''[[soma (drink)|soma]]'' pressing, a chariot drive, the king shooting arrows from his bow, and a symbolic "cattle raid":<ref name=Knipe-2015/> The newly anointed king seizes cattle belonging to his relative, and then gives part of his property to that relative.<ref name=Renou-1947>{{cite book |last=Renou |first=Louis |author-link=Louis Renou |year=1947 |title=Vedic India |publisher=Susil Gupta |pages=107–108}}</ref> Also included is a game of throwing dice with the [[Adhvaryu]] priest in which the king wins a cow, by which the king is enthroned and the cosmos is regenerated.<ref name=Knipe-2015/> |
The rajasuya is associated with the consecration of a king<ref name=Knipe-2015/> and is prescribed as a ritual to establish a king's sovereignty.<ref>{{cite news |title=Importance of yagna |date=2018-06-27 |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/importance-of-yagna/article24272552.ece |access-date=2019-06-01 |lang=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> It is described in the Taittiriya corpus, including Apastamba ''[[Śrauta|Śrauta Sutra]]'' 18.8–25.22.<ref name=Knipe-2015/> It involves ''[[soma (drink)|soma]]'' pressing, a chariot drive, the king shooting arrows from his bow, and a symbolic "cattle raid":<ref name=Knipe-2015/> The newly anointed king seizes cattle belonging to his relative, and then gives part of his property to that relative.<ref name=Renou-1947>{{cite book |last=Renou |first=Louis |author-link=Louis Renou |year=1947 |title=Vedic India |publisher=Susil Gupta |pages=107–108}}</ref> Also included is a game of throwing dice with the [[Adhvaryu]] priest in which the king wins a cow, by which the king is enthroned and the cosmos is regenerated.<ref name=Knipe-2015/> |
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The [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] states that the ''rajasuya'' was the means by which a ''Kshatriya'' may become a king, and is not suitable for Brahmanas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |year=2006 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the accession of Parikshit to the extinction of the Gupta dynasty |publisher=Cosmo Publications |isbn=978-81-307-0291-9 |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1KObc_qaXYC&dq=rajasuya+kings+history&pg=PA136 |lang=en}}</ref> |
The [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] states that the ''rajasuya'' was the means by which a ''Kshatriya'' may become a king, and is not suitable for Brahmanas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Hemchandra |year=2006 |title=Political History of Ancient India: From the accession of Parikshit to the extinction of the Gupta dynasty |publisher=Cosmo Publications |isbn=978-81-307-0291-9 |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h1KObc_qaXYC&dq=rajasuya+kings+history&pg=PA136 |lang=en}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 23:36, 13 November 2023
Rajasuya (Sanskrit: राजसूय, romanized: Rājasūya, lit. 'king's sacrifice') is a śrauta ritual of the Vedic religion. It is ceremony that marks a consecration of a king.[1] According to the Puranas, it refers to a great sacrifice performed by a Chakravarti – universal monarch, in which the tributary princes may also take part, at the time of his coronation, as a mark of his undisputed sovereignty.[2]
Description
The rajasuya is associated with the consecration of a king[1] and is prescribed as a ritual to establish a king's sovereignty.[3] It is described in the Taittiriya corpus, including Apastamba Śrauta Sutra 18.8–25.22.[1] It involves soma pressing, a chariot drive, the king shooting arrows from his bow, and a symbolic "cattle raid":[1] The newly anointed king seizes cattle belonging to his relative, and then gives part of his property to that relative.[4] Also included is a game of throwing dice with the Adhvaryu priest in which the king wins a cow, by which the king is enthroned and the cosmos is regenerated.[1] The Shatapatha Brahmana states that the rajasuya was the means by which a Kshatriya may become a king, and is not suitable for Brahmanas.[5]
Historically, the rajasuya was performed by the Indo-Aryan kings, which led to the expansion of their kingdoms during the Iron Age.[6] The kings of Tamilakam performed the rajasuya, attended by monarchs of Lanka;[7] Kharavela, the king of Kalinga, is described to have performed the rajasuya, despite being a Jain;[8] and the Satavahana kings performed the ceremony.[9] The sacrifice was performed by kings throughout the subcontinent; records of its performance in South India at least date until the time of the Vijayanagara Empire.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Knipe, David M. (2015). Vedic Voices: Intimate narratives of a living Andhra tradition. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. p. 237.
- ^ "Rajasuya, Rajasūya, Rājasūya, Rajan-suya: 17 definitions". wisdomlib.org. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
- ^ "Importance of yagna". The Hindu. 27 June 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ Renou, Louis (1947). Vedic India. Susil Gupta. pp. 107–108.
- ^ Raychaudhuri, Hemchandra (2006). Political History of Ancient India: From the accession of Parikshit to the extinction of the Gupta dynasty. Cosmo Publications. p. 136. ISBN 978-81-307-0291-9.
- ^ Sen, Sailendra Nath (1999). Ancient Indian History and Civilization. New Age International. p. 51. ISBN 978-81-224-1198-0.
- ^ Kanakasabhai, V. (1904). The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago. Higginbotham. p. 98.
- ^ Bandyopadhyaya, Jayantanuja (2007). Class and Religion in Ancient India. Anthem Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-1-84331-727-2.
- ^ Chakrabarty, Dilip K. (18 October 2010). The Geopolitical Orbits of Ancient India: The geographical frames of the ancient Indian dynasties. Oxford University Press. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-19-908832-4.
- ^ Simmons, Caleb (3 January 2020). Devotional Sovereignty: Kingship and religion in India. Oxford University Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-19-008889-7.