DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.635#0050
BRAHMINICAL RITES 37
As the ultimate aim was to render humanity im-
mortal, and the sacrificial science was based on an
imaginary science of the celestial world, everything
abnormal, weird, and uncanny was believed to have
a special virtue. Everything human and normal was
opposed to the success of the sacrifice. The opposi-
tion between the terrestrial sphere and the heavenly
world was so pronounced that "no" for the gods was
" aye " for men. Even at the present day many com-
mon Indian customs and practices are exactly the
reverse of those in Europe.
The complication of the Brahminical rites became
almost inconceivable. The great Horse - sacrifice,
generally undertaken only by kings, especially to pro-
cure offspring, was said to conquer all sin, to render
the sacrificer invulnerable and certain of victory over
his enemies; but the risk of errors creeping in must
have deterred many from attempting it, for it was a
ceremony which took several years to complete, re-
quired the attendance of hundreds of priests and at-
tendants, the recitation of thousands of prayers and
mantras, endless rites, and the most lavish presents.
The blessings to be gained and the evils to be avoided
by the performance of appropriate rites were both
material and spiritual. The Brahmanas provide the
necessary mantras for destroying Rakshasas (demons),
or human enemies, for the removal of sin, to recover
lost property or to bring success to the gambler, and
to avert the evil influence of an animal sitting down,
trembling, or running away at the time of the sacrifice.
Closely allied to the sacrificial system was the prac-
tice of bodily penances, or mortification of the flesh,
which the Brahmins regarded as a sure way, leading
As the ultimate aim was to render humanity im-
mortal, and the sacrificial science was based on an
imaginary science of the celestial world, everything
abnormal, weird, and uncanny was believed to have
a special virtue. Everything human and normal was
opposed to the success of the sacrifice. The opposi-
tion between the terrestrial sphere and the heavenly
world was so pronounced that "no" for the gods was
" aye " for men. Even at the present day many com-
mon Indian customs and practices are exactly the
reverse of those in Europe.
The complication of the Brahminical rites became
almost inconceivable. The great Horse - sacrifice,
generally undertaken only by kings, especially to pro-
cure offspring, was said to conquer all sin, to render
the sacrificer invulnerable and certain of victory over
his enemies; but the risk of errors creeping in must
have deterred many from attempting it, for it was a
ceremony which took several years to complete, re-
quired the attendance of hundreds of priests and at-
tendants, the recitation of thousands of prayers and
mantras, endless rites, and the most lavish presents.
The blessings to be gained and the evils to be avoided
by the performance of appropriate rites were both
material and spiritual. The Brahmanas provide the
necessary mantras for destroying Rakshasas (demons),
or human enemies, for the removal of sin, to recover
lost property or to bring success to the gambler, and
to avert the evil influence of an animal sitting down,
trembling, or running away at the time of the sacrifice.
Closely allied to the sacrificial system was the prac-
tice of bodily penances, or mortification of the flesh,
which the Brahmins regarded as a sure way, leading