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The practice of Hindu animal sacrifice is mostly associated with Vedic Śrauta rituals, Shaktism and in currents of folk Hinduism strongly rooted in local popular or tribal traditions, however animal sacrifices were part of the ancient Vedic religion in India, and are mentioned in scriptures such as the Yajurveda. Seven of the twenty one Vedic Srauta Yagnyas require animal sacrifices. The famous ones are the goat in Soma Yaga and the horse in Ashvamedha. However, consumption of the victim's meat is not compulsory for the sacrificer depending on his descent and caste. Many Brahmin castes offer meat sacrifices but do not eat it, referring to the curse of rishi Agastya after the Ilvala-Vatapi episode. The eighteen major Puranas and Upapuranas like the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and Kalika Purana prescribe animal sacrifice. The orthodox Smarta Advaita Vedantic tradition of Adi Shankaracharya follows the Brahma Sutras in which animal sacrifice as per scriptures is seen as a way for the liberation of the victim's soul as well as the sacrificer's.
अशुद्धमिति चेत्, न, शब्दात् ॥ २५ ॥aśuddhamiti cet, na, śabdāt || 25 ||
- Brahma-Sutra 3.1.25
25. If it be said (that sacrifices, which entail the killing of animals etc.) are unholy, (we say) not so, on account of scriptural authority.
This Sutra refutes the point raised by the Nastika opponent in the previous Sutra that the descending soul is enveloped by its bad Karma such as the killing of animals in sacrifices and so is born as herbs etc. The killing of animals etc. in sacrifices does not entail any bad Karma for the person, for it is sanctioned by the scriptures.
Inside the Puri Jagannath temple, which follows the Govardhana Matha tradition of Adi Shankaracharya, animal sacrifices, arrack and fish are traditionally offered to the matha's head deity at the Vimala Shakti Peetha. The practice never declined during the formation of Hinduism, and very many Hindus strongly approve of them. Orthodox Sikhs like Hazuri Sikhs and Nihangs who hold on to tradition believe in sacrifice by Jhatka in Gurudwaras as well. Buddhists, Jains and colonial era Neo-Hindu and Neo-Sikh movements like Arya Samaj and the reformist Sikh SGPC alongwith western organisations like ISKCON and PETA have questioned such orthodox rituals as an external reaction to the orthodoxy. Buddha succumbed to dysentery after eating pork begged from Cunda Kammaraputta. So non vegetarianism is a norm in the orthodox Theravada Buddhist monastic tradition, whereas animal sacrifice for deities is proscribed. However, lay Buddhists often lapse to their former faiths Hinduism, Shinto or the Chinese folk religion in performing animal sacrifices in desperate circumstances. Jainism proscribes all killing for the monks but the lay Jain parents of Arihants like Mahavira were blood thirsty warriors, slaughtering thousands of lives in wars
These are seen by the Vedic orthodoxy as the hypocrisies of Buddhism and Jainism, both which are Nastika religions which deny any liberator Godheads as in the Vedic orthodoxy. Following M.K.Gandhi, a Jain influenced philosopher, and J.Nehru, a Buddhist influenced leader, Indian states like Kerala had legally banned such practices. "Kerala's law allows killing of animals for consumption but not to propitiate a deity", observed the Supreme Court of India and declared such laws 'arbitrary' in a plea by Shakta worshippers for whom animal sacrifice is an integral part of their religion. The famous Kalighat temple, to which Kolkata owes its name sees hundreds of sacrifices everyday. Hindu scriptures declare torture or himsa as bad karma but prescribed tortureless instantaneous hatya to the gods as liberation. Thus animals killed for food without being slaughtered by Jhatka to gods, Bhutas or the pitrs are considered non liberated and thus incur bad karma to the slaughterer.
Shaktism or mother goddess worship nearly always requires Panchamakara worship as does that of Bhutas, or the local deities which are the primordial inhabitants of any given place. This practice exists throughout Greater India, even where Hinduism has declined as Burmese Nat (deity) worship, Indochinese Spirit house worship and the Philippine Diwata anito worship upto the Bali-Javanese animal sacrifices which are explained in the Saktimangala tantra. The Saivagamas refer to the Sakta agamas and Kaula (Hinduism) tantras such as Yamala and Matrutantras when dealing with Panchamakara rituals. Kulamarga is also known by the name 'Bhuta tantra'.
Terminology
A Sanskrit term used for animal sacrifice is bali, in origin meaning "tribute, offering or oblation" generically ("vegetable oblations animal oblations,"). Bali among other things "refers to the blood of an animal" and is sometimes known as Jhatka Bali among Hindus.
The Kalika Purana distinguishes bali (sacrifice), mahabali (great sacrifice), for the ritual killing of goats, elephant, respectively, though the reference to humans in Shakti theology is symbolic and done in effigy in modern times. For instance, Sir John Woodroffe published a commentary on the Karpuradistotram, where he writes that the sacrificial animals listed in verse 19 are symbols for the six enemies, with "man" representing pride.
Hindu scriptures
The Ashvamedha, a ritual in which a horse was allowed to roam freely for a year, then finally sacrificed, is mentioned in the Vedic texts such as the Yajurveda. In the epic Mahabharata, Yudhishtra performs the Ashwamedha after winning the Kurukshetra war to become the Chakravartin emperor. The Mahabharata also contains a description of an Ashvamedha performed by the Chedi king Uparichara Vasu, however.
Human sacrifice was banned for Brahmins and recommended for the Kshatriyas in dire circumstances. The victim was expected to voluntarily behead himself with his own hands. The Tamil version of Mahabharata depicts the Nara bali or human sacrifice of Aravan at the counsel of Krishna on Baudhayana Amavasya to the Kali at the Kurukshetra battlefield before the war. Vikramaditya and Bhartruhari offered themselves as sacrifices to Ujjain Mahakali.
Details about Navaratri festival and Rama's performing the Navarâtra ceremony in which animal sacrifice for devi is prescribed to Rama and he offers it.
The rulers of the Gupta empire, the Chalukya dynasty, and the Chola dynasty all performed the Ashvamedha.
Agnisomiya was the simplest of all Soma sacrifices in which animal sacrifice played an important part; it required that a goat be sacrificed to Agni and Soma preceding the day of offering of nectar to the gods. In the Savaniya sacrifice, victims were offered throughout the day of offering to Agni. These rituals didn't focus on the killing of the animal but as a symbol to the powers it was sacrificed.
In Bhagavata Purana written in 10th or 11th century, Krishna tells people to perform animal sacrifices in the Kali Yuga, the present age not in excess, though the prescribed methods can be done. The Gaudiya Vaishnavite Brahma Vaivarta Purana describes animal sacrifices as kali-varjya or prohibited in the Kali Yuga. The Adi Purana, Brihan-naradiya Purana and Aditya Purana which are sectarian, also forbid animal sacrifice in Kali Yuga. Some orthodox interpreters of Hindu scriptures, like the Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhana Matha adhere to the Brahma Sutras that justify Vedic animal sacrifice to deities viewing it "in the cause of a great ideal" and that "the animal sacrificed attains the deity to which it is offered to as does the sacrificer at his end".
Animal sacrifice in contemporary Hindu society
Some orthodox Hindus follow a tradition of animal sacrifice, but there are numerous local exceptions. In general, where it is practiced, it will be seen as desired by some deities, but not by others.
Animal sacrifice is practiced in many Shakti temples in the states of Assam, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal in Eastern India, as well as in the nation of Nepal.The sacrifice involves slaying of goats, chickens, pigeons and male Water buffaloes For example, one of the largest animal sacrifice in Nepal occurs over the three-day-long Gadhimai festival. In 2009 it was speculated that more than 250,000 animals were killed while 5 million devotees attended the festival. The Gadhimai festival was banned by the Nepal government in 2015.
In the state of Odisha, every year, animals like goat and fowl are sacrificed before Kandhen Budhi, the reigning deity of Kantamal in Boudh district, on the occasion of her annual Yatra/Jatra (festival) held in the month of Aswina (September–October). The main attraction of Kandhen Budhi Yatra is Ghusuri Puja. Ghusuri means a child pig, which is sacrificed to the goddess every three years. During the Bali Jatra, male goats are offered as a sacrifice to the goddess Samaleswari in her temple in Sambalpur, Odisha. Bali Jatra of Sonepur in Odisha, India is also an annual festival celebrated in the month of Aswina (September–October) when animal sacrifice is an integral part of the ritual worship of deities namely Samaleswari, Sureswari and Khambeswari. Bali refers to animal sacrifice and hence this annual festival is called Bali Jatra.
Animal sacrifice is a part of some Durga puja celebrations during the Navratri in the eastern states of India. The goddess is offered sacrificial animal in this ritual in the belief that it stimulates her violent vengeance against the buffalo demon. According to Christopher Fuller, the animal sacrifice practice is rare among Hindus during Navratri, or at other times, outside the Shaktism tradition found in the eastern Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha and Northeastern India, Assam and Tripura. Further, even in these states, the festival season is one where significant animal sacrifices are observed. In some Shakta Hindu communities, the slaying of buffalo demon and victory of Durga is observed with a symbolic sacrifice instead of animal sacrifice.
The Rajput of Rajasthan worship their weapons and horses on Navratri, and formerly offered a sacrifice of a goat to a goddess revered as Kuldevi – a practice that continues in some places. The ritual requires slaying of the animal with a single stroke. In the past this ritual was considered a rite of passage into manhood and readiness as a warrior. The Kuldevi among these Rajput communities is a warrior-pativrata guardian goddess, with local legends tracing reverence for her during Rajput–Muslim wars.
The tradition of animal sacrifice is not prevalent in temples and households around Banaras where vegetarian offerings are made to the Goddess.
Animal sacrifice is practiced by Shaktism tradition where ritual offering is made to a Devi. In Southern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, it is most notably performed in front of local deities or clan deities. In Karnataka, the goddess receiving the sacrifice tends to be Renuka. The animal is either a male buffalo or a goat.
In some sacred groves of India, particularly in Western Maharashtra, animal sacrifice is practiced to pacify female deities that are supposed to rule the groves. Animal sacrifice is also practiced by some rural communities around Pune to placate deities at temples of Waghjai and Sirkai. In the region around Pune, goats and fowl are sacrificed to the God Vetala. The Kathar or Kutadi community of Maharashtra, while observing the Pachvi ceremony after delivery of a child in the family, offer worship to their family deity, Saptashrungi and also offer a sacrifice of a goat. Following this they hold the naming ceremony of the child on the 12th day.
Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, is the centre of worship of Narasimha, the lion-headed avatar of Vishnu, to whom the nine Hindu temples and other shrines are all dedicated. A certain amount of sacrifice of goats and rams is still performed weekly. This is now highly unusual in the worship of Vishnu, suggesting a "transitional state between a wild and unregulated tribal deity and an orthodox form of the god Vishnu".
A popular Hindu ritual form of worship of North Malabar region in the Indian state of Kerala is the blood offering to Theyyam gods. Theyyam deities are propitiated through the cock sacrifice where the religious cockfight is a religious exercise of offering blood to the Theyyam gods.
Shaktism or mother goddess worship nearly always requires Panchamakara worship as does that of Bhutas, or the local deities which were the primordial inhabitants of any given place. This practice exists throughout Greater India, even where Hinduism has declined as Burmese Nat (deity) worship, Indochinese Spirit house worship and the Philippine Diwata anito worship. The Saivagamas (Agama (Hinduism)#Shaiva Agamas) refer to the Sakta agamas (Agama (Hinduism)#Shakta Agamas) and Kaula (Hinduism) tantras such as Yamala and Matrutantras when dealing with Panchamakara rituals. Kulamarga is also known by the name 'Bhuta tantra'.
Animal Sacrifice is practiced by some Hindus on the Indonesian island of Bali. The religious belief of Tabuh Rah, a form of animal sacrifice of Balinese Hinduism includes a religious cockfight where a rooster is used in religious custom by allowing him to fight against another rooster in a religious and spiritual cockfight, a spiritual appeasement exercise of Tabuh Rah. The spilling of blood is necessary as purification to appease the evil spirits, and ritual fights follow an ancient and complex ritual as set out in the sacred lontar manuscripts. This ritual is also found in Tamil Nadu.
Method of sacrifice
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Methods for sacrificing range from decapitation (Jhatka), strangulation, to a spike being driven into the heart of the animal. The Jhatka method requires the instant killing of the animal in a single decapitating blow with an axe or sword.
See also
Notes
- In these cases, Shaktism devotees consider animal sacrifice distasteful, practice alternate means of expressing devotion while respecting the views of others in their tradition. A statue of asura demon made of flour, or equivalent, is immolated and smeared with vermilion to remember the blood that had necessarily been spilled during the war. Other substitutes include a vegetal or sweet dish considered equivalent to the animal.
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Further reading
- Fuller, Christopher John (2004). The camphor flame: popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.
- Hastings, James (2003). Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 24. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishings.
- Kak, Subhash (2004). The Aśvamedha: The rite and its logic. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 9788120818774.
- Masih, Y. (2000). A Comparative Study of Religions. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
- Sehgal, Sunil (1999). Encyclopaedia of Hinduism. Delhi: Sarup & Sons.
- Vesci, Uma Marina (1992). Heat and sacrifice in the Vedas. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 103. ISBN 978-81-208-0841-6.