The Broken World of Sacrifice: An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual

307 Pages·1993·24.12 MB·English

by  J. C. Heesterman

The Broken World of Sacrifice

THE BROKEN WORLD
OF SACRIFICE
An Essay in Ancient
Indian Ritual
J. C. HEESTERMAN
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS
Chicago & London
J. C. HEESTERMAN is emeritus professor ofIndian Civilizations at the Kern In
stitute of the University of Leiden, and honorary professor at Vienna University.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 1993 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. Published 1993
Printed in the United States of America
02 01 00 99 98 9796 95 94 93 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN (cloth): 0-226-32300-5
ISBN (paper): 0-226-32301-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PublicationData
Heesterman, 1. C.
The broken world of sacrifice: an essay in ancient Indian ritual / 1.c. Heesterman.
p. cm.
Includes indexes.
ISBN 0-226-32300-5. - ISBN 0-226-32301-3 (pbk.)
1. Sacrifice-Hinduism. 1. Title.
BLl236.76.S23H44 1993 92-36751
eIP
@ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American
National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Ma
terials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
FOR THERESE

Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
One Sacrifice 7
Two Ritual 45
T h r e e The Cult of the Fire 86
F 0 u r The Periodicity and Mobility of the Fire III
F i v e Priest and Sacrificer 142
Six The Consecrated 165
S eve n The Sacrificial Meal 188
E ig h t Epilogue 215
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r sth A b b rev i a t ion s 223
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Heesterman, J. C.. The Broken World of Sacrifice : An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual, University of Chicago Press, 1993.
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Heesterman, J. C.. The Broken World of Sacrifice : An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual, University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Preface
THE RECORD THE ANCIENT INDIAN RITUALISTS left us of their struggle
with sacrifice and its outcome, the Vedic corpus of ritual, is as fascinating
as it is momentous. But it is not an easy companion to live with, nor was it
at any time in its homeland. It was at all times a stone of offense. The Vedic
corpus poses questions on sacrifice, on ritual, and, ultimately, on man and
his fate. Putting one's experience with it on paper cannot be easy either, and
it will show. The result can only be, in the literal sense, an "essay" that must
attempt to do justice to the intricate detail of the ritual system and to re
spond to the speculative thought that underlies it. In other words, such an
"essay" can hardly avoid being speculative itself, as well as encumbered with
tiresome minutiae.
The reader may well feel caught between detail and speculation. I have,
therefore, followed the suggestion of setting out the main line of the rea
soning used in the essay in a brief introduction. The degree to which this
may provide something like Ariadne's thread into and out of the maze I
must leave to the reader willing to go through with it.
The attempt to put together thoughts gathered over the years is neces
sarily a lonely affair. Still the help and support, often unwittingly given, by
loyal friends, sympathetic colleagues, and-invaluable privilege of acade
mia-receptive students are essential to the effort. I would like them to
know of my gratitude. I desist from the pleasure of recording their names.
.de It would look too much like a curiously assorted as well as an unavoidably
vrese lacunar rollcall. I may be allowed, though, to mention the institutions that
r sth put me in their debt by their liberality.
g
ir llA In the best academic tradition Leiden University offered me the free
.sse dom I needed. I hope it will continue to cherish the "socially irrelevant"
rP fields.
o
ga A special debt of gratitude lowe to the Master and Fellows of All Souls
cihC College, Oxford, who generously gave me the accolade of hospitality in
fo ytisre tshtaeritre du nopna rtahlele plereds ehnatv weno. rkI.t was there, as Radhakrishnan Lecturer, that I
vin
U The Netherlands Institute of Advanced Studies at Wassenaar offered
.3
99 me a fruitful year of unencumbered reflection and writing.
1
© Finally I want to mention the institutes of Indian and of Buddhist
th
giryp Studies of Vienna University and the Asian research institute of the Aus
oC trian Academy of Sciences. It is a privilege to witness the growth, against
the tide, of the Viennese center of excellence in Asian Studies and to be
1X
Heesterman, J. C.. The Broken World of Sacrifice : An Essay in Ancient Indian Ritual, University of Chicago Press, 1993.