Animal sacrifice in Hinduism
Part of a series on |
Hinduism |
---|
The practice of
Terminology
A Sanskrit term used for animal sacrifice is bali, in origin meaning "tribute, offering or oblation" generically ("vegetable oblations [... and] animal oblations,").[7] Bali among other things "refers to the blood of an animal"[7] and is sometimes known as Jhatka Bali[8][9] among Hindus.
The
Hindu scriptures
The Brahmanic texts explicitly state that five creatures were suitable for sacrifice in Vedic India, in descending order: man, horse, cattle, sheep, and goat.[12] The text of the Rigveda and other Vedas provide detailed description of sacrifices including cattle sacrifice.[13]
The
Agnisomiya was the simplest of all Soma sacrifices in which animal sacrifice played an important part; it required that a goat be sacrificed to
In Bhagavata Purana written in 6th to 8th century CE, Krishna tells people not to perform animal sacrifices in the Kali Yuga, the present age.[20] The Brahma Vaivarta Purana describes animal sacrifices as kali-varjya or prohibited in the Kali Yuga.[21] The Adi Purana, Brihan-naradiya Purana and Aditya Purana also forbid animal sacrifice in Kali Yuga.[22] The Padma Purana encourages respect for all living beings.[23] Some orthodox interpreters of Hindu scriptures, such as Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, believed that the prohibition in Kali Yuga applies only to a few types of animal sacrifices, notably cow and horse sacrifices.[24] Such interpretations justify Vedic animal sacrifice viewing it "as a little hurt caused in the cause of a great ideal" and believing that "the animal sacrificed attains an elevated state".
Animal sacrifice in contemporary Hindu society
While some modern Hindus avoid animal sacrifice, there are numerous exceptions throughout India. In general, where animal sacrifice is practiced, it will be seen as desired by some deities, but not by others.[7]
Though Hindu food offerings are generally vegetarian, offering of sacrificed animals is prevalent and remains "important ritual in popular Hinduism".
Animal sacrifice is offered to fierce forms of Hindu deities such as Durga, and Kali; village goddesses like Shitala, Mariamman; Bhairava (Shiva's uninhibited form); Narasimha (Vishnu's ferocious avatar) and malevolent spirits. The purpose of the sacrifice is to pacify the anger of these wrathful deities and seek their grace.[31]
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
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.[37] 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[38] and Northeastern India, Assam and Tripura. Further, even in these states, the festival season is one where significant animal sacrifices are observed.[37] In some Shakta Hindu communities, the slaying of buffalo demon and victory of Durga is observed with a symbolic sacrifice instead of animal sacrifice.[39][40][note 1]
The Rajputs worship their weapons and horses on Navratri, and formerly offered a sacrifice of goat or male water buffalo to a goddess revered as Kuldevi – a practice that continues in some places.[43][44] 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.[45] The Kuldevi among these Rajput communities is a warrior-pativrata guardian goddess, with local legends tracing reverence for her during Rajput–Muslim wars.[46]
The tradition of animal sacrifice is not prevalent in temples and households around
Animal sacrifice is practiced by
In some
In Maharashtra, Prasad offerings to Goddess Bhaväni at Tuljapur sacrificial offering of goat meat.[55]The Vaishnava sect dedicated to the god Vishnu, which the majority of Hindus follow, prohibits animal sacrifice.[56] 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,[57][58] suggesting a "transitional state between a wild and unregulated tribal deity and an orthodox form of the god Vishnu".[57]
In the
A popular Hindu ritual form of worship of North
Animal sacrifice was outlawed in the state of Gujarat in 1971. Formerly buffalo sacrifice was practiced by Rajput rulers, but the practice has since ceased, and the offerings to mother goddesses have become vegetarian.[63]
Animal Sacrifice is practiced by some Hindus on the Indonesian island of Bali.[64][65][66] 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.[67] 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.[68][69]
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.[41] 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.[39][40] Other substitutes include a vegetal or sweet dish considered equivalent to the animal.[42]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-93-5388-377-5. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
mostly practised in Shakti cult, while Puranas and the Gita forbid animal sacrifice.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-208-0644-3.
- ^ ]
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
- ISBN 978-81-207-1272-0.
But in this Kaliyuga, all fire sacrifices involving the animal slaughter are prohibited as stated in the Brahma-Vaivarta-Purana, ashvamedham gavalambham, sannyasam palpaitrakam, devarena sutotpattim, kalau pafich vivarjayet.
- ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ^ a b c Rodrigues, Hillary; Sumaiya Rizvi (10 June 2010). "Blood Sacrifice in Hinduism". Mahavidya. p. 1. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - .
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 75.
- ^ "" Pramatha Nath Bose, A History of Hindu Civilization During British Rule, vol. 1, p. 65
- ^ Hymn to Kali: Preface
- ^ Jaan Puhvel. (1978). Victimal Hierarchies in Indo-European Animal Sacrifice. The American Journal of Philology, 99(3), 354–362. https://doi.org/10.2307/293746
- ^ Jha, D. N. (2002). The myth of the holy cow. Verso
- ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ISBN 978-81-317-1677-9.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1443-1.
- ISBN 978-81-208-0644-3.
- ISBN 978-0-87722-511-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-1937-3. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Rosen, Steve (2004). Holy Cow: The Hare Krishna Contribution to Vegetarianism and Animal Rights. Lantern Books. p. 24.
- ISBN 978-0-231-52660-9. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-7748-0724-1.
- ^ "Animal Sacrifice in the Age of Kali from the Chapter "The Vedas", in Hindu Dharma". kamakoti.org. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.
- ^ Fuller 2004, p. 83.
- ^ Fuller 2004, pp. 83–4.
- ^ Olivia Lang (24 November 2009). "Hindu sacrifice of 250,000 animals begins | World news". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ "Ritual animal slaughter begins in Nepal". CNN. Edition.cnn.com. 24 November 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
- ^ Ram Chandra, Shah. "Gadhimai Temple Trust Chairman, Mr Ram Chandra Shah, on the decision to stop holding animal sacrifices during the Gadhimai festival" (PDF). Humane Society International. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- ^ Fuller 2004, p. 85.
- ^ "Kandhen Budhi" (PDF). Orissa.gov.in. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ISBN 978-81-7022-642-0.
- ^ "Komna ready for animal sacrifice". The Times of India. The Times Group. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Bali Jatra of Sonepur" (PDF). Orissa.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ (Barik, 2009:160–162).[full citation needed]
- ^ ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.
- ^ Hardenberg, Roland (2000). "Visnu's Sleep, Mahisa's Attack, Durga's Victory: Concepts of Royalty in a Sacrificial Drama" (PDF). Journal of Social Science. 4 (4): 267. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ a b Hillary Rodrigues 2003, pp. 277–278.
- ^ a b June McDaniel 2004, pp. 204–205.
- ISBN 978-1-139-49317-8.
- ISBN 978-0-231-12919-0.
- ISBN 978-0-19-515426-9. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-8147-3619-7.
- ISBN 978-0-520-07339-5.
- ISBN 978-0-520-07339-5.
- ISBN 978-07914-5399-5. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- S2CID 162925746.
- ^ Gadgil, M; VD Vartak (1975). "Sacred Groves of India" (PDF). Journal of the Bombay Natural History. 72 (2): 314.
- ^ Gadgil, Madhav; Malhotra, K.C> (December 1979). "Indian Anthropologist" (PDF). Indian Anthropologist. 9 (2): 84. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- ISBN 978-81-7154-038-9. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ISBN 978-81-7991-101-3.
- ISBN 9781000691559.
- ^ Vicziany, M., & Hardikar, J. (2018). Point-of-Care Blood Tests: Do Indian Villagers Have Cultural Objections?. Frontiers in Chemistry, 6, 505.[1]
- ^ Shinde, K. A. (2013). Re-scripting the Legends of Tuḷjā Bhavānī: Texts, Performances, and New Media in Maharashtra. International Journal of Hindu Studies, 17(3), 313–337. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2471364
- ISBN 978-1-59056-281-9. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ a b Blurton, 125
- ISBN 978-1-59056-281-9.
- ^ Fuller 2004, pp. 95–6.
- ^ Fuller 2004, p. 90.
- ^ Fuller 2004, pp. 91.
- ISBN 978-81-7099-214-1.
- ^ Tambs-Lyche, Harald (2018). "Goddesses of Western India". In Jacobsen, Knut A.; Basu, Helene; Malinar, Angelika; Narayanan, Vasudha (eds.). Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online. Brill.
- ISBN 978-979-3780-00-9. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- .
- .
- ^ Bali Today: Love and social life By Jean Couteau, Jean Couteau et al – p.129 [2]
- ^ Indonesia Handbook, 3rd, Joshua Eliot, Liz Capaldi, & Jane Bickersteth, (Footprint – Travel Guides) 2001 p.450 [3]
- ^ "Is Sacrificial Killing Justified? from the Chapter "The Vedas", in Hindu Dharma". kamakoti.org. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
Bibliography
- Blurton, T. Richard, Hindu Art, 1994, British Museum Press, ISBN 0 7141 1442 1
- Hillary Rodrigues (2003). Ritual Worship of the Great Goddess: The Liturgy of the Durga Puja with Interpretations. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-8844-7.
- June McDaniel (2004). Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534713-5.
- Rodrigues, Hillary; Sumaiya Rizvi (10 June 2010). "Blood Sacrifice in Hinduism". Mahavidya. p. 1. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Ryder, Richard D. Animal revolution: changing attitudes toward speciesism. Oxford: Berg Publishers. 2000.
- Fuller, Christopher John (2004). The camphor flame: popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.
Further reading
- Hastings, James (2003). Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, Part 24. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishings.
- ISBN 978-81-208-1877-4.
- 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.