Evidence of Vedic Yajna in Indus seal inscriptions

‘Smasana-cayana’altar (Vedic burial ritual) in Indus Valley Civilization.

Figure 1: Evidence of ‘Smasana-cayana’ ritual

Picture courtesy (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

The above shown picture shows the remnant of ‘Vedic Yajna ‘ritual as per observation of T.S.Subramanian. The article is published in the front line magazine. The discovery and excavation of a new site, 4MSR, near Binjor, Rajasthan, has yielded vital clues about the evolution and continuity of the mature and late phases of the Harappan civilisation and their relationship to the painted grey ware culture that followed. A.K. Pandey, Deputy Director of ASI is in charge of the excavation at the Harappan site of 4MSR (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

The site, which is a couple of kilometres from Binjor village, is in Anupgarh tehsil of Sri Ganganagar district, Rajasthan. It is just 7 km from the India-Pakistan border as the crow flies. The archaeologists and the students are excavating a big mound in the alluvial plains of the Ghaggar River. Ghaggar is the modern name given to the Saraswati River. The village residents call the mound Thed and it is about 400 metres from the camp.

There are successive floor levels made of mud bricks, especially in the industrial area of the site. Pandey says “It shows that whenever the original floor in which the Harappans were working got damaged, they built another floor over it. Between two floors, we have found a lot of ash, charcoal, bones, pottery and artefacts. There are katcha (temporary) drains in some trenches,” (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

The trenches have thrown up remnants of ovens, hearths and furnaces, with white ash and soot embedded in the soil, testifying to the industrial activity of making beads at the site. Hearths were found both inside and outside the Harappan houses. Pandey offered an explanation: During winter, Harappans cooked inside their homes but in summer, they cooked outside. One trench revealed a deep silo, lined with mud, to store grains. (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

I doubt the explanation of Pandey that industrial activity was carried out in this place. In my opinion, it is a site of funeral ceremony, where lot of sacrifices had been carried out, which are indicated by the bones and ash. The different cooking hearths mentioned by him indicates the different Vedic altars used in a single Vedic ceremony. Two successive floor levels mad of bricks indicates that there were two different Vedic Yajnas on the same spot. The first Yajna could be Agnicayana ritual followed by Smasana-cayana or vice versa.

What has come as a bonus is the discovery of a fire altar, with a yasti (a shaft) in the middle. “The yasti is an indication that rituals were performed at the altar,” said Manjul. The yasti here is an octagonal, burnt brick. Although bones were found in the upper level of the deposits in this trench, it could not be ascertained whether they were sacrificial bones. The ASI team traced mud and ash layers at the lower level in the trench and also found a bead inside the fire

altar. Pandey said fire altars had been found in Kalibangan and Rakhigarhi, and the yastis were octagonal or cylindrical bricks. There were “signatures” indicating that worship of some kind had taken place at the fire altar here. (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

Fortunately, the Indian Archaeologists have identified the structure in figure-1 as a Vedic ritual pit. Generally they are fond of calling all structures as grain storage pit. T.S. Subramanian, special correspondent of Frontline magazine also states that “Worship of some kind had taken place at the fire altar here”.

Now, we have to identify the kind of ‘worship’ that had taken place in this archaeological excavation site.

The answer for this above said question is available in the book of Tull, H.

W. (1990). The Vedic origins of karma: Cosmos as man in ancient Indian myth and ritual. Delhi: Sri Satguru. (Tull, 1990)

The extracts of the book are as given below:

The Agnicayana ritual goes on for a whole year, the first phase is the construction of ‘Great bird altar’. (wikipedia(Agnicayana), 2015). Then the next phase of the ritual is the construction of a “Domestic hearth” (Garhapatya), which represents a reconstructed version of one of the hearths (Ahavaniya, Dakshinagni, Garhapatya) used in all the Vedic Srauta rites. (Tull H. , 2015)

The construction of this hearth is again likened to a birth process. Here the womb is said to be the earth, and the embryo inside the womb is identified as having both the shape of a man and the shape of a bird, which is the shape of the completed fire altar. (Tull H. , 2015)

Figure 2: Indus symbol in the shape of ’embryo’

Figure 3: The embryo symbol in Indus seal

Picture courtesy – (Sullivan, 2011)

Now, compare this above given Indus symbol with the ‘Vedic fire altar’ shown in figure – 1, it exactly tallies. This shows that the above given Indus symbol indicates ‘Smasana-cayana’ Vedic ritual conducted for a dead person. I have been telling for long time that all the Indus seals are related to death related rituals, which is being substantiated by this findings in this article. (Jeyakumar(Necropolis), 2009)

Figure 4: Modified embryo symbol in diamond shape

Figure 5: Diamond shaped embryo in Indus inscriptions

Picture courtesy – (Sullivan, 2011)

The above given figures 4&5 indicate the modified embryo symbol, this symbol is in ‘diamond’ shape instead of ‘embryo’ shape. Anyhow, it should be construed that both symbols are indicating a same Vedic ceremony.

The Garhapatya thus represents the earthly foundation of man and fire altar, both of which will be (ritually) born during the course of the Agnicayana performance. To express this connection the Garhapatya, which traditionally has a round shape, is made to the same measure as a man or the distance between a man’s outstretched arm (Vyamamatra), and its shape is said to symbolize the roundness both of the womb and the earth. (Tull H. , 2015)

Figure 6: The Chakra symbol indicates ‘Garhapatya Yajna’

Figure 7: Gold man figure in Agnicayana ritual

Picture courtesy: e-book of Rekha Rao; Symbolography in Indus seals. (Rekha, 2015)

W.H.Tull state that the next step of this ritual is that the sacrificer emits his real semen, and the semen is placed next to the gold man. The above given statement of W.H.Tull is supported by the findings of Rekha. (Rekha, 2015) Rekha in her e-book has produced the above given figure-7, which shows an effigy made of gold is placed inside the Agnicayana Vedic altar. She had taken this figure from

the website Athirathram.org. Please also note that the semen of the sacrificer is placed near the gold man, the statement is substantiated by the circle of gold dots near the ‘Gold Man’. (Athirathram.org, 2015)

Along with the offering spoon (Vedic ritual ladle) the priest places two bricks inside the altar, which are said to be the Sacrificer’s testicle. Please note that there are two bricks inside the yajna kund (figure -1), which are being called as Yastis by T.S.Subramanian. To whatever new existence the construction of the fire altar leads the sacrificer, with his offering spoon (ladle) and testicles, he will be able to continue his characteristic activities such as performing the Vedic rites and procreating. (Tull H. , 2015)

Figure 8: Perforated clay plates

Picture courtesy – (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

W.H.Tull states that on top of the Gold man (effigy) the sacrificer places the ‘naturally perforated bricks’. (Svayamatrnna). (Tull H. , 2015) But, no such perforated bricks were seen in the excavated Vedic altar. Instead of the bricks, perforated clay plates were found. (Figure-8) The perforations in these three clay plates allow the sacrificer to pass through the otherwise solid altar in his symbolic ascent through the cosmos.

W.H.Tull states that in the completed altar there will be three bricks. One each placed on the first, third and fifth levels. Please note that one brick (Yasti) is visible in the altar (Figure-1) and the second brick is also visible in the second level (or) it may be third level as said by W.H.Tull. The bricks indicate the testicles of the sacrificer, and separate perforated clay plates were placed over the bricks, so that imaginary life of sacrificer in the ‘Garbha’ (embryo) can breathe within the ‘Vedic altar’. (Tull H. , 2015)

In this first layer of the altar the sacrificer also place a tortoise, which represents heaven (The upper shell) the earth (The lower shell). The fire pan, which represents the womb; and a mortar and pestle, which represents a penis in the womb. The author describes this shape (shape of the altar in figure-1) as that of an animal, with certain bricks representing is head, neck, breast, back and hips. Then finally the priests declare: “That animal, which is the fire altar, now has a form complete and whole”. (Tull H. , 2015)

The sacrificer next places in the fire pan the heads of the five sacrifice animals that of a goat, sheep, cow, horse and man, or if the sacrificer followed the alternative procedure, the head of a single goat that represents all the five animals mentioned above. The sacrificer then throws seven gold chips in each head. (Tull H. , 2015) These sacrificed animal heads are not reported by the archaeological excavation team, because those animal heads would have rotten away many centuries back. The excavation team has not reported the gold man as well as seven cold chips. However they reported a valuable bead from the altar, which shows that a valuable bead could have been used instead of gold chips.

Perforated clay plates are placed inside the chamber, so that there will be breathing space for the life created in this chamber. After this point, the construction of the altar entails the continued placing of bricks until all five levels are completed. The bird shaped fire altar was seen as representation of the Vedic sun-bird, who was occasionally identified with Agni and would thus be capable of conveying the sacrificer to the heavenly realm in which it had its abode. (Tull H. , 2015) The Vedic sun-bird seems to be the equivalent of the Greek mythical bird ‘Phoenix’.

Though the Satapatha Brahmana mentions other shapes for this kind of Vedic sacrifice such as those of a bucket, chariot wheel, or a heron for the construction of the altar the Vedic priests disdain their use.

Figure 9: Materials prepared for Agnicayana ritual

Picture courtesy (Athirathram.org, 2015)

Agnicayana stood at the zenith of the Vedic ritual hierarchy, it is clear that the one who lives and sacrifices for 100 years would have performed this Agnicayana sacrifice as his penultimate sacrifice. (The final sacrifice was the funeral rite) The final sacrifice for the one who had in life completed the Agnicayana possessed its own distinctive nature. Such distinguished sacrificer deserved building of a burial place (Smasana-cayana). (Tull H. , 2015)

The Agnicayana ritual is considered as completed only after construction of the Smasana-cayana altar. This particular obligation indicates the continuity between Agnicayana ritual and final Smasana-cayana ritual. After the final Smasana-cayana ritual the dead man goes to the other world. Scholars have often

noted the similarity between the construction of the Agnicayana altar and the construction of burial place (Smasana-cayana) for the sacrificer who had built the fire altar. Although the Smasana-cayana does exhibit an over helming concern with the father (Pithrus), it is important in view of its similarity to the Agnicayana, to question the precise nature of relationship between these two rites. The Satapatha Brahmana specifically states that the construction of the burial place completes the Agnicayana ritual. (Tull H. , 2015)

Figure 10: Bird symbol indicates Agnicayana ceremony

Picture courtesy – (Subramanian.T.S, 2015)

Note that the above given seal (figure-8) was the only seal found in this excavation site and inscriptions on this seal indicates the Agnicayana ceremony. The bird symbol in the seal indicates the Agnicayana ceremony. Further, one full skeleton was also found out in the same site. This shows that some important person of Indus Valley period had been buried here and a funeral mound has been raised over his body. The inscription on the seal is the conclusive proof that a burial ceremony was carried out in the excavated site, and not some kind of industrial activity as being claimed by the Indian archaeologists.

Athirathram.org. (2015, December). scenes.html. Retrieved from athirathram.org: http://www.athirathram.org/scenes.html

Jeyakumar(Necropolis). (2009). Necropolis_theory_on_Indus_Valley_Civilization. Retrieved from www.academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/7773502/Necropolis_theory_on_Indus_Valley_Civilization

Rekha. (2015). Symbolography in Indus seals. In Symbolography in Indus seals(e-Book) (p. 11736). https://read.amazon.in/. Retrieved from https://read.amazon.in/

Subramanian.T.S. (2015, April). harappan-surprise. Retrieved from www.frontline.in: http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/heritage/harappan-surprise/article7053030.ece

Sullivan, S. (2011). Indus Script Dictionary. Suzanne Redalia.

Tull, H. (2015). smasanacayana. Retrieved from books.google.co.in: https://books.google.co.in/books?id=auqGWz2l9pYC&pg=PA180&dq=smasanacayana&hl=en&s a=X&ved=0ahUKEwj24bW5lsTJAhWSGI4KHfy5Dr8Q6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=smasanacayana& f=false

Tull, H. W. (1990). The Vedic origins of karma: Cosmos as man in ancient Indian myth and ritual. Delhi: Sri Satguru. Delhi: Sri Satguru.

wikipedia(Agnicayana). (2015, December). Agnicayana. Retrieved from wikipedia.org: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnicayana