Fwd: [INDOLOGY] taxonomy question

[Herman Tull]

There is, but it is rather elaborate.

See Satapatha Brahmana 13.6

for Eggeling’s translation, http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbr/sbe44/sbe44111.htm

Herman Tull
Princeton, NJ

From: Slakter, David 
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 12:10 PM
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk 
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Fwd: [INDOLOGY] taxonomy question

Is there no hierarchy within the category of humans for the Vedic sacrifice?  That is, if you're going to sacrifice a human, will any human do?

David Slakter



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From: Indology [INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk] on behalf of George Thompson [gthomgt at GMAIL.COM]
Sent: 23 August 2011 14:01
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Fw: Re: [INDOLOGY] Fwd: [INDOLOGY] taxonomy question


Dear List

Maybe nobody noticed my mistake, or maybe many of you did, but you decided to forgive me.  In any case, the Vedic hierarchy of sacrificial victims is not:

5. sheep
4. goat
3. cattle 
2. horse
1. human

It is instead:

5. goat
4. sheep
3. cattle
2. horse
1. human

I make this mistake all the time.  It is clear that in my urban world the value of the goat and the sheep is negligible.  But this is not true of the Vedic clans.

Best,
George


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