Fwd: [INDOLOGY] taxonomy question

[Slakter, David]

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

________________________________
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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