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@liverpool.ac.uk] on behalf of George Thompson [gthomgt@GMAIL.COM]
Sent: 23 August 2011 14:01
To: INDOLOGY@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