Consider the following statements about the practice of Vedic sacrifices : 1. The shrauta (Vedic sacrifices) involved the use of three fires - the garhapatya (householder's fire), ahavaniya (offeratorial fire) and dakshinagni (southern fire). 2. These fires were supposed to be placed in pits of different shapes, i.e., the garhapatya to be square, ahavaniya to be round and that of the dakshinagni, rectangle-shaped. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, 1 only. The shrauta rites did use three sacred fires, but statement 2 gets their shapes the wrong way round.
Shrauta sacrifices are the grand rituals laid down in the Shrauta Sutras and the Brahmanas. They needed three fires: the garhapatya, the householder's fire from which the others were lit; the ahavaniya, into which the offerings were poured; and the dakshinagni, the southern fire. Their altars had fixed shapes: the garhapatya was round, the ahavaniya square and the dakshinagni semicircular, like a half-moon. The rules for measuring and building such altars, set out in the Shulba Sutras, are among the earliest records of Indian geometry.
B is wrong because the shapes in statement 2 are wrong: the garhapatya was round, not square, and the ahavaniya was square, not round. C is wrong because only statement 1 is correct. D is wrong because statement 1 is correct.
Exam tip: three fires: garhapatya round, ahavaniya square, dakshinagni half-moon; altar geometry is in the Shulba Sutras.
Practice Questions
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Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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