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Shrautasutras (Samskrit:  श्रौतसूत्राणि), as the name suggest, refers to the texts which have been derived from the Shruti or the Vedas. The Shrauta sutras contain a very detailed, meticulously accurate and vivid description of the several yajnas that were performed in ancient times. These works were manuals compiled for the practical purpose of giving directions to those who engaged in such yajnas. They are based on ancient Brahmana texts, which they quote at every step, many individual sutras being couched in the very language of the Brahmana texts.<ref name=":0">Kane, Pandurang Vaman. (1941) ''History of Dharmasastra (Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law) Volume 2, Part 2.'' Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute</ref>

 

Shrautasutras (Samskrit:  श्रौतसूत्राणि), as the name suggest, refers to the texts which have been derived from the Shruti or the Vedas. The Shrauta sutras contain a very detailed, meticulously accurate and vivid description of the several yajnas that were performed in the very ancient times. These works were manuals compiled for the practical purpose of giving directions to those who engaged in such yajnas. They are based on ancient Brahmana texts, which they quote at every step, many individual sutras being couched in the very language of the Brahmana texts.<ref name=":0">Kane, Pandurang Vaman. (1941) ''History of Dharmasastra (Ancient and Medieval Religious and Civil Law) Volume 2, Part 2.'' Poona : Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute</ref>

== परिचयः ॥ Introduction ==

== परिचयः ॥ Introduction ==

The Shrauta rituals cover a whole gamut of rituals from the simplest to the most complicated. Most of them are no more practiced, but their study is useful for historical reasons. According to Prof. Radhakrishna Bhat,<blockquote>"Most of the ‘Haviryajnas’, ‘Agnihotra’, ‘Darsapurnamasa’ and ‘Caturmasya’ yajnas, the basic ‘Somayajnas’, ‘Agnistomas’ and its varieties, and some culturally and historically important yajnas like ‘Vajapeya’, “Asvamedha’, ‘Sarvamedha’ etc are found in ‘Yajurveda’ (Adhvaryuveda). Later in ‘Puranas’ the references to Vedic rituals and practices are found. In classical Sanskrit literature some references to Vedic rituals and practices are mentioned. This shows that the Vedic ritual tradition is continued to modern period too without any interruption". <ref name=":022">Radhakrishna Bhat, N. ''[http://vedicheritage.gov.in/pdf/Vedic_tradition_karnataka.pdf Vedic Ritual Tradition of Karnataka]'', Vedic Heritage Portal.</ref></blockquote>The procedures for Shrauta karmas are compiled in Shrauta Sutras as given in the Kalpa Vedanga. Some of the Shrauta Sutras associated with particular vedas are as follows<ref name=":1222222222">Purkayastha, Dipanjona (2014) Ph. D Thesis from Assam University : ''[http://hdl.handle.net/10603/41946 A Study of the Asvalayana srauta sutra with reference to the principal sacrifices]''</ref>

The Shrauta rituals cover a whole gamut of rituals from the simplest to the most complicated. Most of them are no more practiced, but their study is useful for historical reasons. According to Prof. Radhakrishna Bhat,<blockquote>"Most of the ‘Haviryajnas’, ‘Agnihotra’, ‘Darsapurnamasa’ and ‘Caturmasya’ yajnas, the basic ‘Somayajnas’, ‘Agnistomas’ and its varieties, and some culturally and historically important yajnas like ‘Vajapeya’, “Asvamedha’, ‘Sarvamedha’ etc are found in ‘Yajurveda’ (Adhvaryuveda). Later in ‘Puranas’ the references to Vedic rituals and practices are found. In classical Sanskrit literature some references to Vedic rituals and practices are mentioned. This shows that the Vedic ritual tradition is continued to modern period too without any interruption". <ref name=":022">Radhakrishna Bhat, N. ''[http://vedicheritage.gov.in/pdf/Vedic_tradition_karnataka.pdf Vedic Ritual Tradition of Karnataka]'', Vedic Heritage Portal.</ref></blockquote>

 

The procedures for Shrauta karmas are compiled in Shrauta Sutras as given in the Kalpa Vedanga. Some of the Shrauta Sutras associated with particular vedas are as follows<ref name=":1222222222">Purkayastha, Dipanjona (2014) Ph. D Thesis from Assam University : ''[http://hdl.handle.net/10603/41946 A Study of the Asvalayana srauta sutra with reference to the principal sacrifices]''</ref><ref name=":42222">Gopal Reddy, Mudiganti and Sujata Reddy, Mudiganti (1997) ''Sanskrita Saahitya Charitra (Vaidika Vangmayam - Loukika Vangamayam, A critical approach)'' Hyderabad : P. S. Telugu University. (Pages 59-71)</ref><ref name=":12">Pt. Baldev Upadhyaya (1997) ''Samskrit Vangmay ka Brhad Itihas, Dvitiya Khand - Vedang.'' Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Samskrit Sansthan (Pages 56-112)</ref>

 

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable"

!Vedas

!Vedas

!Srautasutras

!Shakas

|-

|-

|Rig Veda

! rowspan="3" |Rigveda

|Asvalayana, Sankhyayana

|Shakala and Bashkala

|-

|-

|Krishna Yajurveda : Taittriya

|Bashkala?

|Baudhayana, Bharadvaja, Apastamba, Hiranyakeshi, Vaikhanasa, Vadula, Kathaka

|18 Adhyayas<ref name=":42222" />

|Aanartiya Tika (आनर्तीयः)

|-

|-

|Krishna Yajurveda : Maitrayani

|Kaushitaki

|Manava and Varaha

| colspan="3" |None available

|-

|-

|Shukla Yajurveda

!Shukla Yajurveda

|Katyanana

|Vajasaneya

|-

|-

|Samaveda

! rowspan="9" |Krishna Yajurveda

|Arsheyakalpa, Kshudrasutra, Jaiminiya, Latyayana and Drahyayana

| rowspan="5" |Taittriya

|Bhavasvami's Bhashya (1 -26 Prashnas), Sayanacharya (1st Prashna), Vasudeva Dikshit's Mahagnisarvasva (10th Prashna),  

|-

|-

|Atharvaveda

|Apastamba (आपस्तम्बः),

|Vaitana

|}Besides these above mentioned Srautasutras, there are many others but their texts are not available at present.  

!Atharvaveda

|Vaitana (वैतानः)

|}Besides these above mentioned Shrautasutras, and their commentators, there are many other western scholars who have brought out critical editions of these sutra texts and they are widely available. The above list is not exhaustive and work on preparing a comprehensive list of all the kalpa texts requires to be undertaken. 

 

 

An interesting concept Yajna-angas (यज्ञाङ्ग स्वरूपम्) may be considered, where the yajna-angas are equated to a person's physical and mental angas (शरीरादि अङ्गानि । body and other parts)  representing the holistic role of each physical entity in the yajna purusha.<ref name=":1" />

 

[[Yajna (यज्ञः)]] involves various activities of a human being as a part of his lifestyle as described in the Vaidika and Laukika sahitya. While there are many definitions about what constitutes Yajna, most commonly, it is characterized by the features of Devapuja, Yachana (याचना । requesting, asking, praying) for food and rains and utterance of Mantras (mostly of Yajurveda). Here Yachana (याचना) is of three kinds - people, in general, seeking food and other essentials from the Yajamana (one who does the yajna); yajamana praying to devatas for welfare of people, say, for good rains; devatas in turn asking that havis (food for devatas) be offered them from mankind. All these activities constitute Yajna. Nirukta explains above mentioned aspects clearly <blockquote>यज्ञः कस्मात् । प्रख्यातं यजतिकर्म इति नैरुक्ताः । याच्ञः भवति इति वा । यजुरुन्नः भवति इति वा । बहुकृष्णाजिनः इति औपमन्यवः । यजूंषि एनं नयन्ति इति वा ।(Niru. 3.4.19)<ref>Nirukta Shastra ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4% Adhyaya 3])</ref></blockquote>Matsyapurana (145.44)<ref>Matsya Purana ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%83_%E0%A5%A7%E0%A5%AA%E0%A5%AB Adhyaya 145])</ref>and Brahmandapurana summarizes the five lakshanas of Yajna as follows<blockquote>पशूनां द्रव्यहविषामृक्‌सामयजुषां तथा। ऋत्विजां दक्षिणायाश्च संयोगो यज्ञ उच्यते।। (Brahmanda. Pura. Purvabhaga. 32.47)<ref>Brahmanda Purana ([https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4% Purvabhaga, Adhyaya 32])</ref></blockquote>Meaning : That activity which involves a coordination (of five activities) of collection of materials (pashu and others) for yajnas, Havis (ghee and others) offerings, Rk, Sama and Yajus mantras, Rtviks (priests), Dakshinas (fees given during yajnas) is called Yajna.<ref>Tagare, G. V. (1958 First Edition) ''Brahmanda Purana. Part 1.'' Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass (Page 318)</ref>

 

Yajnas are classified into many kinds, but based on the origin of their procedures they are classified as Shrauta and Smarta Yajnas. [[Shrauta Yajnas (श्रौतयज्ञाः)|Shrauta Yajnas]] are completely based on the mantras given in the Vedas whereas in Smarta Yajnas include recitation of Veda mantras, and  Puranas and even Tantras are recited while performing the rites.<ref name=":2" />

 

== References ==

== References ==