Śrauta and Gṛhya Karma

[Types of Vedic Sacrifices (Śrauta and Gṛhya)]—We may classify broadly the Vedic sacrifice in to two divisions, viz. Śrauta and Gṛhya. The Śrauta yajña is one, the detailed description of which is found in the Śruti or Veda. In this category of sacrifice the oblation is offered to the fire after burning it in three separate holes called Āhavanīya, Gārhapatya and Dakṣhināgni. On the other hand, the Gṛhya yajña is that type of sacrifice in which the oblation is offered to a single cavity of fire (agni-kuṇḍa). We do not find any regular description of this type of sacrifice in the Vedas. In some Gṛhya sacrifice there is no necessity of fire. The Śrauta sacrifice is performed generally for the welfare of the house-holder or for his house wife; whereas, the Gṛhyas acrifice is performed for the benediction of some of the members of the house. In the Śrautas acrifice, a house-holder is liable only to himself or to his divinities, whereas, in the Gṛhyas acrifice he is responsible to all the members of his family. In most cases, the fruit of the Śrauta sacrifice is the attainment of heaven or mundane prosperity.

In the Vedic age, the education system was residential. The pupil had to stay in the preceptor’s house and got his necessary education. In the preceptor’s dwelling house, the pupil had to stay for long twelve (12) years. There in preceptor’s house, the pupil had to offer the sacrificial fuel daily in the preserved fire-cavity in the dawn and in the dusk. And after the end of his education, the pupil had to offer the last sacrificial fuel to the fire preserved in his preceptor’s house and left for his own house with some portion of the enkindled fuel and establish it in his house in a fire-cavity. This fire, which is preserved in the house, is called Gṛhya, Smārta, Āvasathya and Upāsan Agni. There are different names of the single fire. In this fire, the work which is to be done is called Gṛhya karma or house hold task. Numerous house-hold works are there, Upāsanā homa is one of them. Every day, in the morning and in the evening this work is to be performed. In the evening, the chief god of this homa is Agni and in the dawn the Sun.

What may be the case with Gṛhya karmas, in the Śrauta works all oblations are to be offered in the fire. Araṇi has to be made by the branch of an Aśvattha tree which is issued forth from the interior of a śami tree. Unlike Gṛhya work where one Agni-Kuṇḍa is enkindled, in the Śrautas acrifice three Agni kuṇḍas or fire cavities are to be ablazed. As mentioned earlier these three fires are named as Āhavanīya, Gārhapatya and Dakṣhināgni. These fires are also known as Vaitānika Agni or Tretāgni. First, fire has to be enkindled by rubbing two Araṇis ticks and then this fire is to be kept in Gārhapatya Kuṇḍa. This fire is to be preserved ablazed until death. After his death, the house-holder is to be cremated in the crematorium by this Gārhapatya fire. This is his last sacrifice and, as such, this cremation is called Antyeṣṭi (or last Sacrifice). However, from the Gārhapatya-kuṇḍa, a few ablazed fuels are to be taken and kept in the cavities known as Dakṣhina and Āhavanīya. This task is called Agnyādheya or Agnyādhāna or in other words, establishing fire in the cavity. A house-holder will not be called Āhitāgni though in his abode house hold fire is preserved. But he is truly Āhitāgni who has enkindled the Vaitānika fire in the three receptacles of fire.