THE GRAND YAGNAM 513
fire, is distributed to the Brahmins. Finally, the person who has borne the expense of the sacrifice makes gifts, in money and clothes, to all present, according to the rank
and dignity of each; a costly munificence, considering the
multitude of those who take part in the ceremony.
The Brahmin who has presided at the yagnam is henceforth considered an important personage. He has acquired, for instance, the right of keeping up a perpetual fire in his house. If this fire, by some accident, were to be extinguished, he would be forced to rekindle it, not with light procured from a flint, but with that produced by rubbing two pieces of dry wood together. When a Brahmin honoured in this way dies, his funeral pile must be lighted with this fire.
After that the fire is allowed to die out of itself.
I have never been able to discover whether this sacrifice has any particular divinity for its object. It would appear, however, that the Brahmin who offers it is free to dedicate it to any god that he chooses, provided the deity be one of
the first rank. Be this as it may, the fire of the yagnam bears the name of agni-iswara, which means the god of fire,
as if it were offered to this element alone.
Hindu books testify that this sacrifice was much more frequent in the time of the old Vanaprasthas; but then it was performed in a much simpler manner, and was not accompanied with the foolish ostentation that was afterwards associated with it. Yet, after all, this sacrifice is a mere nothing compared with the grand yagnam, the enormous cost of which has now caused it to fall into disuse. Trustworthy persons have assured me, however, that at the beginning of the last century the King of Amber( Jeypore), in Upper India,
had it performed with the utmost magnificence. The gift which he made to his high priest alone is said to have cost
a lakh of rupees, while the Brahmins who attended it, to the number of several thousands, all received presents proportionate to their rank K
The mythical stories of the Hindus make frequent mention of this splendid sacrifice, and the blessings which it procured for those who caused it to be performed. The
1
Yagnam sacrifices on a smaller scale are performed nowadays in
Southern India. Ed.