Read the passage and answer following five questions:
Here are verses from the Rigveda invoking Agni, the god of fire, often identified with the sacrificial fire, into which offerings were made so as to reach the other deities: "Bring, O strong one, this sacrifice of ours to the gods, O wise one, as a liberal giver. Bestow on us, O priest, abundant food. Agni, obtain, by sacrificing, mighty wealth for us." Verses such as these were composed in a special kind of Sanskrit, known as Vedic Sanskrit. They were taught orally to men belonging to priestly families.
Identify the 'sacrifices' mentioned in Rigveda.
A. Samsara
B. Rajasuya
C. Kutagarashala
D. Soma
E. Ashvamedha
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → B, E only
A. Samsara Not a sacrifice. Samsara means transmigration, the round of birth and rebirth that the thinkers of the time debated.
B. Rajasuya A sacrifice. It was one of the more elaborate sacrifices performed by chiefs and kings, who depended on Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual.
C. Kutagarashala Not a sacrifice. The kutagarashala, literally a hut with a pointed roof, was a place where teachers held debates.
D. Soma Not a sacrifice. Soma is one of the deities, with Agni and Indra, praised in the hymns of the Rigveda.
E. Ashvamedha A sacrifice. Like the rajasuya, it was an elaborate sacrifice performed by chiefs and kings.
Note: The question is not properly framed. The book does not say that the rajasuya and the ashvamedha are mentioned in the Rigveda. It says that the hymns of the Rigveda were chanted when sacrifices were performed, and it names the rajasuya and the ashvamedha only after saying that later (c. 1000 BCE-500 BCE onwards) some sacrifices were performed by the heads of households. Of the five items, only these two are sacrifices, so the answer is not affected.
NCERT (2026-27): “2.1 The sacrificial tradition … There were several pre-existing traditions of thought, religious belief and practice, including the early Vedic tradition, known from the Rigveda, compiled between c.1500 and 1000 BCE. The Rigveda consists of hymns in praise of a variety of deities, especially Agni, Indra and Soma. Many of these hymns were chanted when sacrifices were performed, where people prayed for cattle, sons, good health, long life, etc. At first, sacrifices were performed collectively. Later (c. 1000 BCE-500 BCE onwards) some were performed by the heads of households for the well-being of the domestic unit. More elaborate sacrifices, such as the rajasuya and ashvamedha, were performed by chiefs and kings who depended on Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual.… 2.3 Debates and discussions … We get a glimpse of lively discussions and debates from Buddhist texts, which mention as many as 64 sects or schools of thought. Teachers travelled from place to place, trying to convince one another as well as laypersons, about the validity of their philosophy or the way they understood the world. Debates took place in the kutagarashala – literally, a hut with a pointed roof – or in groves where travelling mendicants halted. If a philosopher succeeded in convincing one of his rivals, the followers of the latter also became his disciples.…”
|
