The Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriya Aranyaka: An Ancient Commentary on the Pravargya Ritual

The Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriya Aranyaka: An Ancient Commentary on the Pravargya Ritual

A historical commentary on the Pravargya ceremony can be found in Prapathaka 5, which is part of the Taittiriya Aranyaka in the Andhra recension. This commentary, known as the Pravargya Brahmana, is presented here in a translation that also includes annotations. An investigation of the Pravargya ritual is included in the Introduction. This ceremony is referred to as “One of the few rites that have been specifically alluded to in the Rgveda (typically under the term “Gharma”).” The abstract and spiritual character of what is most likely the primary purpose of the ritual – the participants should acquire the lustre of the sun – the straightforward means by which it can be performed, and the manner in which the main implement, the pot which is heated to a red-hot temperature, is worshipped, give it a special place among the vast assortment of Vedic rites. In addition to the translation, the original Sanskrit text of the Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriyas has also been provided here. The present work was prepared under the direction of Professor Dr. H.W. Bodewitz (Utrecht), and it is an expansion of an essay that the author wrote as part of the author’s partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of “doctorandus” at the University of Utrecht, 1987. This work was prepared under the guidance of Professor Dr. H.W. Bodewitz (Utrecht).

Author

Jan E.M. Houben

About the Author:

Jan E.M. Houben was born in a village in the southern part of the Netherlands in 1960. Between 1978 and 1987 he studied Psychology, Linguistics, and classical and Vedic Sanskrit at the State University, Utrecht. At present he is a research worker at this University, at the Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures.