Consider the following statements about the practice of Vedic sacrific

Consider the following statements about the practice of Vedic sacrifices:

1. The shrauta (Vedic sacrifices) involved the use of three fires – the garhapatya (householder’s fire), ahavaniya (offeratorial fire) and dakshinagni (southern fire).
2. These fires were supposed to be placed in pits of different shapes, i.e., the garhapatya to be square, ahavaniya to be round and that of the dakshinagni, rectangle-shaped.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CAPF – 2023

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Statement 1 is correct, but statement 2 is incorrect. Vedic Shrauta sacrifices indeed involve the use of three principal sacred fires: the Garhapatya, the Ahavaniya, and the Dakshinagni. However, their associated fire pit shapes are traditionally different from what is described in statement 2. The Garhapatya fire pit is typically circular, the Ahavaniya fire pit is square, and the Dakshinagni fire pit is semi-circular or shaped like a half-moon.

The use of three sacred fires (Garhapatya, Ahavaniya, Dakshinagni) is fundamental to major Vedic (Shrauta) rituals. The specific shapes of the altars or pits for these fires (circular for Garhapatya, square for Ahavaniya, semi-circular for Dakshinagni) are symbolically significant in Vedic cosmology and ritual practice.

The three fires represent different aspects: Garhapatya (householder, origin), Ahavaniya (offering, eastward), and Dakshinagni (south, often related to ancestors or protection from evil spirits). The incorrect assignment of shapes in statement 2 makes the statement false.

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