The Book of Ritual : The Brahmanas 

The Brahmanas are specific ritualistic texts, and were often used by the great priests in the courts of the Aryans kings. They are much like the Yajur Veda and its ritualistic approach but are not as old, nor do they have such an esoteric meaning. Yet they are more extensive. They set forth an important system of occult knowledge. They show us how to recreate the ritual action of life itself, to portray the cosmic ritual in a few special actions.  

Not all their rituals are of an outward nature. The outer things offered were symbolic of inner processes. The ritual proceeds primarily through speech, breath and mind. The main power of the ritual is the mantra or the chant. The chants attune us to the cosmic vibration and put us in tune with the transformative force of nature. The ritual brings us into the right action of life.

The ritual order or the order of the sacrifice is the sacred nature and movement of life. Such rituals and chants prepare us for the spiritual knowledge, make our life and thought a rich field for it to grow. The Brahmanas thereby lead us to the Upanishads.  Some Vedic rituals involved animal sacrifices but, on an esoteric level, the animal to be sacrificed is our own lower nature. The Brahmanas are opposed to the slaughter of animals except as an occasional sacred rite done with discretion.

[ Back ] [ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]