One of the distinctive features of the sattra is commonly considered the fact that each participant in the sattra event can play the role of officiant (see e.g. Mylius 1995, s.v.). Thus, there is no “priestly gift”, but Falk (1985; 1986) objects that the sacrificers present themselves, i.e. their ātman, as dakṣiṇā, as explained in TS 7,4.9 and KB 15,1.23–26. On the other hand, the sattra way of performing sacrifices might have been a secondary later step in the history of sacrifice (Bronkhorst 2016: 159). Indeed, ancient Vedic sources include explicit recommendations for performing especially the dvādaśāha for oneself, instead of for someone else. Furthermore, the “plural agency of the sattra” even became the object of Jaimini’s Mīmāṃsāsūtras 10,6.45–59 (sattrasya bahukartṛkatvādhikaraṇam). The present paper aims at reconsidering the phrase ātmádakṣiṇam sattrám on the basis of Candotti, Neri & Pontillo 2020 and 2021, where the most ancient occurrences of the term dákṣiṇā are re-interpreted as the sacrificer’s “magnificence” both in an abstract sense “as an auspicious condition prototypically proper to a successful leader”, and in a more material one “as the outcome of such a condition”, which becomes the ritual substance that allows a community to perform a sacrifice.
Una delle caratteristiche distintive del sattra è comunemente considerata il fatto che ogni partecipante all'evento sattra può svolgere il ruolo di officiante (cfr. ad esempio Mylius 1995, s.v.). Non c'è quindi un “dono sacerdotale”, ma Falk (1985; 1986) obietta che i sacrificatori presentano se stessi, cioè il loro ātman, come dakṣiṇā, come spiegato in TS 7,4.9 e KB 15,1.23-26. D'altra parte, il modo sattra di eseguire i sacrifici potrebbe essere stato un passo secondario successivo nella storia del sacrificio (Bronkhorst 2016: 159). Infatti, le antiche fonti vediche includono raccomandazioni esplicite per l'esecuzione soprattutto del dvādaśāha per se stessi, invece che per qualcun altro. Inoltre, l'“agenzia plurale del sattra” divenne persino l'oggetto del Mīmāṃsāsūtras 10,6.45-59 di Jaimini (sattrasya bahukartṛkatvādhikaraṇam). Il presente lavoro si propone di riconsiderare la locuzione ātmádakṣiṇam sattrám sulla base di Candotti, Neri & Pontillo 2020 e 2021, dove le più antiche occorrenze del termine dákṣiṇā vengono reinterpretate come “magnificenza” del sacrificatore sia in senso astratto “come condizione propizia prototipicamente propria di un leader di successo”, sia in senso più materiale “come risultato di tale condizione”, che diventa la sostanza rituale che permette a una comunità di compiere un sacrificio.
When the sattrins “offer themselves”: the plural agency in Vedic sacrifice
Tiziana Pontillo
2023-01-01
Abstract
One of the distinctive features of the sattra is commonly considered the fact that each participant in the sattra event can play the role of officiant (see e.g. Mylius 1995, s.v.). Thus, there is no “priestly gift”, but Falk (1985; 1986) objects that the sacrificers present themselves, i.e. their ātman, as dakṣiṇā, as explained in TS 7,4.9 and KB 15,1.23–26. On the other hand, the sattra way of performing sacrifices might have been a secondary later step in the history of sacrifice (Bronkhorst 2016: 159). Indeed, ancient Vedic sources include explicit recommendations for performing especially the dvādaśāha for oneself, instead of for someone else. Furthermore, the “plural agency of the sattra” even became the object of Jaimini’s Mīmāṃsāsūtras 10,6.45–59 (sattrasya bahukartṛkatvādhikaraṇam). The present paper aims at reconsidering the phrase ātmádakṣiṇam sattrám on the basis of Candotti, Neri & Pontillo 2020 and 2021, where the most ancient occurrences of the term dákṣiṇā are re-interpreted as the sacrificer’s “magnificence” both in an abstract sense “as an auspicious condition prototypically proper to a successful leader”, and in a more material one “as the outcome of such a condition”, which becomes the ritual substance that allows a community to perform a sacrifice.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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