On the symbol concept of the Vedic ritualists

Authors

• Asko Parpola

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67125

Keywords:

Symbolism, Hindu, India, Hinduism -- Ritual, Vedas, Hindu literature, Vedic ritual

Abstract

Different peoples have in their cultural and linguistic systems created individual conceptual categories which best fit their varying needs and surroundings, thus defining and interpreting the world in different ways. While developing universal theories it is useful to take into account as many as possible independent systems of classification, for they can open up new perspectives and refine prevalent concepts. A striking example is supplied by the ancient Indian grammarians who, in spite of their exclusive preoccupation with Sanskrit, have given a lot of stimulation to modern general linguistics. The aim of the present paper is to contribute to the general study of the "ritual symbol", "the smallest unit of ritual which still retains the specific properties of ritual behavior", by drawing attention to, and sketching in basic outline, some central concepts held in this regard by the Vedic ritualists. The Vedic Brahmana texts, composed around 1000-600 B.C., expound the esoteric meaning of the sacrifices which at the time were at the very centre of the cultural activity in the heart of North India.