Ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects,

performed according to a prescribed order.

The formulation of the rites and rituals presupposes the existence of deities who
are to
bdprobitiated, prayed through the rituals. Performance of ritual was at the
centre of philosophy of the early Vedic religion. Ritual and prayer are two
expressions in act and
word of man's sense of dependence on divine powers. Rituals were performed to
enlist the goodwill
of divine powers so that they may fulfil the wish of the worshipper.
Sacrifice was considered as an inherent part of the cosmic order. Sacrifice
involved the
yajamana, the patron of the offering, the god to whom the offering is given, the
Brahmana who
performs the sacrifice and acts as a link between the yajamana and the god and the
bali or the
offering which is gifted to the gods. The Vedic sacrifices are performed by
offering oblations or
Ahutis to fire, since Agni (fire) is believed to be the mouth of all deities. Vedic
rituals are broadly classified into two categories, Public rites
(Srauta) and Domestic rites (Grhya or Smarta).
Public Rites:
The Srauta sacrifices are primarily classified on the basis of the material of the
offerings,
viz. havir-yajna in which ghee is offered as the main oblation, and Soma
yajna in which the juice of the Soma plant is the chief oblation. It is to be noted
that in aSoma-yajna animal
sacrifice also forms apart.The Srauta rituals require the participation of various
types of offioiating priests.They are Hotr
(Rgvedic), Udgatr (Samavedic), Adhvaryu (Yajurvedic) and Brahman (Atharvavedic).
The Srauta
sacrifices may be classified as: i) periodic or regularly recurring ones and ii)
occasional or
special.
Periodic Sacrifices:This is performed either in a particular season or either on
new moon or full moon
day. It is a two-day performance. The Darsapurnamasa, as its name indicates, is
performed on new moon and full moon day.Caturmasya are
performed at the beginning of spring, monsoon, and autumn seasons.
Special Sacrifices:These are performed for the fulfillment of various desires of
the yajamana (sacrificer). The Rajasuya yagna is a consecration ceremony which
involves imperial sacrifice, was performed by the kings of the past.
Domestic Rites:
Besides the Srauta sacrifices both regular and occasional, compulsory and optional
- a
householder belonging to any of the three upper castes is required to perform quite
a good number
of personal or family rites i.e.domestic rites. The occasions of establishing the
Garhapatya
fire are marriage, death of the head of the family or division of paternal
property, resulting in the
setting up of a separate household. The householder is
supposed to perform all the Grhya rites himself, except the Sulagava and
Dhanvantari rites which
may be performed by a Brahmin priest commissioned for the purpose. During the
absence of the
householder, however, his wife or a resident pupil may act as his representative.
The materials used
for the oblations in the Grhya rites are generally the same as those for the srauta
rituals, with the
exception that Soma is never offered and animals very rarely