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his increase in the power of words aided in the increase of sacrificial power. The sacrifice gained so much capability at this time that it became the most essential element in the maintenance of the universe. The sacrifice was “reality, or the principal manifestation of reality...the One expressed in name and sound.” [10] The power of the sacrifice was so strong that it became the principal mode of creation and the principal conveyor of universal truth. At this point in Indian history, the sacrifice was virtually the sole form of religious expression.

As the sacrificial ritual became more focused on creation, Vedic culture became more concerned with the origin of the universe and how the sacrifice related to that original event. The sacrifice, in a sense, reenacted the cosmic origin of the world, thus allowing human beings to have an integral, active role in creation. Not only did the sacrifice maintain the natural world, but it also maintained the social structures of Vedic society. For example, sacrifice was a common feature in the initiation of new monarchs. In the Vedic mindset, “the primary act of creation is the creation of the sacrifice; that being created, all else is formed from it.” [11]

An important element necessary to the understanding of the creative power of the sacrifice is the Vedic creation myth, the Purusa Sukta, found in the Rig Veda. Purusa is the primordial person or cosmic being from whom all beings come. Purusa is essentially the universe, personified. The Rig Veda states that “A thousand heads hath Purusa, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.” [12] Purusa contains the earth and the heavens within his cosmic body. “All creatures are one-fourth of him, three-fourths eternal life in heaven.” [13]

Creation of the physical world as we know it, as well as the world of the gods, occurred when Purusa was sacrificed. The body of Purusa was divided into segments and from each segment, the created world sprung forth. “The moon was gendered from his mind, and from his eye the sun had birth; Indra and Agni from his mouth were born, and Vayu from his breath.” [14] The caste system, fully formulated, was created by the sacrifice of Purusa as well. “The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya [or Ksatriya] made. His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced.” [15] Thus, all celestial and worldly order was constructed by this original sacrifice.

The sacrifice of Purusa held the ultimate creative power of the universe. By reenacting this original sacrifice during the Vedic sacrificial ritual, Vedic society was able to tap into this original creative power. Human beings were thus given control over the natural world. The physical world and the social domain could only be maintained through the sacrificial mechanism.

This idea was later formulated more fully in the idea of the god Prajapati, who essentially took on the identity of Purusa. Having exerted himself, Prajapati created the universe and then fell apart into many pieces. Prajapati called on Agni to rebuild him and promised that from that point on he would be called by Agni’s name rather than remain Prajapati. The sacrificial ritual, through the help of the divine fire (Agni), served to rebuild Prajapati and therefore maintained the universe. [16]

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