Agnishtoma

Particular rite of sacrifice prescribed
in the later strands of the Vedas, the
earliest Hindu sacred texts. The
agnishtoma was most often performed
in the early spring and was dedicated
to the Vedic god Agni (fire). The rite’s
two central elements were the pressing and consumption of the mysterious sacrificial drink called soma (seen
as a material form of the Vedic god
Soma), and the slaughter of sacrificial
animals, which were burned on the
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Agnihotra
sacrificial fire (the god Agni in material
form). A final chant during the sacrifice
was addressed to Agni. During the
Vedic period, this rite became largely
the province of kings since they were
the only people who could command
the necessary resources for it. With the
later reaction against animal sacrifice,
the rite fell out of favor, although it is
still performed occasionally in a modified fashion without sacrifice.