Yajamana

(“patron of the sacrifice”) In the cult of
sacrifice found in the Vedas, the oldest
Hindu religious texts, the yajamana was
the person who commissioned the sacrifice and paid for its performance, and
who thus stood to gain its anticipated
benefits. This term draws a crucial distinction between priest and patron and
points to the relationship between
them—the former were learned men
and ritual technicians, who knew how to
perform complex sacrificial rites, but
they were dependent for their livelihood
on the patronage of their sponsors.