The Buddha’s Scathing Critique of Ritualism, Animal Sacrifice, and Priesthood

For centuries, the superstition has been deeply entrenched in our society that pouring tons of ghee and grain into sacrificial fire pits (yajna kundas [sacrificial fire pits]), and running knives across the necks of mute animals to offer their blood to the gods, will secure moksha (spiritual liberation) or heaven. In the sixth century BCE, when the Tathagata Buddha witnessed this grotesque ostentation of Vedic ritualism, he denounced this false display with absolute fearlessness and clarity.

In his thought-provoking book ‘Buddha Dhamma and Bharat’, N. Singh writes in a poignant analysis of verse 106 of the Dhammapada (a sacred Buddhist scripture of verses):

‘Though someone may perform a yajna (sacrificial ritual) month after month for a hundred years spending thousands of rupees, yet if he pays homage even for a single moment to a person of purified mind, that single moment of reverence is far superior to a hundred years of sacrificial offerings.’
The Buddha is pointing towards the samyak (right/wholesome) direction of yajna. In Hindu society, yajna has been prevalent for centuries. Kindle the fire, cast oblations, burn ghee, throw foodgrains; who knows how many kinds of yajnas are in practice and have existed since antiquity. Violent yajnas have also been prevalent—narmedha yajna (human sacrifice), gomedha yajna (cow sacrifice), ashvamedha yajna (horse sacrifice); appalling violence! The Buddha asks: what will be achieved by casting oblations into the fire? Fire is merely an insentient element of nature. Sacrifice the inner defilements—greed, anger, and lust—only then will the light truly be kindled in life.
— ‘Buddha Dhamma and Bharat’

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External Ostentation Versus Internal Transformation

In the era of the Buddha, the priestly class had entangled religion in immensely intricate rituals. The common folk were intimidated with the fear that if a particular yajna was not performed, the gods would be enraged, the rains would fail, their lineage would end, or they would be condemned to suffer in hell. Even the poorest householder was coerced into taking loans to pay dakshina (ritual offerings/fees) to the priests and sacrifice animals.

Striking at the very machinery of this religious exploitation, the Tathagata established three fundamental truths:

1. Ahimsa paramo dhamma (Non-violence is the supreme virtue/duty): Who gave us the right to snatch away a life that we cannot create? To offer a mute goat, horse, or cow upon the sacrificial altar merely to fulfill some petty desire is not religion, but a heinous crime.
2. Wastage of resources: In a country where crores of people are devastated by hunger and malnutrition, reducing tonnes and maunds (man [a traditional Indian measure of about 40 kg]) of ghee, milk, and foodgrains to ashes in the fire is gross social callousness.
3. Purification of the mind is the true yajna: Casting sesame seeds and barley into the fire does not incinerate lust, anger, arrogance, and malice from the mind. The true yajna is the renunciation of ego and vices within oneself.

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The Expansion of Religious Commercialism in the Modern Era

Today, in the twenty-first century, even though narmedha or ashvamedha yajnas may not take place openly, the character of rituals and superstitions has become far more commercialised:

• Multi-crore rupee mahayajnas and rituals: In major cities, religious events are organised in lavish pandals (temporary marquees/pavilions) at an expense of arabs (billions) of rupees, while right outside the walls of that very pandal, hungry children beg on the footpath.
• The new corporate avatar of superstition: Today, on television channels and YouTube, the fear-driven mindset of the public is being cashed in on in the name of gemstone rings, amulets, remedies for Kaal Sarp Dosh (an astrological affliction believed to bring misfortune), and Vastu Shanti (rituals to pacify architectural flaws).
• The trade of fear: Priesthood even today deludes man into believing that atonement for his sins can be achieved through external chanting of mantras and giving daan-dakshina (charity and priestly gifts), whereas the Buddha’s clear law was: The fruit of actions performed must inevitably be borne; no external power can grant liberation from karma-vipaka (the ripening of karmic fruits).

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The Path of the Tathagata: Right Living is True Worship

In the Dhammapada, Bhagwan Buddha repeatedly emphasizes that worship is meaningful only if it can render the mind pure, virtuous (sheelvan [endowed with moral integrity]), and compassionate:

• The message of Verse 107: If someone were to worship fire in the forest for a hundred years, and another were to pay respect even for a single moment to a self-restrained person, then this single moment of reverence is infinitely superior to that century of fire worship.
• Morality is worship: If your conduct is not pure, if you harbour hatred towards your neighbours, if you practice adulteration and dishonesty in trade, then round-the-clock singing of bhajans and kirtans (devotional songs and hymns) and performance of yajnas are nothing more than futile hypocrisy.

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What Steps Should We Take Today?

1. Channelling the budgets of religious events into public welfare: Whenever a religious ritual is organised by any temple, gurdwara, or institution, 80% of its budget ought to be directed towards the education of underprivileged children, hospitals, orphanages, and tree-plantation drives.
2. Complete boycott of animal sacrifice and superstition: Vehemently oppose animal sacrifice in the name of religion at any temple or fair, and utilise the law to put an end to such barbaric practices.
3. Scientific temper and a rational outlook: Before performing any religious ritual, ask—“Is this benefiting anyone? Is it in harmony with the laws of nature? Is it dispelling the defilements of my mind?”

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A Question Worth Contemplating

Has any sinner ever become sinless by burning ghee in a sacrificial pit and lining the pockets of priests? If salvation could be attained simply by taking a dip in a holy river, then fish and frogs would have attained liberation first!

To break free from this marketplace and superstition flourishing in the name of religion and to embrace the path of pure conduct, this chapter from the book ‘Buddha Dhamma and Bharat’ will truly open your eyes.