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The Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension concerns itself with the Ksatriyas more particularly than any other Veda. As indicated elsewhere, this is one of the principal reasons why that Veda is called Ksatra. We get interesting glimpses into the life of the kings of those days in the palace as well as on the battlefield - in the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension as also in the ancillary literature belonging to it. It is but natural that particularly in the Parisistas one comes across certain portions which deal with royal ceremonies. The Atharvaveda-Parisistas mention various ceremonies which bring weal to and remove woe from the king. Those ceremonies have to be performed, on various occasions, throughout the year. Among these royal ceremonies, the Parisistas give the first place to the Rajaprathamabhiseka or the conserration of the king. The word abhiseka in the sense of 'holy sprinkling' occurs in various forms in the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension , but not in the Rgveda and Samaveda 2 3 In the Samhitas" and the Brahmanas of the IV the word abhisecaniya occurs; as the holy sprinkling is an essential part of the Rajasuya. In the Atharvaveda, Saunakiya recension there is one hymn" (IV.8) (1) abhisikta: XIX. 1.2. abhisincami: Vedic Index 122.5; X.9.27; XI.1.27. abhisincet: VIII.15.1. (2) Taittiriya Samhita 1.8.11; Kathaka Samhita XV.6; Vajasaneya Samhita X.1-4; Maitrayani Samhita II.6. (3) Taittiriya Brahmana I.7.5 f; Satapatha Brahmana v.3.3 f. (4) At XI.7.7 the Rajasuya is mentioned with the Vajapeya.

372 which deals with the Rajasuya. The Aitareya Brahmana of the Rgveda and the Pancavimsa Brahmana of the Samaveda also deal with that topic. The abhiseka is the holy bath meant for kings at the time of the coronation. A list of the kings who were thus consecrated has been given in 8 9 the Aitareya Brahmana The MBh describes the ceremony of the coronation of Yudhisthira. It may, however, be pointed out in this connection that the abhiseka was performed not only in the case of imperial sovereigns but also in the case of ordinary 10 kings and crown-princes. This becomes evident from the 12 and the Brhatkathamanjari" Ramayana 11 It is said that the abhiseka ceremony was originally a simpler popular institution, which, with many elaborations, subsequently found admission into the srauta ritua Aitareya Brahmana ritual³. (5) CVIII.5.20 for Punarabhiseka and Aindramahabhiseka (6) Pancavimsa Brahmana V.3.3 f. (7) Satapatha Brahmana XIII.4.2.17 states that ordinary people should not be consecrated: rajano bhavanti abhisecaniya ... visah ana bhisecaniyah. (8) Aitareya Brahmana VIII.21.23. (9) Santiparvan, Adhyaya 39. The Salyaparvan, Adhyaya 44, describes in detail the consecration of Karttikeya as the Commander-in-Chief of the gods. (10) Cf. Aitareya Brahmana VIII.14; Kaus XVII.11-13. (11) Ayodhya-kanda, Sarga 15: Abhiseka for Rama; Yuddhakanda, Sarga 112: Abhiseka for Bibhisana. (12) VII.23: Abhiseka for Naravahanadatta. (13) Weber, Uber den Rajasuya, pp. 1-6; Hillebrandt, Vedische Opfer und Zauber, pp. 141, 144.

373 But the details as given in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata show 14 that the Vedic ceremony had undergone various modifications and the same ceremony at Puranic period had but little affinity with the Vedic rite 5.