HIDEKI TESHIMA
Ryukoku University, Kyoto a21016@mail.ryukoku.ac.jp
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE RĀJĀBHIṢEKA RITE AS PRESCRIBED IN THE PURĀṆAS
The rājābhiṣeka (or rājyābhiṣeka), royal unction, is one of the significant variations of kingship rituals mentioned in Purāṇic literature. Its origin can be traced back to the Vedic abhiṣeka rite, which was performed as part of certain rituals intended to enhance the leadership or kingship of the sacrificer, such as the agnicayana, vājapeya, rājasūya and aśvamedha. However, the rājābhiṣeka described in the Purāṇas is more complicated, incorporating elements not found in the Vedic abhiṣeka. Interestingly, as pointed out by M. Witzel (1987: 425), the Purāṇic rite appears to lack continuity with the rite in the Vedic rājasūya, despite both rites having a similar purpose, namely the enthronement of a king. Regarding the Purāṇic rājābhiṣeka, Hans Losch provided a detailed summary of the rite (1959: 18–37), alongside the Sanskrit manual texts from the Viṣṇudharmottara-Purāṇa 2.18–22 and the Agni-Purāṇa 218–219, comparing them side by side (1959: 283–310). Although this work is useful for gaining an overview of the ritual procedure, it does not offer any reflection on the historical context of the Purāṇic rājābhiṣeka. Consequently, the development of the Purāṇic rite from the ancient Vedic rite remains unclear.
In my presentation, I will attempt to trace the transformation of the rite by comparing Vedic and post-Vedic texts, such as the Bodhāyana-Gṛhyaśeṣasūtra, Atharvaveda-Pariśiṣṭa and Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā, with those from the two Purāṇas mentioned above. Through this comparison, we can gain an understanding of how the form of the Purāṇic rājābhiṣeka developed, albeit in a general way. I would like to attest also that the post-Vedic and Purāṇic rājābhiṣekas have a continuity with the abhiṣeka of the agnicayana, rather than that of the rājasūya, and they inherit the mantra set used in the samāvartana, one of the gṛhya rites of passage.
References
Losch, Hans. 1959. Rājadharma: Einsetzung und Aufgabenkreis des Königs im Lichte des Purāṇa’s (Bonner orientalistische Studien, neue Serie; Bd. 8). Bonn: Selbstverlag des Orientalischen Seminars der Universität Bonn. Witzel, Michael. 1987. The Coronation Rituals of Nepal: With special reference to the coronation of King Birendra (1975). In: Gutschow, Niels and Axel Michaels (eds.) Heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. Proceedings of an International Conference in Lübeck, June 1985 (Nepalica 4): 417–467. Sankt Augustin: VGH-Wissenschaftsverlag. [Repr.: Witzel, Michael. Selected Articles on the History of Ancient India: Ausgewählte Kleine Schriften zur Geschichte des Alten Indien. Halle an der Saale: Universitätsverlag Halle-Wittenberg, 2023: 187–239.].