Ritvik Vedic Priest

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Ritvik Vedic Priest

The Vedic priest who officiates Vedic sacrifices or rituals known as Yajnas is known as Ritvik (or Ritvij).

The qualification for becoming a Ritvik were as follows.
  • He should have been well-versed in the Vedas.
  • He should have gained his knowledge in the traditional way from his teacher, the guru, in the guru-shishya tradition of learning.
  • He should have been from a good lineage.
  • He should have been leading a pure life.

There are 4 types of Ritviks representing the four Vedas.
  1. Hotar representing the Rig Veda
  2. Adhvarya representing the Yajur Veda
  3. Udgatar representing the Sama Veda
  4. Brahma representing the Atharva Veda
Each one of these Ritviks had 3 assistants as below.
  • Hotar - Maitravaruna, Acchavaka, Gravastut
  • Adhvaryu - Pratiprasthata, Neshta, Unneta
  • Udgatar - Prastota, Pratiharta, Subrahmanya
  • Brahma - Brahmanachamsi, Agnidhra, Pota

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That's it. Thank you for reading about Ritvik Vedic Priests. You may also like the following.

Interesting Facts about Rig Veda
Interesting Facts about Atharva Veda
Purpose of Hindu Philosophy 
Books on Vedas 
Prapanchasara Tantram

Reference
Vedic Sacrifices: An Outline, Swami Harshananda, Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore

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