adhvaryu

Adhvaryu is a term from Vedic literature referring to a priest who presides over the practical execution of most offerings in a yajña, or sacrificial rite. The name is linked to the adhvara, a major fire ceremony, and the adhvaryu is traditionally the principal officiant responsible for the physical conduct of the rite.

Duties and role: The adhvaryu prepares and arranges the ritual space, altar, implements, and offerings, and leads the sequence of actions that comprise the sacrifice, including offerings into the fire and related libations. He recites the procedural mantras that govern the rite, drawing primarily on the liturgical content of the Yajurveda, and coordinates the activities of other priests during the ceremony. In a typical four-priest arrangement, the adhvaryu works in concert with the hotṛ (reciter of invocations), the udgātṛ (chantor of melodies), and the brahman (reciter of prose prayers and keeper of ritual instructions).

Texts and tradition: The duties and procedures of the adhvaryu are described in the Brahmanas and the Śrauta Śutras, which codify the conduct of Vedic sacrifices. The role is central to traditional Śrauta performances, where the adhvaryu handles the ceremonial mechanics and the practical execution of the rite.

Historical and contemporary usage: In ancient Indian ritual, the adhvaryu was one of the principal officiants at public and household sacrifices. In modern contexts, the term remains in use in various Hindu ritual traditions as a designation for a priest skilled in Vedic rites, though practices and titles can vary by lineage and region.