Consider the following statements about the practice of Vedic sacrifices: 1. The shrauta (Vedic sacrifices) involved the use of three fires — the garhapatya (householder’s fire), ahavaniya (offertorial fire) and dakshinagni (southern fire). 2. These fires were supposed to be placed in pits of different shapes, i.e., the garhapatya to be square, ahavaniya to be round and that of the dakshinagni, rectangle-shaped. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The Shrauta sacrifices in the Vedic tradition involve the establishment of three primary sacrificial fires: the Garhapatya (householder’s fire), the Ahavaniya (offertorial fire), and the Dakshinagni (southern fire) [1]. Statement 1 is correct as it accurately identifies these three fires and their roles. However, statement 2 is incorrect regarding the shapes of the pits. According to the Shulba Sutras, which provide the geometric rules for Vedic altars, the Garhapatya fire is placed in a round pit, the Ahavaniya in a square pit, and the Dakshinagni in a semi-circular (crescent) pit. The question incorrectly swaps these shapes, claiming the Garhapatya is square and the Ahavaniya is round. These geometric specifications were crucial as the area of all three pits had to be identical despite their different shapes, leading to early Indian advancements in geometry.

Sources

1. [1] https://ia803405.us.archive.org/31/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.196045/2015.196045.The-White-Yajurveda_text.pdf