The Fourth Priest (the Brahmán) in Vedic Ritual

Abstract

The particular position of the Brahmán among the priests of the classical Vedic ritual is evident. He has no special connection with one of the three main streams of the Veda: he does not (exclusively) recite the hymns of the Ṛgveda like the Hotṛ, sing the Sāmans1 of the Sāmaveda like the Udgātṛ, utter the ritual formulas of the Yajurveda like the Adhvaryu. Originally he had no Vedic corpus of his own; his association with the Atharvaveda seems to be secondary.2 Pañcaviṁśa Brāhmaṇa 18, 1, 23 calls him the indistinct (anirukta) among the