Rajasuya

Rajasuya is a Vedic sacrifice performed by those ancient Indian kings who considered themselves powerful enough to become emperors, that is, the masters of other kings, having assumed the title of "samraj".

During the ritual, the surrounding kings were presented with gifts, thereby expressing vassal humility. A detailed description of rajasui is contained in the Hindu epic Mahabharata ( Sabhaparva , 30-42). The American translator and researcher of the Indian epic, J. A. B. van Buytenen, in his commentary on Sabhaparve, analyzes in detail the Vedic ritual of rajasui. As well as another major Vedic sacrifice, asvamedha , rajasui was carried out after the return of the generals of the king (in most cases they were members of the royal family, such as a son or brother) from a successful military campaign. Having won over the rulers of other states and collecting tribute from them, the royal general invited the defeated kings to take part in the rajasui ceremony. All of them accepted the sacrificial king as their emperor. In the case of Asvamedha, the tsarist army followed the horse released and called upon the rulers of all the kingdoms encountered on the way to become vassals of the king who sent the horse. In the case of rajasua, the horse was not used and the generals themselves planned a military campaign. Rajasui sacrifices were more expensive and therefore less frequent than asvamedha.

The most famous sacrifice of rajasui was performed by the king of the Pandavas, Yudhishthira . His detailed description is contained in the Mahabharata . Rajasuu also had many rulers of the Chola dynasty.