<div> In an incident that has sent shock waves, eight goats were sacrificed by a section of Sankethi Brahmins at Soma Yaga at Srikantapura on the outskirts of Mattur, in Shivamogga taluk, recently. <br /><br />The animal sacrifice was made at the six-day yaga held from April 22 for public welfare. After performing the puja, the goats with their mouths tied were sacrificed near the fire altar (agni kunda). Later, parts of the goats were chopped off and sacrificed in the fire. The chief priest who took part in the yaga ate the meat, after consuming ‘Soma Rasa.’ As many as 17 priests from different parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, took part in the ritual.<br /><br />Organisers of the yaga claimed that animals were sacrificed to appease gods during the Vedic period. Lord Rama had organised such rituals and there is reference to it in Ramayana, a great epic. However, another section of the community described it as an unfortunate incident as Sankethis follow the Advaitha philosophy, which treats sacrifice as an evil practice. <br /><br />Noted critic Ramachandran, who is a Sankethi, said it was inhuman and gods do not expect animal sacrfice. All religions advocate love and sympathy and not cruelty in the name of religious rituals, he said.<br /><br />Another senior leader of the community, on condition of anonymity, expressed his displeasure that D Sanathkumar, who holds a PhD in Sanskrit, had organised such an event.<br /><br />Dr Sanathkumar, the organiser of the yaga, said: “I don’t want to issue any statement. I am not the spokesperson of the community. The discussion on the issue is unwarraned.”<br />A similar sacrifice was made in the village several years ago to weaken an influential leader when S M Krishna was the chief minister. <br /><br />At that time, hundreds of goats were sacrificed. Ren-owned Gamaki, the late Mattur Krishnamurthy, who belongs to Sankethi community, had opposed it. Around Rs 50 lakh is said to have been spent on the yaga.</div>
<div> In an incident that has sent shock waves, eight goats were sacrificed by a section of Sankethi Brahmins at Soma Yaga at Srikantapura on the outskirts of Mattur, in Shivamogga taluk, recently. <br /><br />The animal sacrifice was made at the six-day yaga held from April 22 for public welfare. After performing the puja, the goats with their mouths tied were sacrificed near the fire altar (agni kunda). Later, parts of the goats were chopped off and sacrificed in the fire. The chief priest who took part in the yaga ate the meat, after consuming ‘Soma Rasa.’ As many as 17 priests from different parts of the country, including Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, took part in the ritual.<br /><br />Organisers of the yaga claimed that animals were sacrificed to appease gods during the Vedic period. Lord Rama had organised such rituals and there is reference to it in Ramayana, a great epic. However, another section of the community described it as an unfortunate incident as Sankethis follow the Advaitha philosophy, which treats sacrifice as an evil practice. <br /><br />Noted critic Ramachandran, who is a Sankethi, said it was inhuman and gods do not expect animal sacrfice. All religions advocate love and sympathy and not cruelty in the name of religious rituals, he said.<br /><br />Another senior leader of the community, on condition of anonymity, expressed his displeasure that D Sanathkumar, who holds a PhD in Sanskrit, had organised such an event.<br /><br />Dr Sanathkumar, the organiser of the yaga, said: “I don’t want to issue any statement. I am not the spokesperson of the community. The discussion on the issue is unwarraned.”<br />A similar sacrifice was made in the village several years ago to weaken an influential leader when S M Krishna was the chief minister. <br /><br />At that time, hundreds of goats were sacrificed. Ren-owned Gamaki, the late Mattur Krishnamurthy, who belongs to Sankethi community, had opposed it. Around Rs 50 lakh is said to have been spent on the yaga.</div>
