Ashwamedha Yagna

The first and foremost mistake here is to interpret the verse ‘संविवेशोपपन्नाय विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा’ as sleeping near dead horse. Well that’s not the case.

Nilakantha Chaturdhara ji wrote in his commentary - संज्ञप्त मारित संविवेश तत्समीपे उपविष्टा - Maharani Vapushtama came to the slained horse and sat near it. The term upavishta means to sit.

"Dictionary Evidence" उपविष्ट: नि. (उप + विश + क्त) आसीन: | इति हेमचन्द्र: || वसा इति भाष | (यथा, मार्कण्डेये देवीमाहात्म्ये | ४२ | २८ | "उपविष्टो कथा: काश्चित् चक्रतुर्द्धश्यपार्धिनी" ||)

आसीन mfn. (-न:-न:न:) Sitting, seated. E. आस् to sit, शानच् affix, form Irr.

If Ashwamedha involved queen having sexual intercourse with the horse, then why did Maharaja Janmejaya become angry when Indra committed adultery with Vapushtama (Urvashi’s illusion)? He was anyway worshipping Indra through that yajna. And Ashwa becomes the personification of the deity whom you worship during Ashwamedha. Shri Rama worshipped Bhagavan Rudra - रोचयन्ति स्म ते यज्ञ रुद्राराधनप्रति। Maharaja Vasu worshipped Bhagavan Mahavishnu through Ashwamedha - प्रतिष्ठतोऽस्य भगवान् देवदेव: पुरातन:।।

Similarly, Janmejaya was worshipping Indra but he censured his act saying, “From now onwards, no kshatriya will worship Indradeva through Ashwamedha/Vajimedha yajna” - अद्याप्रभृति देवेन्द्रमजितेन्द्रियमस्चिरुत् | क्षत्रिया वाजिमेधेन न यक्ष्यन्तीति ||

Maharshi Vishwasu told Janmejaya that Indradeva entered the horse to instigate anger within him - ऐश्वर्येणाभिमानविशय देवेन्द्रुणासि रोषित: | Further, he said - परमेष्ठयससक्ता नोपद्रष्टन्ति योषित: || “Chaste women don’t lose their chastity by being forcibly touched by other men.”

All this explanation was simply unnecessary if bestiality was a part of Ashwamedha yajna.

In Valmiki Ramayana Govindaraja Vicheta Bhuvanakosha १|१४|२३, it’s clearly written - अत्र सूत्रम् “अम्बे अम्बाल्यम्बिके” इति जपन्ती महिष्यम्युपसङ्गम्य गणाना त्वा गणपति हदाम्हे’ इत्यभिमन्त्र्य ‘उत्सक्थ्योगृदं धेहि’ इति प्रजानेन प्रजनन सत्रियायोपविशति | Mahishi chants mantras ‘गणाना त्वा गणपति हदाम्हे’ and ‘उत्सक्थ्योगृदं धेहि’ and sits near the horse (सत्रियाय + उपविशति =सत्रियायोपविशति). There’s no bringing penis near the thighs or anything like that.

The previous verse in Taittiriya Samhita says - सोममाहुर्वृष्णो अश्वस्य रेत: | - Soma is the semen of virile ashwa. Acharya Bhatta Bhaskaramitra ji wrote in his commentary - तस्य वृष्ण: अश्वस्य यज्ञस्य रेत: सोममाह: सर्वस्य बीजं यागद्वारेण वृष्टयावत्पत्तिहेतुत्वात् | अश्वयेव वा वर्षिन्: सोमो रेत: सर्वलोकजीवनोदकेहतुरत्वूत्रसामाधनत्वात् | The semen of Ashwa yaggya is referred to as Soma, the seed of everything, because it causes rain, etc through yaggya. Ashwa rains his semen i.e. Soma, which is the cause of life giving water for this whole universe. Similarly, Sayanacharya ji wrote - तथाऽऽश्वस्य रेतोवदत्सत सारभूत: सोम: - The actual meaning of Ashwa’s semen is Soma.

The mantra वृषावां रेतोधा रेतो दधातु is uttered by Adhvaryu. Same is written in the Bhushana commentary of Valmiki Ramayana - वासाशाखपूर्णहिषीमधु च प्रच्छाद्य वृषावां रेतोधा रेतो दधातु’ इति जपत्यामीष ||

He chants this on behalf of wife and husband asking Ashwa (Prajapati) to place semen virile in husband. Well it is obvious because offspring comes from the union of husband and wife, not horse and wife. That’s what Acharya Bhatta Bhaskara Mishra ji wrote - तावश्वयुर्भिमन्त्रपते वां युवयोर्दम्पत्योमेध्ये वृषा सैका सैचनसमर्थं रेतोधा: रेतसी धाता पति: रेतो दधातु स्थापयतु | Sayanacharya ji meant the same - वां युवयोमेध्ये वृषा सैकोऽश्र: विज्ञ्चदितरस्थाहार: | Unlike Bhattabhaskara ji he didn’t mention the term दम्पत्य in युवयोमेध्ये but it’s understood that he referred to wife and husband.

Further, Battabhaskara ji talked about copulation between man (पुरुष) and woman (स्त्री) for the mantra about spreading four legs, not horse and woman - स्त्रीपुरुषयोमैथुनाय सहशयानयोऽश्रुत्वार: पाद: संस्कृते: प्रसारितश्र भवन्ति |’ And the most controversial part ‘शिश्न महिष्यपस्थे निधते’ has also been stated in the context of husband and wife. Bhattabhaskara ji wrote - महिष्टा उपश्रे शुकमाधते | He wrote शुक instead of शिश्न but context is all that actually matters.

It doesn’t mean that they’ll start copulating at the place of yajna before the Adhvaryu Ritwija and other brahmins. The husband, stays with Ritwija and the wife stays with Adhvaryu. It’s just about chanting these mantras and staying awake the whole night. Ritwija keeps Yajamana (the king) awake - राजिमृत्विजो यजमान जागरयन्ति” इति।

Karpatri ji wrote in his commentary that अञ्जि in ‘गुदं धेहि सम् अञ्जे चारयाव वृषन्’ refers to the union of wife (स्त्री) and husband (पुरुष) - आञ्जिनम् अनन्ति व्यन्जक्ति पुरुस्त्री मित्राञ्जिम्: पुरुषजननम् तत् सञ्चारय स्त्रीप्रजननै सविवेशाय | Mahidhar bhashya says the same that Ashwa establishes virya in Mahisha through husband - | है वृषन् सैक: अश्र, महिष्या गुदमव गुदादुपरि रेतो धेहि वीर्यं धारय | कर्य तद्वाह | अञ्जिम् लिङ्गं सञ्चारय | अननक्ति व्यन्जक्ति पुरुस्त्रीमित्राञ्जिलिङ्गम् | And we read earlier that Adhvaryu chants mantra praying Ashwa (Prajapati) to establish virya in the husband. Now you can relate the current one with the previous explanation. So, it’s nowhere related to performing intercourse with a horse but ensuring a good progeny for a king.

Also, there have been Ashwamedha yajnas where horses weren’t killed. For example, the Ashwamedha yajna performed Maharaja Uparichara Vasu. Devguru Brihaspati himself was the Hotr of this yajna - बृहस्पतिसमाध्यास्तत्र होता बभूव ह || Several rishis participated in this yajna - धनुषाख्योऽपि रैमयक्ष अवविसुपरसवतु ऋषिर्विधिविधितिश्रेव नापड्यश्रेव महानुभि: ऋषि: शान्तिमेहाभागस्तथा वेदाशिराश्र य: | ऋषिश्रेष्ठश्र कपिल: शान्तिहोत्राभिता स्मृत: | आटा: कठस्तित्रिक्ष वेशयामनपूर्वज: | कष्वो$पि देवहोत्राश्र एतै षोडश कीर्तित: ||

No animal was killed in this yajna - न तत्र पशुघातोऽभूत् स राजर्षे स्थितोऽभवत् || Fruits and roots found in the forests were used as offerings for the deities - आरण्यकपदैदुग्धा भागास्त्राभिकल्पिता: ||