sacrificesacred and profane more as a continuum. A notion such as pavitra is
closer in meaning to physical cleanliness and purity usually secured by
ritual means and bathing. This also implies that sacredness is a condition
that is temporary and needs to be retrieved continually.Further reading: Caillois (1959); Durkheim (1915); Eliade (1959); Girard (1989);
Harrod (1987)SACRIFICE
Even though it is practiced around the globe by diverse religions from
ancient times to the present, the name for this concept originates in the
West. The term is derived from the Latin word sacrificium (sacer means
holy and facere means to make), which suggests that it implies a conse-
cration, transforming something previously profane into something
sacred. To sacrifice means to kill or destroy an animal, object, grain, or
vegetable product, although the centrality of killing is called into ques-
tion by some scholars. Sacrifice is a personal act in the sense that a sac-
rificer gives his self or a part of himself. The Sun Dance of the Sioux, an
indigenous Native American Indian society, is a perfect example of sac-
rificing oneself because the dancer gives pieces of his flesh, which sym-
bolizes ignorance, to the spirits. In this scenario, the dancer gives parts of
himself for the benefit of the people.
When a person performs a sacrifice, or is a patron of a sacrifice per-
formed by priests, one is establishing communion between humans and
divine beings, which establishes a two-way transaction with each party
giving to the other. In cases of benefits already received, humans may
offer a free-will thank offering in a spirit of gratitude. A sacrifice often
regenerates a cycle of unending birth and death. When a cycle of time
comes full circle and the cycle of time and the cosmos are waning, sacri-
fice sets it going again, a feature that is indicative of the circularity of
form and intention in sacrifice.
In many cultures, sacrifice is closely intertwined with anxiety and
aggression. Hunting and farming occupations are surrounded by anxiety
because of the danger, for instance, of the food supply being depleted,
danger of a hunter losing his life, scarcity of food can lead to competition,
and the very existence of a society can be endangered. The aggression
that is associated with hunting must be controlled; otherwise uncontrolled
and undirected aggression along with anxiety can destroy a society.
Sacrifice redirects aggression and anxiety onto a victim, and it thereby