HINDU ENCYCLOPEDIA

सनातन धर्म भूमिका

Meaning of "hotri"

Word

Hotri

Sanskrit

होतृ

IAST

hotṛ

In General

One of the four officiating priest in Vedic sacrifice, the other three being adhvaryu , udgatri and Brahma . Hotri belong to RigVeda. He along with Udgatri chant most of the mantras.

Hotri got three assistants. They are Maitravaruna, Acchavaka, Gravastut . These three assistants are respectively called dvitiyi or ardhi, tritiyi and padi. Their duties as well as fees that they get are in the declining order. For instance, the dvitiyi get half, the trtiyi one third and the padi one forth of the fees that is paid to Hotri. Only in large sacrifices like Somayaga these many priests take part. In other Yajnas, the number of priest is reduced according to the needs and circumstances.

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Word Sanskrit IAST In General Veda Purana