Sacred fire for Vedic ritual is chiefly produced by Agnimanthana (fire-churning), outlined in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. But one specific chip of wood it requires has puzzled scholars for the last 800+ years. Here's how I solved it with some wilderness survival sleuthing 🧵⬇️
I think I've solved an open problem in Vedic ritual exegesis that has puzzled scholars since at least Sāyaṇa (1300s AD). Specifically, I've reconstructed the śakala's role in Agnimanthana. Any interest in an explainer 🧵? Or has the twitter alg made my audience too techbro lol?
