Kithanovedism

Kithanovedism, also Sakanovedism, Kasakanasi, Kawedasi, is a majority religion in Kiton (Keika Confederacy). It is practiced by over 6 million adherents, 85% of which reside in Kiton. A descendant of Vedic religion, it does not focus on Hindu bhakti devotion to any particular deity, but instead focuses on yajna rituals to procure blessings. It is very pragmatic, and views the divine as means to achieve ends in the secular world, rather than as objects of worship for its own sake, having a view of religion similar to that of the Chinese. It is practiced mostly by Sakanese Keikas, and is the state religion of the Kitonese states of Seyaula and Alava.

800 BCE - 432 CE
The Vedic religion was practiced in the Indian subcontitent from 1750 - 500 BCE, before Hinduism came to be and yajnas decreased in relevance. When the Kalingas traded with Kiton from 800 BCE, they brought their Vedic Sanskrit dialect and Vedic religion, which was to evolve into the Kithanovedic language and what would be known as Kithanovedism. Until 423 CE, Vedism in Kiton would continue to evolve, with Hinduism being brought into the Kitonese Islands. While the Saihans in the northeast would develop what would be Saihan Orthodox Christianity, the majority of Keikas would continue to adopt Hindu beliefs and practices, while also adopting native Kithano-Japonic deities into the Hindu pantheon.

The founding of Kithanovedism, 432 CE
Kithanovedism was founded by King Britrahan I of Seyaula. According to legend, the prince of the Hindu Hwakahan kingdom of Daulua (present day Sola-Hwakahan), Takāwasuwaedeunosu-ne-hwihuan (Takamasumekaminusi-no-hiko in Japanese) went into the forest of Awahwowaru (Ooaomori) in exile with 100 loyal followers after being defeated by his brother, the new Hwakahan king. He met the sage Kāwa, who told him that it was his dharma to uphold the Aryan religion of the Vedas, that it was not fitting for him, as a Hsatriya, to be an ascetic, and that as a Hsatriya he should protect all remnant who do not give in to adharma, meaning paganism and Christianity. Hearing the word of Kawa Rishi, he started the kingdom of Seyaula, set his capital at Awahwowaru and his followers who practiced Kithanovedism were declared a new tribe called the Sakans. The history of the Kithanovedic religion is closely tied to the Sakari people and the Sakanese polity.

Yajna
The Kithanovedic religion is centred around yajna (KV: yajneh), namely prescribed acts of worship, regulated by the Yajurveda.

Today, the states of Seyaula and Alawa use yajnas for official state ceremonies, such as in state-level military ceremonies, government functions, morning rituals in schools, etc. State yajnas follow strict standards and are carried out by a team of 16 rtwiks, headed by the Hota, Utgata, Adhuaryu and Brahmanacchansi, who recite from the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda respectively.

Vedas
The Caturbeda-Sanhita (Canon of the Four Vedas) are considered shruti (texts of divine origin heard by mankind), meaning it is divine and unalterable. The Kithanovedic attitude towards its holy texts is unlike that of the Abrahamic religions, in that God did not actively reveal the Vedas to mankind, but that the saptarshi (Seven Sages), through penance and perfection, were able to perceive the Vedic hyms through meditation, which they then disseminated to the population and compiled into the Vedas. Hence, God is not expected to actively preserve the Vedas, the duty of which falls to mankind. The Vedas are a collection of hymns to be recited, and their efficacy lies not in their written form, but in their recitation by rtwiks, or priests. The Vedic texts may be preserved, but if the intonation is not correct, the ritual will not be effective.

Today, the Vedic Rite Authority (Adhikara' Karmakanda), a regulatory body of the Kitonese federal government, maintains the integrity of the Vedic text and provides certification to ensures rtwiks are properly trained and proficient in applying the Vedic hymns to maintain standards of recitation to ensure efficacy of rituals.

A copy of the Caturbeda-Sanhita exists in Library of the Vedic Rites Authority, which is considered the standard and most accurate copy. The four books of the Vedas are sworn on by the Negarapati (governor) of Seyaula and Alava, and may be used as an option by Kithanovedics to in the states of Thalju, Chanakyakei, Ashisu and Khalohi, and the federal government for swearing-in of the Kurushrestin (President).

Priesthood
Vedic rites are complicated and therefore usually require the service of professional priests known as rtwiks (pl. rtwijeh). A lay person can either perform a ritual himself (swek), engage an amateur priest or layperson as an ad hoc priest to recite certain mantras or employ ritwiks to perform the ritual for him. A person who performs a ritual is known as a hota and a person who does a ritual for another is a purohiteh. Simple rituals do not require the services of purohiteh, but complex rituals which need actions or more hotareh may require priests to stand in for the beneficiary. Part-time priests are not required to be certified by the Vedic Rites Authority. Ritwijeh are traditionally trained by gurus in gurukul schools, although courses in secular universities are common, such as that offered by the Institute of Vedic Rites in Kumamatha University, Ashisu. These courses provide a VRA Diploma, which gurukul ritwiks also need to be certified for. VRA provides accredition for ritwiks as well as gurus.

A priest begins his career as hota (pl. hotareh), who is trained to memorize the Rigveda by heart. Following which, he becomes either an utgata (utgatareh) and is trained in singing Samavedic chants, or he can choose to become an adhwaryu (adhwaryaweh), trained in performing ritual actions accompanied by benedictions from the Yajurveda. The final stage of their career is as a brahmanacchansi (brahmanacchansineh), who is well versed in the three Vedas as well as the Atharvaveda. He is mostly silent throughout rituals, but will step in to amend mistakes by the other four chief rtwiks by applying spells from the Atharvaveda to correct.

Gods
Orthodox Kithanovedism does not believe in a supreme deity, but that the Supreme Reality, Brahman, pervades all, is the cause of everything, is the origin of the Vedas and all that is needed for the betterment of this life. It is impersonal but manifests itself in natural phenomenon, personified in the devas. However, it is often referred by lay people to as God (Atohan) which seems to imply personality, and sometimes Heaven (Takāwa). At the creation of the universe, Brahman manifested itself as the creator god Brahma, who created all that exists and spoke the Vedas into existence.'''