Ritual was a cradle of archaic philosophy in India. Mythological concepts were synthesized in the ritual context, and its results gave a new interpretation to the rituals themselves and to the life of man. The Agnihotra ritual is experienced differently by those who know what it is, and life is experienced differently by those who carry out the Agnihotra. A ritual presents us with a riddle which actually has no answer. What matters is not the intrinsic meaning, but the process in which the meaning is generated. It is true that ritual is pure activity without meaning or goal, but it is not meaningless in the sense that it generates riddles, and eventually meanings. This study is a philological study of the Vedic mythology, while also being a contribution to ritual studies. (Series: Nijmegen Buddhist and Asian Studies - Vol. 2)