Question

mention two reason why people began to oppose yagnas in the later Vedic period

Answer 1

The main purposes of conducting the yagna was to fortify the territory held by the kingdom and herald in prosperity. However, in the later vedic period, people started to strongly come out against the practice of yagna, conducted by the upper castes of the society.

The reasons for this are outlined below:

1. The yagnas often required the sacrifice of many animals in order to be successful. This culminated in huge expenses that many people found difficult to bear.
2. The later vedic period saw the emergence of newer religions that advocated peace and non-violence. People were attracted to the caste-less nature of these religions.

Answer 2

People in the later Vedic period started opposing Yajnas  primarily because they had to sacrifice too many animals. All the animals were owned by those who had to sacrifice them.

This began hampering the growth in economy.

Secondly, the process of sacrifices also led to whole lot of travel. Since people from all over the kingdom were invited and would come to these sacrifices, which meant long travel, expenses and a very tiring one too.