Yajna
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In Hinduism, Yajna (Devanagari यज्ञ IAST yajña; also anglicized as Yagna, Yagya or Yadnya) is a ritual of sacrifice (Monier-Williams gives the meanings "worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice") derived from the practice of Vedic times. It is performed to please the Devas or to attain certain wishes (Kamya rituals). An essential element is the sacrificial fire (the divine Agni) into which oblations are poured, as everything that is offered in the divine Agni is believed to reach the Devas.
The meaning of Yagna is not confined to this sacrificial ritual. It has a much wider and deeper meaning. The word Yagna is derived from the Sanskrit verb yaj, which has a three-fold meaning: worship of deities (deva-pujana), unity (sangatikarana) and charity (daana). The philosophy of Yagna teaches a way of living in the society in harmony and a lifestyle which promotes and protects higher human values in the society, which is indeed the basis of an ideal human culture.
A Vedic (Shrauta) yajna is typically performed by an [Adhvaryu] priest, with a number of additional priests such as the hotar, udgatar playing a major role, next to their dozen helpers, by reciting or singing Vedic verses. Usually, there will be one or three fires in the centre of the offering ground and items are offered into the fire. Among the items offered as oblations (Aahuti) in the Vedic Yajna include large quantities of ghee, milk, grains, cakes, animal meat or Soma. The duration of a yajna depends on the type of yajna; some can last a few minutes, hours, or days, and some even last for years, with priests continuously offering to the gods accompanied with sacred verses. Some Yajnas are performed privately, others with a large number of people in attendance. Post-Vedic Yajnas, where milk products (ghee or yogurt), fruits, flowers, cloth, and money are offered, are called "yaga", homa or havana.
A typical Hindu marriage, too, is a yajna, because the fire deity Agni is supposed to be the witness of all marriages. Brahmins and certain other castes receive a yajnopavita (sacred cord) at their upanayana rite of passage. The yajnopavita symbolizes the right of the individual to study the Vedas and to carry out yagnas or homas.
Temple worship is called agamic, while communication to divinity through the fire god, Agni, is considered Vedic. Today's temple rites are a combination of both Vedic and Agamic rituals. The sacrificial division of Hindu scripture is the Karma-Kanda portion of the Vedas which describe or discuss most sacrifices. The Nambudiri Brahmins of Kerala are among the most famous Shrauta Brahmins who maintain these ancient rituals.
Today, only a few hundred individuals know how to perform these sacrifices and even less are able to maintain the sacred fires continuously and perform the Shrauta rituals.[1] Only a few thousand perform the Agnihotra or basic Aupasana fire sacrifice daily .
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[edit] Yajnas in the Vedas
There are 400 Yajnas described in the Vedas . Of these, 21 are (theoretically) compulsory for the Twiceborn (Dvijas: Brahmin, Ksatriya, Vaisya). They are also called Nitya Karmas that are to be performed over a lifetime. The rest are optional, which are performed as "Kamya Karma " i.e. for particular wishes and benefits. "Nitya" does not mean that all 21 rituals are to performed daily. Only the Agnihotra is to be performed twice daily, at dawn and dusk. The remaining ones have certain allotted frequencies over the course of the year. The more complicated the Yajna, the lesser the frequency. The largest ones need to be performed only once in a lifetime. The first seven yajnas are called Paka Yajnas, the second seven Havir Yajnas, and the third seven are called Soma Yajnas. Yajnas such as Putrakameshti (for begetting sons), Ashvamedha (to rule 'the earth'), Rajasuya (royal consecration), etc. are among the 400 which are not compulsory.
[edit] Aupasana
This is the basic simple fire sacrifice (in theory) that is to be performed at home twice daily.The Aupasana agni is lit at the time of the bridegroom's wedding.
[edit] The various sacred Agnis
The Aupasana Agni lit at the time of the grooms wedding is then divided into two in a sacrifice called Agnyadhana. One part becomes the Grhyagni the other becomes the Srautagni. These two fires are to be preserved throughout the individual's life. The Grhyagni or Aupasanagni is used in the Paka Yajnas; such rituals are described in the Grhyasutras, such as in the Ekagni Kanda of the Apastambha Sutra.
The rituals pertaining to the three Srautagnis are described in the Shrauta Sutras. Their performers are called Srautin. Fourteen of the 21 compulsory sacrifices are performed in the Srautagnis. They are called Garhapatya, Ahavaniya and Dakshinagni. The Garhapatya is circular in shape and is situated in the west of the offering ground. Fire is taken from the Garhapatya and kindled in the remaining two fires. The Dakshinagni is semicircular (halfmoon-shaped), is situated in the south and is used for certain rituals, mainly for offerings to the forefathers. The Ahavaniya is square, situated in the east, and is used as the main offering fire of most Srauta sacrifices. The last three Havir Yagnas and all the seven Somayajnas are performed in a specially built Yajnashala.
[edit] Three kinds of Yajnas
In the category of nitya-karma there are 21 sacrifices, included in the forty saṃskāras (mostly rites of passage), which are required to be performed at least once in a lifetime of a Dvija. These are divided into groups of seven - paaka-yajnas, havir-yajnas, and soma-yajnas.
[edit] Pakayajnas
Pakayajnas are minor sacrifices and are performed at home. On every Prathama (first day of the lunar fortnight), a pakayajna and a haviryajna have to be performed in the grhyagni and shrautagni respectively. The first is called sthalipaka. "Sthali" is the pot in which rice is cooked; it must be placed on the aupasana fire and the rice called "Charu" cooked in it must be offered into the same fire.
[edit] Haviryajnas
The haviryajnas are more elaborate, though not as large in scale as the somayajnas. The haviryajna performed on every Prathama day is "darsa-purna-isti", "darsa" meaning the new moon and "purna" the full moon. The two rituals are also referred to merely as "isti". The Darsapaurnamasa isti is the prakrti (archetype) for the haviryajnas. The first four haviryajnas - adhana, agnihotra, darsa-purna-masa and agrayana - are performed at home. The last three haviryajnas - caturmasya, nirudhapasubandha and sautramani - are performed in a yajnasala.
[edit] Somayajnas
The name somayajna is called after the juice of the Soma plant, said to be relished by the devas, that is offered as an oblation. In these sacrifices, Samans are sung, and all Shrauta priests - the hotar, adhvaryu, udgatar and the brahman as well as their 12 or 13 helpers take part: each priest is assisted by three others. The Agnistoma, the first of the seven somayajnas is the prakrti (archetype) for the six others that are its vikrti. These six are: atyagnistoma, uktya, sodasi, vajapeya, atiratra and aptoryama. Vajapeya is often regarded as particularly important. When its yajamana (sacrificer) comes after the ritual bath (avabhrtha snana) at the conclusion of the sacrifice, the king himself holds up a white umbrella for him. "Vaja" means 'price of a race' (but is nowadays also taken as rice, food) and "peya" means a drink, thus 'drink of victory'. This sacrifice consists of the offering of soma-rasa (juice), pasu-homa (offering of 23 animals) and anna- or vaja-homa. The sacrificer is "bathed" in the rice that is left over. Since the rice is "poured over" him like water, the term "vajapeya" is apt. [1]
[edit] Pancha Mahayajnas
Hindu tradition has the Pancha Mahayajnas ("Five Great Yajnas", Taittiriya Aranyaka 2.10) namely:
- Devayajna- consists of offering ahutis to devas
- Pitryajna- consists of offering libations to ancestors or pitrs
- Bhutayajna- consists of offering bali or food to all (departed) creatures
- Manushyayajna- consists of feeding guests
- Brahmayajna- consists of reciting of bráhman, i.e. the stanzas of the Vedas, namely Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda
[edit] Other Yajnas
[edit] Jyotistoma
This yajna is meant for the elevation of the yajamana to heaven, the lokas of the gods (e.g. Indraloka.)
[edit] Pitrloka Yajna
This yajna is for obtaining the world of the ancestors and Yama.
[edit] Panchagni Yajna
This sacrifice is addressed in the Chandogya Upanishad. It enables one to achieve Brahmaloka.
[edit] Dravyamayar Yajna
This is where people open ashrams for who are in need of them. The five types of ashrams are: dharma-shala, anna-kshetra, atithi-shala, anaathaalya, visya-pitha.
[edit] Tapomaya Yajna
[edit] Candrayana and Caturmaasya
These are several vows for conducting life according to certain rigid rules For example, a sacrificer does not shave for four months during year (usually in the July-October time period.) Other examples are that he does not eat certain foods, or does not eat twice a day, or does not leave home (Caturmaasya.)
[edit] Svadhyaya Yajna
This sacrifice is engaging in studying of the Vedas (Hindu scripture.)
[edit] Prasastekarmani Yajna
This sacrifices means carrying out one's duties. Whatever varna is in one's nature, if one carries out the person is performing this sacrifice.
[edit] Harer namanukirtanan Yajna
This sacrifice is hearing or chanting the glories of the Lord Hari.
[edit] Vivaha Yajna
This is the marriage ceremony.
[edit] Scientific Aspects of Yagna
The effects of Yagna include treatment of various diseases and the removal of atmospheric pollution. Another prominent effect is parjanya (sublime showers of vital energy and spiritual strength from the upper cosmic planes).
The four Vedas signify the philosophy of the eternity and complementarity of Gayatri and Yagna in the divine creations. The Atharvaveda deals with the sound therapy aspects of Mantras. They can be used for the treatment of the ailing human system at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels. The Samaveda focuses on the musical chanting patterns of Mantras, and the subtle form of Yagna. It defines Yagna as the process of mental oblation on the surface of internal emotions, through the cosmic radiations of the omnipresent subtle energy of sound. The Yajurveda contains the principles and the methods of performing Yagnas as a part of the spiritual and scientific experiments for global welfare.
Experimental studies have shown that Yagna or agnihotra creates a pure, hygienic, nutritional and healing atmosphere. Researchers from the field of microbiology have observed that the medicinal fumes emanating from the process of agnihotra are bacteriostatic in nature, i.e. they eradicate bacteria and micro-organisms, which are the root causes of illness and diseases. The following quotes by renowned scientists are noteworthy:
- “Burning sugar and its smoke has a significant effect in purifying the atmosphere. It kills the germs of T.B., measles, smallpox and cow-pox” – remarks Prof. Tilward.
- A Russian Scientist named Dr. Shirowich mentions – “if cow’s ghee is put into the fire, its smoke will lessen the effect of atomic radiation to a great extent”.
The following example further illustrates the scientific benefits of Yagna.
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh, India) Gas Tragedy and Agnihotra The tragic incident occurred on the night of December 3, 1984 when the poisonous MIC gas leaked from Union Carbide factory at Bhopal. Hundreds of people died and thousands were hospitalized, but there were two families – those of Shri Sohan Lal S. Khushwaha and Shri M. L. Rathore, living about one mile away from the plant, who came out unscathed. These families were regularly performing agnihotra (havan). In these families nobody died, nobody was even hospitalized despite being present in the area worst affected by the leakage of the toxic gas. This observation implies that agnihotra is a proven antidote to pollution. (English Daily – “The Hindu” of 4th May 1985; news item under the heading ‘Vedic Way to Beat Pollution’.)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dhallapiccola
