pAkayajnas, haviryajnas, and somayajnas

[Anand Hudli]

|| yajno vai viShNuH ||


 The gR^ihya sUtras prescribe 21 yajnas to be performed by a
 brAhmaNa. Many of these are explained not in the gR^ihya sUtras
 but in the shrauta sUtras. BodhAyana describes yajnas:

 ekaviMshatisaMstho yajnaH | R^igyajuH sAmAtmakaH chhandobhishchitaH,
 grAmyAraNyapashvoshhadhibhirhavishhmAn.h daxiNAbhirAyushhmAn.h sa
 chaturdhA jneya upAsyashcha svAdhyAyayajno, japayajnaH, karmayajno
 mAnasashcheti | teshhAM parasparAddashaguNo vIryeNa |

 There are 21 kinds of yajnas. These are performed with the help of
 the R^ig, Yajur, and sAma vedas; the offerings in Yajnas are derived
 from (some) domestic and wild animals, and herbs. The Yajnas are
 long-lasting when priests receive adequate remuneration. A Yajna
 is to be understood and worshipped in four ways -
 1) svAdhyAya yajna, study of the Vedas, 2) japayajna, chanting of
 Vedas as prayers, 3) karmayajna, the actual performance of Yajna,
 and 4) mAnasayajna, the mental performance of Yajna, as indicated for
 example in the meditation on the sacrificial horse of the ashvamedha
 yajna in the BR^ihadAraNyaka upanishhad. Of these, each way of
 performing a Yajna is ten times more effective than the preceding type.

 What are the 21 kinds of Yajnas? These are further divided into:
 a) seven pAkayajnas, b) seven haviryajnas, and c) seven somayajnas.

 a) pAkayajnas: According to the saying, "alpayajnAH pAkayajnAH",
    these pAkayajnas are yajnas done on a small scale, in the privacy
    of one's home. These are performed in the fire called gR^ihya-agni
    or smArta-agni.

    As for the list of pAkayajnas, different sutras mention different
    yajnas. We can compare the lists from two sUtras - BodhAyana and
    Apastamba.

    BodhAyana                             Apastamba
    ---------                             ----------


 1. huta                                 1. AupAsanahoma
 2. prahuta                              2. vaishvadeva
 3. Ahuta                                3. pArvaNa
 4. shUlagava                            4. ashhTakA
 5. baliharaNa                           5. mAsishrAddha
 6. pratyavarohaNa                       6. sarpabali
 7. ashhTakAhoma                         7. IshAnabali


 b) haviryajna's: These are performed in shrauta fire, which consists
    of three agni's - the gArhapatya, daxiNAgni, and AhavanIya.

    Again, we find differences among different sUtras:

    BodhAyana                             Apastamba
    ---------                             ----------
 1. agnyAdheya                            1. agnihotra
 2. agnihotra                             2. darsha-pUrNamAseshhTi
 3. darsha-pUrNamAseshhTi                 3. AgrayaNeshhTi
 4. chAturmAsyAni                         4. piNDa-pitR^iyajna
 5. AgrayaNeshhTi                         5. chAturmAsyAni
 6. nirUDha-pashubandha                   6. nirUDha-pashubandha
 7. sautrAmaNI                            7. sautrAmaNI

 c) somayajnas: These yajnas too are to be performed in the shrauta
    fires. Both lists agree in this case.

    BodhAyana                             Apastamba
    ---------                             ----------
 1. agnishhToma                           1. agnishhToma
 2. atyagnishhToma                        2. atyagnishhToma
 3. ukthya                                3. ukthya
 4. shhoDashI                             4. shhoDashI
 5. vAjapeya                              5. vAjapeya
 6. atirAtra                              6. atirAtra
 7. AptoryAma                             7. AptoryAma


 All these 21 yajnas are said to be obligatory. In support of this
 contention, shruti-vAkyas are often quoted. "yAvajjIvamagnihotraM juhoti"
 (as long as one lives one should perform the agnihotra) and "yAvajjIvam-
 darshapUrNamAsAbhyAM yajeta" (as long as one lives one should perform
 the darsha-pUrNamAsa sacrifice), indicate that the havir-yajnas are
 obligatory. "vasante vasante jyotishhA yajeta" (one should perform the
 agnishhToma sacrifice every spring) indicates that the somayAgas are
 obligatory.

 Even in the days of the not-too-distant past, people used to live up
 to their names, such as "somayAjI" (one who performs the soma yajna).
 But these days, the shrauta yajnas have been neglected, although some
 of the domestic yajnas are performed by some people.

 Anand

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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