[Advaita-l] On yajna

[Shrinivas Gadkari]

Namaste,


Here are some points related to yajna in general, based on 
my understanding:
- om, tat and sat expand respectively into
  brAhmaNa-s/ brahma vAdi-s, veda-s and yajna-s.
- Shri Jnaneshavara has clarified in his commentary 
  on gitA, that these three respectively relate to
  states before karma is performed (om), while karma
  is performed (tat), and after karma has been performed (sat).
- So yajna is the act of contemplating on karmas performed
  using 'sat' (auspiciousness) as the guiding principle.
- So yajna can involve:
  - offering noble karmas to gods, 
  - prayaschitta for not so noble karmas, 
  - retuning citta vritti-s that are predominant when we perform 
    karma-s if we find that they are out of alignment with our 
    desired ('sat') goals. 
- So what may be purpose of an animal or any offering 
  in a yajna?
  - any offering must be related to some aspect of karma-s
    performed. 
  - animals likely relate of specific strong citta vritti-s 
    within us.
  - if retuning of citta vritti-s can be achieved without
    actually killing any animal, that would be by far the
    most recommended approach.
    
Hari Om.

Regards,
Shrinivas Gadkari