Yagna, also spelled as Yagya, is a religious or spiritual ceremony in
Hinduism. It is a fire sacrifice, which involves the offering of grains, clarified butter, sandalwood and other ingredients to fire. This is done to alleviate karmic difficulties in a special fireplace called the ‘Kund’ - meaning ‘pot’. The yagna starts with the sacred fire being ignited in a kund. This sacred fire symbolizing
Lord Agni is termed as
Homa, which is also an essential component of numerous other rituals.
The main objective of yagna is to amend a crisis situation or to avoid disaster. The number of priests participating and conducting the ceremony would depend upon the nature and objective for which it is performed. In normal conditions, a minimum of at least five priests are needed for performing a Yagna. On its course, the priest chant nine different astrological mantras, one for each of the original seven planets and Rahu and Ketu (the Navagrahas). During the Yagna, annadanam (mass feeding of people) is organized. Depending upon the degree of complexity, these yagnas may last from a few hours to several days.
Yagna is also known as ‘Yagam’. Yagnas are done not only during difficult periods or to remove incessant obstacles, but also to fulfill desires. Rituals similar to Yagna are performed during marriage, thread ceremony, vaastu shanti (opening ceremony for a house). The Vedic literature illustrates innumerable descriptions of a Yagnas being performed.
