yajnas

Yajnas, from the Sanskrit yaj, meaning “to worship” or “to sacrifice,” are a class of Vedic ritual acts centered on offerings made into a sacred fire. In the Vedas, a yajna is a ceremonial offering performed with prescribed mantras, using ghee, grains, and sometimes intoxicants such as soma, with the fire serving as the conduit between humans and the gods. The central ritual is the fire offering accompanied by prayers to deities such as Agni, Indra, and Varuna.

Historically, yajnas encompass a range of rites distinguished by scope and setting. Public and highly elaborate rites, called Shrauta rites, require explicit rules and multiple priests, while household or domestic rites, known as Grhya yajnas, are more practical and accessible to families. Classic examples include the Agnihotra (daily fire ritual), Soma yajna (offering and drinking soma), and the grand royal rites of Rajasuya and Ashvamedha. The Vedic corpus—particularly the Samhitas and Brahmanas—provides the liturgy, procedures, and responsibilities for performing these sacrifices.

The purpose of yajna is to sustain cosmic order (rita) and livelihoods, by harmonizing human action with divine forces. Through offerings, prayers, and ritual fire, participants seek blessings such as prosperity, health, rain, or spiritual merit. Yajna is thus both a religious action and a social act, symbolizing reciprocity between humans, the divine, and the larger community.

In later Hindu thought, yajna also denotes a metaphorical sacrifice or offering—acts of giving, study, or service performed for the common good. In contemporary practice, yajnas continue in temples and homes, often in simplified or symbolic forms, preserving the core idea of offering to sustain harmony between the world and the divine.