Pakayajnas (पाकयज्ञाः)

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Pakayajnas (Samskrit : पाकयज्ञः) are a class of yajnas defined based on the offering of cooked items (पाकसाध्यो यज्ञः) in the specific grhyaagni, at different times of the year. Some of these yajnas are performed once while others are recurrent in the year. The Grhyasutras specifically deal with these yajnas which are the prescribed nityakarmas or obligatory activities of a grhastha. They are yajnas for individual and his extended family. The technical term Pakayajna is used to refer to Grhyayajnas to distinguish them from the Shrauta yajnas.

Definition

Pakayajna is defined as follows in Vachaspatya

चरुपाकेन कर्त्तव्ये यज्ञभेदे स च यज्ञः वृषोत्सर्गादिहोमः ।

The kind of yajna performed using well cooked (food) items and they are Vrshotsarga and other homas. This term has been mentioned in Brahmana texts of the Vedas in a similar sense. Aitareya Brahmana mentions as follows

...पाकयज्ञा इळामेवानु ये केच पाकयज्ञास्ते सर्वेऽग्निष्टोममपियन्ति सायम्प्रातरग्निहोत्रं जुह्वति सायम्प्रातर्व्रतम्प्रयछन्ति स्वाहाकारेणाग्निहोत्रं जुह्वति...। (Aite. Brah. 3.40)

Sat. Brah. 1.4.2.10

Tait. Samh. 1.7.1.3

Alpa and Prashasta Yajna

Pakayajnas are described as Alpa (अल्पः) as these are done on a smaller scale, as compared to the Shrautayajnas which involve a high degree of involvement of the society. These are individual scale yajnas performed in the privacy of one's home.

पाकः अल्पः बालकसाम्यात् प्रशस्तो वा यज्ञः । २ अल्पयज्ञे ३ प्रशस्ययज्ञे च यथाह “त्रयः पाकयज्ञः” आश्व० गृ० १ । १२ । पाकयज्ञाः अल्पयज्ञाः प्रशस्तयज्ञा वा ।...कथं प्रशस्तत्वम् उच्यते यस्मादेतेषु संस्कारा उच्यन्ते ।

They are termed Prashasta yajnas (प्रशस्ययज्ञः) because in them are described (are told) the samskaras.

गृह्याग्निः Grhyaagni

Grhyagni is the specific fire that is initiated at the time of vivaha samskara and it is obligatory to preserve it till the end of the life of the person or till he takes sanyasa ashrama. Gobhila Grhyasutras mention that

स यदेवान्त्यां समिधमभ्यादधाति जायाया वा पाणिं जिघृक्षन्जुहोति तमभिसंयच्छेत् २० स एवास्य गृह्योऽग्निर्भवति २१ तेन चैवास्य प्रातराहुतिर्हुता भवतीति २२ सायमाहुत्युपक्रम एवात ऊर्ध्वं गृह्येऽग्नौ होमो विधीयते २३ (Gobh. Grhy. Sutr. 1.1.20-23)

Grhyagni is also called

• Aupasana agni
• Smarta agni
• Laukikagni

The grhastha is supposed to perform nityakarmas such as Aupasana, twice a day, in the grhyagni, a rite replacing the samidadhanam performed during Brahmacharyashrama. This same agni is used for all the later samskaras of the family, such as upanayana, vivaha and even shraddha. When the son gets married the father's vivaha agni is used to initiate the son's vivaha homa, thus it is preserved eternally, handed down to generations. This agni is also used to initiate the Shrauta agni or the (tretagni - the three fires) which is exclusively used to perform the Shrauta yajnas.