Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्रम्)

Agnihotra (Samskrit : अग्निहोत्रम्) is generically referred to Agni in a yagnavedi (altar) invoked by chanting of mantras. However, Agnihotra as a specific nityakarma refers to a vedic process whereby a grihastha makes daily offerings of ghee or milk in it while reciting the prescribed mantras.

Sanatana Dharma is founded on the principle that the primary responsibility of perpetually maintaining Agni at home, called as Agnihotra, is vested with a grihastha. Apart from grihastha's nitya Agnihotra many other events like yagnas, yagas, isthis, and homas involve the kindling of fire as evident from ancient Rig Vedic Agni sukta.

In the present days, very rarely, grihasthas are maintaining Agni at homes nor are conducting regular Agnihotra rituals as prescribed by sastras. However, Agni is invoked in every occasion (auspicious and inauspicious) of dharmic life, from Nityayagnas, yagas in temples, in special homas during housewarming and grahashanti, upanayana and other samskara celebrations, at weddings (the yajna where the bride and groom circle the fire seven times) and lastly for Anteysti (cremation).  

Elaborately conducted yaagas such as Soma yaagas are not widely performed, while Varuna yaagam and Kareeresti for propitiating Varuna devata to obtain rains is performed at regular intervals as temple activities.  

Agnichayana, Agnistoma, Jyotistoma,  

Agnikarya : by brahmacharya  

Aupasana Agni : one agni by grihasta but is not participate in yagna.  

Somayagi : one who uses three agnis, tretagni.  

Panchayagna - done by all, no agni.  

Yagam - of tretagni is present in all yagas except satra.  

परिचय || Introduction

The history of Vedic rituals is quite ancient and can be traced to the period of Vedic Samhithas. A few definitions here would throw light on the terms used in this context.  

Yagna : A common and general term used to denote all satkarmas (good deeds) and encompasses several aspects such as worship, praise, pleasing of a deity, a purpose to achieve, a yaaga, an oblation and could be a mental (Jnana) or physically ritualistic process (Kratu) which may or may not include the piling of Agnihotra.  

Bhagavad geeta gives the process of Jnanayagna. Adhiyagnam katham 8 .2 bhagavadgeeta Karma brahmo 3.15 bhagavadgeeta Yagnanardhat karmano yatra 3.9 Bhagavadgeeta 9.15 Jnana yagne, 9.16  

Yaagam : Yaagas are elaborate rituals with specific names (in contrast to Yagna which is a general name) involving Agnihotra with special offering of suitable materials (havish including purodaasa, milk, ghee, etc) to the devatas, lasting for at least three or more days. However, some yaagas like Sattrayaagam involves nitya Agnihotram, but does not involve special invocation nor offerings to Agni and includes reading and discussion of spiritual texts such as Shrimad Bhaagavatam (to recheck). Sarpa sattra yaga was performed by King Janamejaya where all sarpas serpents were destroyed in the yaaga fire.  

A ‘Yaga’ is made up of several rituals which has its own principal part (Pradhana). Those that form subsidiary or supplement to this are called ‘Angas’. Some of the rituals may be common to several ‘Yagas’.  

A Yaga is specialized vedic process involving an uddesa or intention (sankalpa) towards a particular deity, an altar (yajnakunda), a host (yajamaana), sacrificial offerings of various kinds (kratuvu, bali), utensils, sacred fire (yagagni), one or more officiating priests (purohita), gifts (dakshina) for the priests and guests, expiation ceremony (prayaschitta) and other concluding rituals. They are performed in open or in a house, temple, palace or a temporary structure (yajnavatika) built for the purpose.

Homa : Homa refers to both the small scale rituals involving specially constructed altars with Agnihotra such as in navagraha homa conducted for grihapravesam (housewarming) to larger scale rituals such as Chandi homa conducted in temples. Homas are usually conducted as Angas for mantrajapams and do not involve all the vedic procedures.

Srauta Yaagas

Agnihotra, is a term specifically applicable to the most common and important yagnas classified among the haviryajñas and considered to be nitya. It is performed as a daily worship rather than with an intent to fulfill any specific desire.

Aitreya Aranyakam (2.3.3) describes five categories of srauta yagnas

sa esha yajnah panchavidho agnihotram darsapurnamaasau chaturmasyaani pasu somah

1. Agnihotra
2. Darsapurnamaasa
3. Chaturmasya
4. Pasu
5. Soma

The Gaarhapatya Agni is the only fire that is continuously maintained by the grihastha. This fire is used to cook food, and various offerings such as milk and ghee, and to warm up the various dishes of the sacrifices.

It is ceremonially established with the elaborate vedic procedure called agnyādhāna should be started from the very evening of the day on which (establishing the Vedic fire ceremonially) it is established. It is obligatory to perform Agnihotra daily till death or old-age or sanyasa.

All the dvijas (the ‘twice-born,’ the men of the first three varṇas) are entitled to its performance. It must be done twice daily at dawn and dusk, along with the wife. Wife, son or pupil can perform it on his behalf in emergencies.  The performer of Agnihotra is obliged to rear a cow. The milk vessel which must be an earthen pot with a straight brim is called ‘agnihotra-sthālī’ and the ladle is called ‘agnihotrahavaṇī.’

If the yajamāna (performer of the sacrifice) goes on a pilgrimage along with his wife, he can carry the gārhapatya fire with him or can ceremonially put it out and perform punarādhāna (re-establishing the fire) on his return. When he dies, the various wooden implements used by him for Agnihotra should be kept on various parts of his body as prescribed and then his body is cremated with the gārhapatya fire.

त्रेताज्ञयः ॥ Three Fires

All Srauta yagnas or yaagas are associated with three important Agni's namely

गार्हपत्याग्निः ॥ Gaarhapatya 

Characteristics Agni

• It is used by grihastas for general domestic usage, to cook food and heat the utensils.
• It is placed to the west of the yagnavedi and placed in circular shaped kunda.
• It is the only Agni that is maintained continuously and daily offerings are to be made to this Agni by grihastha.
• It is the source of other two Agnis
• It is kindled at the time of marriage and brought home to be worshipped for the rest of the life by the grihastha
• According to Sata. Brah every grihastha has to maintain this (jaraamarya satra yaaga ) agni until he is prevented by old age or illness or death. In such a case

आहवनीयाग्निः ॥ Aahavaniya

Agni used for yaagas where a particular offerings are made to deities). It is derived from the Gaarhapatya agni and placed east of the yagnavedi.

दक्षिणाग्निः ॥ Dakshinaagni 

Agni used to give offerings to pitris). It is also derived from the Gaarhapatya Agni and placed south of the yagnavedi.

Aahitagni

Aahitagni is one who performs at least one yagna (or yagam) and continues to keep Agni on a daily basis. They extensively study procedures of vedic rituals and conduct yagnas and yaagas after attaining authority to do so. For example:

Some ‘Srauta priests’ called as 'Aahitagnis' or ‘Agnihotris’ keep ‘Agni’ in their houses and protect it even today by offering oblations everyday. The ‘Agni’ usually transferred from father to son and the tradition is continued without any break. The rituals are conducted using the same ancient procedures with some modifications according to the convenience of the modern society and availability of required materials.

There has been a tradition of ‘Ahitagnis’ and ‘Srauta priests’ in South India and have continued to perform Vedic rituals as and when possible. These priests inherited the tradition of Vedic ritual practices from their ancestors and perform Vedic rituals even today.

Invocation of Agni in a vedi (altar) and offering of oblations is performed in yagnas. However, not all yagnas involve this process. A few yagnas described in the Samhitas and Brahmanas include the following  

Agnichayana 

Agnistoma 

Darsapurnamaasa 

Chaturmasya 

Somayagnas 

Pashumedha (Asvamedha) 

Yagna Vidhis in Kalpa

‘Vedanga Kalpa’ mainly deals with Vedic rituals. The very name itself means ‘Kalpyate Samarthyate Yaga Prayogo Atra’ which means “The practice of Vedic ritual traditions are explained here”. Kalpa Vedanga deals with four types of sutras namely,

• Sulvasutras : Practical manuals with mathematical measurements necessary for construction of yagna vedi (sacrificial altar).
• Srautasutras : Contain rules for the conduct of great sacrifices lasting for many days.
• Dharmasutras : Contain spiritual and worldly laws
• Grhyasutras : Lays down rules for the ceremonies and yagnas involved in everyday life.

The ‘Sulvasutras’ and ‘Srautasutras’ directly deal with the performance of Vedic rituals. These texts provide guidance for the performance of Vedic sacrifices. The performance of Vedic rituals is being continued even to modern period especially in South India.

Srauta, as the name suggest, refers to the texts which have been derived from the Sruti or the Vedas. Although they are memorial texts (Smriti), their source is Sruti. They also serve as the source of Kalpa. The Srauta rituals cover a whole gamut of rituals from the simplest to the most complicated. Most of them are no more practiced, but their study is useful for historical reasons.

According to Prof Radhakrishna Bhat,

"Most of the ‘Haviryajnas’, ‘Agnihotra’, ‘Darsapurnamasa’ and ‘Caturmasya’ sacrifices, the basic ‘Somayajnas’, ‘Agnistomas’ and its varieties, and some culturally and historically important sacrifices like ‘Vajapeya’, “Asvamedha’, ‘Sarvamedha’ etc are found in ‘Yajurveda’ (Adhvaryuveda). Later in ‘Puranas’ the references to Vedic rituals and practices are found. In classical Sanskrit literature some references to Vedic rituals and practices are mentioned. This shows that the Vedic ritual tradition is continued to modern period too without any interruption".

Classification of Yagnas

A ‘Yaga’ is made up of several rituals which has its own principal part (Pradhana). Those that form subsidiary or supplement to this are called ‘Angas’. Some of the rituals may be common to several ‘Yagas’.  

The different modes of classifications of Yagnas are 

1. ‘Prakrti’ (Model) and ‘Vikrti’ (Modified)

2. ‘Pradhana (Principal) and ‘Anga’ (Auxiliary)

3. ‘Isti’, ‘Pasubandha’ and ‘Saumika’

4. ‘Nitya’, ‘Naimittika’ and ‘Kamya’

As per tradition, the Srauta Shastras identify the following six types of sacrifices (yajnas).

Paaka yagnas

They involve cooking of food (paka) for offering to gods. They go by different names such as aṣtaka, sthālipāka, parvana, srāvaṇi, āgrahayani, etc.

Soma yagnas

These sacrifices involved the extraction of Soma and its offering to Soma, Indra and their companion gods. Examples of Soma sacrifices are Agnistoma, atyagnistoma, uktya, shodasi, vājapeya etc.

Havir yagnas

In these sacrifices, the priests poured oblations of milk, vegetable oil, sesame oil, clarified butter, honey and other liquid offerings. Agniyādhāna, Agnihotra, Darśa-Pūrṇamāsa, Agrayana, Cāturmāsya, Sautrāmaṇi are a few important Havir yajnas

Panchamahayagnas

They are performed daily by the householders.

Vedavratas

These were meant to mark the progress of a student’s education under a teacher and his success in attaining the knowledge of the Vedas, while keeping his vows of celibacy and secrecy until his graduation as a Snataka (one who has bathed and was ready for the life of a householder or an apprentice).

Shodasa Samskaras

They were performed at different times in the life of an individual.

External and internal rituals

We may also classify Vedic sacrifices into external and internal rituals, depending upon how they are performed. External rituals are physical, in which offerings are externally made to gods. Internal rituals are mental or spiritual, in which the mind and the senses were withdrawn and engaged in contemplative or meditative practices, which culminated in self-absorption. In the internal rituals, the sacrificial model is internalized. The mind and the body become the field or the sacrificial pit, breath becomes fire, whatever that is offered to the body such as food or pleasure becomes the offering. 

The sage of the Atharvaveda (Sukta 19.55.3) prays to the fire for happiness and peace, for a happy temperament, resolve and good health, for strength and mental contentment, and as the ladder to spirituality. The sage also states that Agnihotra destroys enemies.^{[note 5]}

Shatapatha Brahmana (SB 3.1.3.18) tells us that Agnihotra should be performed by the performer knowing that he will gain the strength and victories gained by Agni who conquered the earth, Vayu, the air and Surya, the sky, with whom he shares the world; and the same text further tells us that the Agnihotra, doubtless, is the Sun.^[38]

Contemporary fire ritual === Hindus consider it as the duty of a man to perform Agnihotra. The main offering is milk, and at the end, the sacrificer offers four water oblations, to the gods, to father and the fathers, to the seven seers and to Agni on earth.^[39] The priest invokes Agni through Agni in his sacrificial form; the sacrificial form of Agni is the Sun which shining brightly appears to all men. The priest also invokes Vayu which is Agni’s own greatness. Therefore, Agni as the deity is treated differently from Agni, the messenger who carries oblations to the gods. The sacrificial form of Agni is Aditya and Vayu.

Discussion

Ritual versus knowledge === Shankara in his commentary on the Brahma Sutras states that the rightful observance of the agnihotra and other rites are meant for those desirous of attaining Heaven and other enjoyments, and the understanding of the rightful doctrine of the Soul is meant for those desirous of emancipation.^[41]