The Pakayajna (Sanskrit: पाकयज्ञ, romanized: Pāka-yajñās) or Pakayaga (ISO: Pāka-yaga) is a Hindu ritual. It is a type of Yajna associated with the Vedic sacrifices of cooked food offering, and regarded as an obligatory ritual (nitya-karma) for a householder.[1][2]
The term "paka" means "cooked" or "prepared". Unlike other types of sacrifices, such as Haviryaga, which involves the offering of uncooked food, a Pakayajna utilizes cooked food material such as bhat. The food (rice of other grains) is cooked in a pot made out of clay called "sthālī", and then offered in the yajna fire during the ritual.[3][4]
Types
editThe seven types of Pakayajna are:[3][5][6]
- Aṣṭakā
- Pārvaṇa
- Śrāddha
- Śrāvaṇī
- Āgrahāyaṇī
- Caitrī
- Āśviyujī
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Smith, Brian K. (1986). "THE UNITY OF RITUAL: The Place of the Domestic Sacrifice in Vedic Ritualism". Indo-Iranian Journal. 29 (2): 79–96. doi:10.1163/000000086790082154. ISSN 0019-7246. JSTOR 24654536.
- ^ eGangotri. 4146 UPSS Paka Yajna Laugakshi Sharada.
- ^ a b Yegnasubramanian, S. "Vaidika Samskaras" (PDF). svbf.org. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Mehra, B. S. (1994). Vaitānaśrautasūtra. Sanjay Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7453-000-4.
- ^ "Pākayajnas". Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Gautama Dharma Sutras 8-19, page no.74, Chaukhamba Samskrit Samthan, Varanasi