Concept of Yajna with Special Reference to Aptoryama Yajna

A Dissertation Submitted by Surendra Rawat

Under the guidance of Dr. H R Nagendra and Dr. Ramchandra Bhat

Towards the partial fulfillment of Master's Degree in Yogic Sciences
Vivekananda Yoga Mahavidyapeetham
(A Deemed University Recognized by UGC)
Of
Swami Vivekananda yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA)
"Eknath Bhavan" #19 Gavipuram Circle, Kempegowda Nagar, Bangalore-560019, India

Abstract: Yajna are rituals which are aimed to propitiate gods to obtain the desired results.

These can also be performed for various other purposes from fulfilling or acquiring mundane things to great purpose for unraveling the mystery of life and realizing ones true self. It is like bridge between the humans and other living and non living beings for propelling human consciousness from one trajectory to another sphere of consciousness.

There are various kinds of Yajna. Aptoryama Yajna is the seventh and the biggest of the seven important Soma Yajnas. Aptoryama encompasses performance of an enormous number of rituals and recitation of thousands of Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Veda. In this Yajna 33 oblations of soma juice got out of the creeper is poured as an offerings. This yaga is considered to be the king of the yagas, as soma is the chief offering. This yagas has another important component , Garuda Cayana . The sacrificial fire is central to all Vedic ritual. It is usually lit inside a fire altar made of bricks and/or mud to exacting specifications. The construction of fire altars involved a high level of geometrical and mathematical knowledge. Yajnas of increasing levels of complexity have an increasing number of fire altars.

In Garuda cayana, the main altar for the yajna is constructed with piling of one thousand baked bricks of different shapes and dimensions. The completed altar assumes a shape of an eagle with out stretched wings.

Current study is mainly aimed at understanding the concept of yajna, types of yajna and performance of Aptoryama Yajnas.

Summary & Conclusion: In the last two periods of the Vedic era, the emphasis from the outer mode of offering shifted towards the internalization of the ritual. The gods and their expressions in the outer form of yajna were found to be in the human body itself. The Upanishads particularly point out that whatever manifests as Divine expression in the external world could be found in the internal world of a practitioner of yajna.

Yajna evolved to be less ritualistic by a total mental attitude of surrender , the offering of every action to Atma, the Divine. A systematic practical approach to yajna became yoga with its many forms and a good methodological approach towards the issue of freedom, the liberation in a spiritual sense. This form of yajna is better known than any other forms of yajna. The real yajna is directing all the mental forces towards the act which is performed. Then performance of yajna becomes more fruitful and beneficial to the society.

Therefore in all the yajna that are undertaken the prerequisite is the attenuation of the mind towards the act which means the manoyoga is of prime importance. Thus the performance of all the yajna is yoga.

It can be conclude that the nature and role of Vedic sacrifice in its multiple forms became integrated at the level of the present religious practices in India. It is tenable to say that by the practice of yoga in many parts of the world, yajna has acquired a worldwide recognition as a valuable spiritual inheritance for mankind.