स्वस्तियज्ञ एवं शांतियज्ञ

THE PANCHA MAHAYAJNA

The Vedas, Brahmanas, Bhagavad Gita, Smritis, vedanta, Grihya Sutras etc proclaim that Panchamahayajnas are the daily routines to be performed by Human beings.

1. Brahma yajna

Brahma Yajna is a deep meditation to find out the essence of Godliness in ourselves through chanting of Veda mantras and Pranayama.

2. Deva yajna

The divine oblation to propitiate the Devatas, the visible and invisi- ble forces of nature, this homa, accomplished by Vedic chantings. Sri Shankaracharya, the great seer and scholar of Vedanta advises to do Agnihotra regularly.

3. Pitru yajna

Pitru Yajna means looking after father, mother, elderly persons and Guru with utmost care and love. ‘Sraaddha’ is nothing but taking care of these people when they are alive. ‘Tarpana’ is giving them food, water and medicines as and when needed.

4. Balivaihswadeva yajna

The crux of Balivaiswa Deva Yajna is to donate ten percent of one’s earnings everyday. It is not only giving alms to the hapless and downtrodden but also giving food to birds and animals. Bhagwan Sree Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that a follower of Sanatana Dharma should never abstain from performing this yajna.

5. Atithi Yajna

Atithi Yajna is a ritual for taking care of the atithi- i.e. the ascetics and Vedic scholars - who come to the house without any prior notice.