Yajna (avatar)

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{{Short description|Avatar of Vishnu as embodiment of Sacrifice}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
[[File:From a series of Vishnu Avataras- Yagya.jpg|thumb|Yajna avatar.]]
[[File:Yajna1.jpg|right|thumb|A Yajna sacrifice being performed. Vishnu as Yajneshwara is considered the Lord of sacrifice.]]

'''Yajna''' ({{lang-sa|यज्ञ}}, {{IAST|yajña}}) or '''Yajneshwara''' ("Lord of Yajna") is mentioned as an [[avatar]] of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]] in the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]''. As Yajna, Vishnu is the embodiment of the Hindu sacrifice ritual or ''[[Yajna]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Suresh Chandra|title=Encyclopaedia of Hindu gods and goddesses |publisher=Sarup & Sons.|pages=371, 26}}</ref> He was also [[Indra]] (king of the gods) of the ''Svayambhuva Manvantara'', the era of [[Svayambhuva Manu]]. His father Ruci; mother Ākūti.

==According to Puranas==
The Bhagavata Purana, [[Devi Bhagavata Purana]],<ref name = "Mani890"/> and [[Garuda Purana]]<ref name = "Garuda Purana">{{cite book|last= Bibek Debroy, Dipavali Debroy|title=The Garuda Purana |publisher=Lulu.com|pages=133}}</ref> list Yajna or ''Syavambhuva'' as an avatar of Vishnu or Adi-[[Narayana]]. Yajna is classified as one of the 14 main ''Manvantara-avatar''s (an avatar corresponding to a Manvantara and who supports the corresponding Indra and other gods to maintain the principles of cosmic order) called ''vaibhava-avatar''s. Yajna is also categorized as a ''Kalpa-avatar'' (an avatar corresponding to an aeon called [[Kalpa (aeon)|Kalpa]]) of Vishnu.

Yajna is the son of [[Prajapati]] Ruci and Akuti, the daughter of [[Svayambhuva Manu]] - the first Manu (progenitor of mankind).<ref name = "Mani890">Mani p. 890</ref> During the period of Svayambhuva Manu (''Svayambhuva Manvantara''), there was no qualified [[Indra]], the post of the king of [[Svarga]] (Heaven) and the king of gods. So, Vishnu incarnated as Yajna and held the post of Indra.<ref name = "Mani890"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vedabase.net/sb/1/3/12/en|title=Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.12|last=Prabhupada|author-link=Prabhupada|publisher=The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.|access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref>

[[Bhagavata Purana]] mentioned Ruchi begot one son and one daughter by his wife, Akuti.
Of the two children born of Akuti, the male child was directly an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His name was Yajna, which is another name of Lord Vishnu. The female child was a partial incarnation of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Lord Vishnu. Svayambhuva Manu very gladly brought home the beautiful boy named Yajna, and Ruchi, his son-in-law, kept with him the daughter, Dakshina. Later, Yajna married Dakshina and had twelve sons. These twelve [[Deva (Hinduism)|Devas]] (gods) are collectively called the ''Yāma''s.<ref name = "Mani890"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vedabase.io/en/|title= Bhagavata Purana, Book 4: Chapter 1: Verse 6|publisher=Vedabase}}</ref>
After Yajna's birth, he lived at the house of his grandfather Svayambhuva Manu. The sons to Yajna and Dakshina are named as Tosha, Pratosha, Santosha, Bhadra, Sânti, Idaspati, Idhma, Kavi, Vibhu, Svahna, Sudeva, and Rocana. They are collectively called as the Tushita gods. Later Yajna is described to become the Indra.<ref name = "Mani890"/><ref name = "bhagavata">{{cite web|url=http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto4/chapter1.html#Text%209|title=Bhagavata Purana Canto 4, chap. 1:Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu|last=Anand Aadhar |access-date=2 April 2010}}</ref> Garuda Purana says that he performed many sacrifices.<ref name = "Garuda Purana"/>

Another tale from the Vishnu Purana tells at the time of the destruction of [[Daksha]]'s [[Daksha yajna|sacrifice]] (Yajna), Yajna, the lord of sacrifice, was escaping as a deer. Yajna's head was severed by [[Virabhadra]], a fierce incarnation of Shiva. Latter accounts in the [[Harivamsa]] and [[Linga Purana]] relate this to the origin of the constellation ([[Nakshatra]]) [[Mrigashīrsha]] ("deer-headed"). The creator god [[Brahma]] elevated the deer-headed Yajna to the planetary sphere as Mrigashīrsha.<ref>{{cite book|last=John Dowson|title=A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology, and religion, geography, history|publisher=Asian Educational Services.|pages=371}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishnu Purana|publisher=BiblioBazaar, LLC|volume=1|pages=176–7, 180}}</ref>

==Association with sacrifice==
Vishnu has been equated to Yajna ("sacrifice") as in the [[Vedas]].<ref name="Yajna"/> The commentator on the Vedas - [[Sayana]] describes Vishnu as the lord of Yajna or the sacrificer himself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nagendra Kr Singh|title=Vedic mythology|publisher=APH Publishing.|pages=253}}</ref> Even the [[Bhagvad Gita|Bhagavad Gita]] associates Vishnu to Yajna (sacrifice). Performing sacrifices is considered equivalent to pleasing Vishnu.<ref name="Yajna">{{cite book|last=Robert D. Baird|title=Modern Indian interpreters of the Bhagavadgita|editor=Robert Neil Minor|publisher=SUNY Press|pages=214}}</ref> The [[Vishnu Sahasranama]] ("Thousand names of Vishnu") also relates Yajna as a name of Vishnu.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vijaya Kumar|title=The Thousand Names of Vishnu|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|pages=558|chapter=Name 445}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book | author = Mani, Vettam | title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature | url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft | publisher = Motilal Banarsidass | year = 1975 | location = Delhi | isbn = 0-8426-0822-2 }}

{{VishnuAvatars}}

[[Category:Avatars of Vishnu]]
[[Category:Yajna]]

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Yajna (avatar)