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Yajna (avatar)
Yajna (Sanskrit: यज्ञ, 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.[1] 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[edit]
The Bhagavata Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana,[2] and Garuda Purana[3] list Yajna or Syavambhuva as an avatar of Vishnu or Adi-Narayana. Yajna is classified as one of the 14 main Manvantara-avatars (an avatar corresponding to a Manvantara and who supports the corresponding Indra and other gods to maintain the principles of cosmic order) called vaibhava-avatars. Yajna is also categorized as a Kalpa-avatar (an avatar corresponding to an aeon called Kalpa) of Vishnu.
Yajna is the son of Prajapati Ruci and Akuti, the daughter of Svayambhuva Manu - the first Manu (progenitor of mankind).[2] 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.[2][4]
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 Devas (gods) are collectively called the Yāmas.[2][5] 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.[2][6] Garuda Purana says that he performed many sacrifices.[3]
Another tale from the Vishnu Purana tells at the time of the destruction of Daksha's 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.[7][8]
Association with sacrifice[edit]
Vishnu has been equated to Yajna ("sacrifice") as in the Vedas.[9] The commentator on the Vedas - Sayana describes Vishnu as the lord of Yajna or the sacrificer himself.[10] Even the Bhagavad Gita associates Vishnu to Yajna (sacrifice). Performing sacrifices is considered equivalent to pleasing Vishnu.[9] The Vishnu Sahasranama ("Thousand names of Vishnu") also relates Yajna as a name of Vishnu.[11]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Suresh Chandra. Encyclopaedia of Hindu gods and goddesses. Sarup & Sons. pp. 371, 26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mani p. 890
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bibek Debroy, Dipavali Debroy. The Garuda Purana. Lulu.com. p. 133.
- ↑ Prabhupada. "Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.12". The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ↑ "Bhagavata Purana, Book 4: Chapter 1: Verse 6". Vedabase.
- ↑ Anand Aadhar. "Bhagavata Purana Canto 4, chap. 1:Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu". Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ↑ John Dowson. A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology, and religion, geography, history. Asian Educational Services. p. 371.
- ↑ Horace Hayman Wilson. The Vishnu Purana. Vol. 1. BiblioBazaar, LLC. pp. 176–7, 180.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Robert D. Baird. Robert Neil Minor (ed.). Modern Indian interpreters of the Bhagavadgita. SUNY Press. p. 214.
- ↑ Nagendra Kr Singh. Vedic mythology. APH Publishing. p. 253.
- ↑ Vijaya Kumar. "Name 445". The Thousand Names of Vishnu. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 558.
References[edit]
- Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 0-8426-0822-2.