Words on the Way - Muz Murray Mantra Yoga Master

Y—WORDS on the WAY
Yagña (yag-nyah or yaj-nyah)
Var: Yajña,yaagna, yagnya, (yaga)
Synon: Havan, homa
Sense: ‘Sacrifice: ‘ a sacrificial rite of offering to God or deity.’
Root: Yaj — the act of sacrificing, worshipping, or the sacrificer
himself. Yaj is also said to mean ‘worship of the deity (devapuja).
Ya (or Yam) is also the bija mantra of Anahata or the chakra of the
heart centre, which corresponds to the air element, indicating that a
yagna is affecting ethereal regions and ethereal beings. Such
beings, or devas, are believed to feed on the fragrance of the
smoke from the fire and are attracted by the devotion in the
mantras. The second syllable jña or gña means ‘spiritual wisdom’
as in the word jñana.
Ritualists use substances to represent the seasons; such as
butter being for the springtime, wood or herbs for the fire being
summertime and any offering to the fire symbolises autumn.
There are five basic kinds of Yajñas, viz.: 1) Brahma Yajña —
the practices of early morning meditation at Brahma mahurta (4
a.m.) after following the prescribed ablutions. Holy pilgrimages,
scriptural study, periodic fasting, worship and identification with
the attributes of deities, all come under umbrella of this yajña.
These activities are for the cultivation of sattvic (purificatory)
sensibilities, such as reverence, responsibility, love and vigilance
in practice. 2) Rishi Yajña — association with and rendering
service to a sage (known as Satsanga and Guru Seva). This form
of holy association allows the sattvic temperament of the guru to
automatically infiltrate the seeker effecting subtle changes. 3)
Pitri Yajña —the sacrificing of something to one’s ancestors with
due respect and gratefulness. 4) Bhuta Yajña —the feeding of a
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