Types of Yagya

Ancient scriptures and traditions have been describing yagya. Various types of yagya have been performed for getting many benefits. Let’s understand its rules and types in detailed.

•     Atharvaved describes many types of yagya. For example—

Rajasuyam vajapeyamagnishtomastadadhvarah I
Arkashthamedhavuchchhishte jevabarhimadintamah II
Agnyadheyamatho diksha kamaprashchhandasa sah I
Agnihotram cha shraddha cha vashatukaro vratam tapah II
Chaturhotar aapriyashchaturmasyani nividah I
Uchchhishte yagya hotrah pshubandhastadishtayah II
(Atharvaved, 11.7.7.9

    The human being must provide bliss to the entire animals by worshiping the God through yagya like rajasuy, vajapey, agnishthem, ashvamedh, agnyadhan, agnihotra, chaturmasy and pashubandh.

•   In Etarey Brahman, five types of yagya have been mentioned—

sa esha yagyah panchavidhah I Agnihotram darshapaurnamasau, chaturmasyani, 
pashu, som iti II 
(Eteray Brahman, 2.3 Eteray Aranyak, 2.3.3)

•     Gautam Dharmasutra describes 21 yagyabhed of three types of yagyasanstha. For example—

  aupasanahomah vaishvadevam parvanamashtaka masikashraddham shravana shulagaveti sapta pakayagyasanstha I Agnihotram darshpurvamasau aagrayanam chaturmasyani nirudhapashubandhah sautramani pindapitriyagyadayo darvihoma iti saptahaviryagyasanstha I Agnishthom agyagnishthomokthaya shodashi vajapeyatiratraptoryameti 

  saptasomasanstha II

                                                                                     (Gautam Dharmasutrani, 8.8 )

Seven pakyagya—aupasan, vaishvadev, parvan, ashtaka, masikashraddh, shravana and shulagav.
Seven haviryagya—agnihotra, darshpurnamas, aagrayan, chaturmasy, nirudhapashubandh, sautramani and pinapitri named darvihom.
Seven somayagya—agnishthom, ukthaya, shodashi, vajapey, atiratra and aptoryam.
In this dharmasutra, agniyadhan has been counted as first position leaving aside seventh haviryagya (pindapitriyagya).

• l    In the various chapters of Katyayanashrautasutra, Maharshi Katyayan has described many other types—dakshyayanam, ekah, dvadashah, agnichayan, ashvamedha, abhichar, satra, somayag, gavayaman, rajasuya, purushamedha, prayashchit and pravarya. (Katyayan Shrautasutra, Chapter 4 to 26)

•   Maharshi Manu has termed necessary five daily activities as mahayagya—

  Adhyapanam brahmyagyah pitriyagyastu tarnanam I
  Homo daivo balibhaunto mriyagyoatithipujanam II
  (Manusmriti, 3.70 )

• Teaching job, tarpan of pitaron, homkarya, balipradan and welcoming guest are brahmyagya, pitriyagya, daivayagya, bhutayagya and nriyagya respectively.

•     Shrimadbhagvadgita describes five yagya. For example—

Dravyayagyastapoyagya yogayagyastathapare I
Svadhyayagyanayagyashcha yatayah sanshitavratah II (Gita, 4.28)

Dravyayagya, tapayagya, yogayagya, svadhyayayagya and gyanyagya. It has also described yagya as satvik, rajasik and tamasik. For example—

Satvik yagyah

Aphalakadkshibhhiryagyo vidhidrishto ya injyate.
Yashtabyameyeti manah samadhay sa satvikah II Gita, 17.11 II

The satvik yagya is those yagya which has been considered as duty according to scripture. It is performed by those people who have longing for result.

Rajasik yagyah

Amisandhay tu phalam 
dambharthamapi chaiva yat I

Injyate bharatashreshtham tam yagyam viddhi rajasam II (Gita, 17.12)
The yagya which is performed aiming at getting result is called rajasik yagya.

Tamasik yagyah:

Vidhihinamasrishtannam mantrahinamadakshinam I
Shraddhavirahitam yagyam tamasam parichakshate II (Gita, 17.13)

The yagya which is performed without pure materials, matra, dakshina and reverence is called tamas yagya.

•     Dividing ‘devayagy’ and ‘dravyayagya’ opined by Maharshi Manu, the great scholars have written—‘dravyagya, shraut and smart are different. The yagya which is mentioned in mantra and Brahman is called ‘shrautayagya’. The yagya which is mentioned by rishi in smriti is called smart. Grihyasutrokta yagya is also counted in smart yagya. Such yagya is of three types namely—naityik, kamya and naimittik.

1)  Naityik yagya—It is performed necessarily daily like ‘panchmahayagya’ proposed by Maharshi Manu.

2)  Naimittik yagya—It is performed daily. For example—shodash sanskar, natural coincidence. The yagya performed for checking pollution is also called naimittik yagya.

3)    Kamya yagya—It is performed to fulfill desire, for example—varsheshti, putreshti, etc.

    There are 14 shrotayagya (seven haviryagya and seven somyagya). Seven pakyagya is called smart yagya. Similarly, there is 21 yagya. (Brief introduction of shrotayagya, Yudhishthir Mimansak, Page-7)

•   Vaidik sampatikar had mentioned three types of yagya in context of duty, knowledge and worship.

      (Vaidik Sampatti, Pandit Raghunandan Sharma, Page—279)

•  Gyan yagya and upasanayagya are self study, tap and yog, etc, but shraut yagya is karmayagya. Many other scholars have mentioned yagya as three types namely—aadhyatmik, aadhidaivik and aadhibhautik. (Krishna Yajurved A Study, Dr Virendra Kumar Mishra, Page. 27)

•    According to the modern scholars, the yagya can be divided into five classes—hom, ishti, pashuyag, somayag and satra. (Gopath Brahman, 1.5.7)

Yagyamahotsav of dravya yagya, yog yagya and gyan yagya