17
votes
Accepted
What do the Vedas say about animal sacrifice?
Animal sacrifice, when performed properly according to Vedas, is an exception to the general rule about not harming living beings. Here is what Adi Shankaracharya says in his commentary on the Brahma ...
9
votes
Which rituals need Soma? If the Soma plant is extinct, is there any substitute for it?
Soma is indeed an important section of vedas as rightly pointed by you. Soma is also a name of herb/hervs, drink, deity etc. The importance of soma is so much that even the Devas are desperate to ...
9
votes
Accepted
Who are the Havirdhanas mentioned in RIgveda?
The Havirdhanas are the two carts used to carry the Soma offerings in Soma Sacrifice from outside to main Place of Yajna . These two carts Havirdhanas are considered as gods. One is Heaven and ...
8
votes
Accepted
What is the story of Gaya Tirth?
Chapter 106, 107 and 108 - Part 2 of Vayu Purana describes the story of Gaya in detail.
Gayasura was Asura (demon) who did a severe penance. Devas with Shiva went to Vishnu and at suggestion of Lord ...
8
votes
Why is the queen required to sleep next to the dead horse at the end of Aśvamedha Yajña?
That translation on wikipedia is of Griffith and other colonial British translators and is completely wrong. Basically there is one verse from Shatapatha Brahmana and four verses from Yajur Veda which ...
7
votes
Do Vedas allow sacrificing innocent animals in the name of GOD?
The answer of your question is given by Shree-Krishna in Shreemad Bhagvat Maha Purana. ( Canto 11 ,Chapter 21 , Shlokas 29-30) SB 11.21: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Explanation of the Vedic Path. Here
ते मे मतमवि...
7
votes
Why is Chandi Homa performed?
I'm adding a PDF that teaches you the details of how to perform a Chandi Homam.This document also tells you about its importance which i have quoted below.
I'm sure that you are just curious to know....
7
votes
What happens to the horse after the Ashvamedha Yagya?
It is strangled to death, as a sacrificial animal in the yaga ritual.
The Shatapatha Brahmana describes in great detail the Vedic rituals regarding; the preparation of altars, ceremonial objects, ...
7
votes
Accepted
Do Sri Vaishnavas believe the Nachiketa Yagna grants Moksha by itself?
The key point here is that it is not possible to (meaningfully) perform the Nachiketa agni ritual without the Bhakti Yoga aspect. The Nachiketa yajna is not like other common yajnas; it's very ...
7
votes
Accepted
Did Dasaratha think of performing Putrakamesthi apart from Aswamedha Yagna that itself could give sons?
You are right in surmising that the Putrakaameshthi Yagya may not have been required after the Ashwamedha as mentioned in this verse:
चिन्तयानस्य तस्य एवम् बुद्धिः आसीन् महात्मनः |
सुतार्थम् वाजि...
7
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between Rajasuya Yajna and Ashwamedha Yajna?
Your confusion is well warranted since the purpose of both the Yagnyas seems to be the establishment of overlordship over other kingdoms and make them accept the sovereignty of the king performing the ...
7
votes
Accepted
What is to be done with meat of sacrificed animal in vedic yajna?
The remaining portion of the meat, which is offered into the sacrificial fire, is of course to be partaken by the family people. Not sure to whom else it can be distributed. For the time being, i ...
7
votes
Accepted
Which 299 animals were sacrificed in the Ashwamedha besides the Horse?
The detail list of all animals, birds and marine creatures which were tied in Yajna-Shala is present in Ashwamedha
Prakarana of Vajaseniya samhita of Shukla Yajurveda. The 24 adhyay of Shukla ...
7
votes
Are shudras allowed to wander near sacrifices?
Who is Shudra (or Sudra)
A Sudra is not a Sudra by birth alone--nor a Brahmana is Brahmana by birth alone. He, it is said by the wise, in whom are seen those virtues is a Brahmana. And people term him ...
7
votes
Accepted
Does Vishnu like animal sacrifices?
The following are Mantras from the Krishna Yajurveda's Book 2 and Book 5. The Mantras are describing which animals are fit to be sacrificed to what Vedic deities. They also give the list of animals ...
7
votes
Accepted
Who decided that mantras should be used for yajñas that came later?
I would like to preface my answer by addressing some misconceptions here. These misconceptions arise from inaccurate or inauthentic understanding of the role of yajna.
The concept and practice of ...
7
votes
Can one conduct a yajna for just about any reason?
First of all, Chinna Jeeyar, the Acharya you have quoted, is a very well known Vaishnava Acharya of his Sampradaya. Acharyas like him know much more about scriptures than the users of this site. So if ...
6
votes
What do the Vedas say about animal sacrifice?
Let me add the quote from the Vachanamrut (lessons given by Bhagavan Swaminarayan)
A similar type of question has been asked to Bhagavan Swaminarayan by the Saints and Munis, while Maharaj (Bhagavan ...
6
votes
Accepted
Why Manushya bali (Human Sacrifice) was practised in ancient times?
The Purushamedha Yagna does not involve human sacrifice. The Purushamedha Yagna is a mock-human sacrifice where a bunch of humans are tied up, but then released at the end. Here is what this chapter ...
6
votes
What are the Yagnas Sri Krishna was referring to in Srimad Bhagavad Gita?
It is not talking about the Panchamahayajnas because not all of them involve offering oblation in fire. It's about the normal Agnihotra or the offering to the Gods that is made through fire. This is ...
6
votes
Why does Parashara say to keep a black cat and precious stones in home?
NOTE:This is only a partial answer, an explanation of another viewpoint, which was too large to fit into the comments.
The translation that you may have found is for the wrong verse (Did you get it ...
6
votes
Accepted
Proper way to dispose ashes of yagna
As far as the sand is concerned, it can be disposed anywhere. Because it is not NirmAlya. Burying it in soil is a good idea.
But as far as the ash is concerned, it's NirmAlya of the Homa. So, it ...
6
votes
What are the similarities and differences between Purushamedha Yagna and Sarvamedha Yagna?
PurushMedha Yajna is described in this chapter of Shatapatha Brahmana of YajurVeda and Sarvamedha Yajna is described in this chapter. As per Shatapatha Brahmana both PurushMedha and SarvaMedha can ...
6
votes
Which 299 animals were sacrificed in the Ashwamedha besides the Horse?
This chapter of the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Yajur Veda describes the animals sacrificed in an Ashwamedha Yagna:
For this (day) there are those sacrificial animals--'A horse, a hornless he-...
6
votes
Accepted
Are shudras allowed to wander near sacrifices?
Can a Sudra perform a Vedic sacrifice?
Usually no. Given below are the duties of the 4 Varnas.
1.88. To Brahmanas he assigned teaching and studying (the Veda), sacrificing for their own ...
6
votes
Accepted
Story of a blue-eyed mongoose that came on completion of the Ashvamedha Yajna of king Yudhishthira?
The story of Blue-Eyed Mongoose at Yudhisthira's Ashwamedha Sacrifice is told in detail in Mahabharata - Book 14-Anugita Parva -Chapter 90 . Here the Mongoose is telling us the story of how half of ...
6
votes
Accepted
Who is Samyuka Barhaspatya?
According to Vayu Purana, Chapter 71, Shamyu was the son of Brihaspati who has inquired about Pitris and Shraddha to his father.
सूत उवाच
एतद्वोऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि पितृसर्गमनुत्तमम्।
शंयुः ...
6
votes
Accepted
Are there any animal sacrifices specifically for Vishnu?
Like any verses such as "He who desires prosperity should offer a goat
to Vishnu"?
Yes definitely we have such Mantras for Vishnu in the Krishna Yajurveda.
One I have already used in this ...
6
votes
Accepted
What were the reasons for all somayajnas banished?
Vedic yajnas are not banished or banned per se. We still have vedic yagas going on in India.
The scriptures for these yagas are usually shrauta sutras which come under vedAnga.
For example, kerala is ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
Related Tags
yajna × 145vedas × 38
sacrifice × 24
vedic-rituals × 16
rituals × 15
animals × 15
ashwamedha × 10
scripture × 9
mahabharata × 8
practice × 7
homam × 7
shiva × 6
ramayana × 6
shatapatha-brahmana × 6
vishnu × 5
bhagavad-gita × 5
philosophy × 5
mantras × 4
dharma × 4
rig-veda × 4
indra × 4
purva-mimamsa × 4
agni × 4
puranas × 3
gods × 3