Agnishṭoma
Agnishṭoma · agni-stoma, “the praise of Agni”
Yajña has other meanings too: see all meanings of Yajña.
Grammar: masculine noun; a compound of agni (fire, Agnideva) and stoma (a chant of praise): “the praise of Agni“.
Meaning: a great Vedic yajña (kratu) offered in praise of Agni. In the Vāmana Purāṇa its phala (fruit) is the measure of the merit that many tīrthas give.
In the scriptures: the Saro Māhātmya of the Vāmana Purāṇa, the glory of the sacred lake of Kurukshetra which Romaharshaṇa tells the brāhmaṇas, names the fruit of the Agnishṭoma as the reward of these rites:
- At Pañcanada, one who bathes in the presence of Vāmanadeva, installed there by all the devas, gains the fruit of the Agnishṭoma yajña (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 13).
- At the Sūrya tīrtha, one who bathes with a steady mind, keeps a fast and worships the pitṛs and the devas gains the fruit of the Agnishṭoma and reaches Sūryaloka; the wise man who has darśana of Sūryadeva there goes to moksha (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 14).
- At Phalakīvana, on the river Dṛshadvatī, where devas, gandharvas, sādhyas and ṛshis have been performing tapas for a thousand divine years, one who bathes in the Dṛshadvatī and offers tarpaṇa to the devas and pitṛs gains the fruit of the Agnishṭoma and Atirātra kratus (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 15).
- At the Śrīkuñja tīrtha on the bank of the Sarasvatī, famed in the three worlds, one who bathes with bhakti gains the fruit of an Agnishṭoma (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 16).
- At Asthipañjara, the darśana of the mahāliṅga installed by Rudra himself removes all pāpas, grants bhukti and mukti (enjoyment and moksha), and by that darśana alone gives the fruit of the Agnishṭoma yāga (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 25).
Related terms: Atirātra · Kratu · Yajña · Tīrtha · Phala
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 13–16, 25