Homa

Main article: Homa Vidhi

Homa, “an offering into the fire”

Yajña has other meanings too: see all meanings of Yajña.

Grammar: masculine noun, from the root hu (to offer into the fire): “the offering”.

Meaning: an offering of ghee, grain or other havis made into the sacred fire with mantras; a part of the daily duties, of vratas and of every yajña.

In the scriptures: among the rules of daily conduct the ṛshis give the rākshasa king Sukeśī, one sits facing east or north, washes and rinses the mouth, does the sandhyā, bathes, offers tarpaṇa (water) to the devas and the pitṛs, performs homa, touches an auspicious thing (maṅgala-dravya), and only then goes out (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 14). Defining those from whom food must not be taken, they call shaṇḍha the one who does not do bath, japa, sandhyā, homa and the rest at the proper time, and mūshika the one who, though he has wealth, does not do dāna and homa. Homa is also among the duties of the vānaprastha (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 15).

The Vāmana Purāṇa uses the word in these places as well:

  • In the ekādaśī vrata to Keśava, after the fast one bathes Vishṇudeva with ghee and performs homa with ghee too (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 18).
  • At the wedding of Bhagavān Śiva, Hara with Girijā goes round the fire three times and offers the parched-grain havis into it (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 27).
  • At the weddings arranged by Indradyumna, Gālava Muni took the office of ṛtvij and performed the wedding homas (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 39).
  • Ṛtudhvaja, son of Tāmasa Manu, began a yajña for sons and offered as homa his own blood, flesh, bones, hair, sinews, marrow and liver, and last his seed; as the seed was falling, a voice cried “Do not offer it!”, and at once he died (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 46).
  • Bhagavān Vishṇu tells Bali that homas done without śraddhā, and homas without ghee, will give their phala to him in Pātāla (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 10).
  • Angered by Dhṛtarāshṭra’s untruth, Baka the Dālbhya began an ābhicārika homa, a fire-rite of hostile intent, at the Avakīrṇa tīrtha in Pṛthūdaka, and threw the flesh of his own thigh into the fire to offer up the king with his kingdom (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 18).

Related terms: Yajña · Havis · Agni · Sandhyāvandana · Tarpaṇa · Ṛtvij

Sources

  • Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 14, 15, 18, 27, 39, 46
  • Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapters 10, 18