Prāṇāhuti
Prāṇāhuti · prāṇa-āhuti, “the offering to the prāṇas”
Grammar: feminine noun; a compound of prāṇa (the life-breath) and āhuti (an offering into the fire): “the offering to the prāṇas”.
Meaning: the five offerings of food that one places into one’s own mouth for the five prāṇas before eating, so that the meal itself becomes an offering into the fire of digestion.
In the scriptures: the Agni Purāṇa gives the rite in the rule of the meal.
After the bali to the Vāstu devatā, the sādhaka keeping the vrata and the purohita eat, either from a golden vessel or on lotus leaves; one must not eat on clay, or on the leaves of the aśvattha, the arka, the sarja or the bhallātaka. First one does ācamana (sipping water). Then, adding “oṃ” before and “svāhā” after the words prāṇa and the rest, one takes five āhutis of the food; having kindled the jaṭharāgni (the fire of digestion), one then eats.
The order is given in full. The upavāyus, the five secondary vāyus, are Nāga, Kūrma, Kṛkala, Devadatta and Dhanañjaya; with “etebhyo nāgādibhya upavāyubhyaḥ svāhā” one does ācamana and offers to them. Then again one does ācamana, saying “oṃ amṛtopastaraṇam asi svāhā” (“you are the underlayer of amṛta”). With “oṃ prāṇāya svāhā, oṃ apānāya svāhā, oṃ vyānāya svāhā, oṃ udānāya svāhā, oṃ samānāya svāhā” one gives the five āhutis to the five prāṇas into one’s own mouth. Then one eats fully, does ācamana with water and says “oṃ amṛtāpidhānam asi svāhā” (“you are the covering of amṛta”); this last ācamana covers the food that is now inside the body (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 77).
Related terms: Prāṇa · Āhuti · Ācamana · Jaṭharāgni · Apāna · Samāna
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 77