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Today we continue our series on the Vedas, focusing on Yajña. Much can be said about Yajña, especially by experts, as it is an entire science concerning the construction of altars, types of fire pits, offerings, and more. My focus, however, is more on the meaning and symbolism of Yajña. The word yagya or yajña comes from a root meaning to worship or to offer sacrifice. Yajña is an eternal fiery ritual intertwined with mantras. This ritual is described in exact detail; the sacrificer must not deviate by changing an accent, a syllable, or any step in the procedure. Everything is precisely prescribed and has its meaning. An important aspect of the Vedas is the performance of yagya, whose primary purpose is to keep us in harmony with cosmic forces. According to the Vedas, the universes arose from the sacrifice of the Puruṣa. Puruṣa means the divine and absolute being, which by itself gave rise to creation. Thus, at the very beginning, there was sacrifice. The Yajña is the equivalent of this primordial sacrifice and is analogous to the process of creation and the ordering of the world. The entire world is sustained by sacrifice. We know that a higher organism consumes a lower one to live; everything is interconnected, and new life also arises through a certain sacrifice. Yajña further helps restore the balance of energies in nature and the balance of the five elements: earth, water, air, space, and fire. These elements create everything, including our body. As a simple example: the earth element creates the bones, which are the strongest. The first kośa represents the digestive fire and the organism's thermoregulation. The first kuṇḍalinī represents the space between waking states. These connections exist on all levels. On subtler levels, for instance, earth is connected with Tamas, with the ego, and so on. We can find tables showing these connections, for example, in the book Hidden Forces. From this, we see how important it is for the elements to be in balance, for if they are balanced, we are balanced, as our body is composed of them. In Yajña, these five elements are represented by the offerings. Yajña creates a microcosm within the universe or nature and has a profound harmonizing effect on all persons involved. I remember the Yajña in June when I was in India. Waking up the next day, I felt a very pleasant attunement; the harmonizing influence is truly present. Yajña is a ritual that should be performed with the whole heart and a feeling of devotion—different towards God and different towards the deities to whom we turn. The Vedas proclaim monotheism; they say there is one God, but it manifests through various gods, deities. These devās help govern the universe. They are astral forces that govern the five elements and other forces in nature, and they also represent the forces of our psyche. The scriptures say that, for example, during the yajña, one should please the gods individually. In ancient scriptures, yajña is highly praised. I will read some excerpts. In one, it is said: "Yajña pleases the gods. Through Yajña, the world was established. Yajña supports the entire world. Yajña protects people from sin. Grains are born thanks to the clouds that bring rain. Clouds arise from Yajña. The entire universe depends on Yajña." The sacred scriptures declare that all who desire prosperity, peace, long life, and happiness must perform Yajña. And once Paneśāda says: "Through Yajña, the gods attained heaven and overcame the demons. Through Yajña, even enemies become friends. That is why distinguished people consider Yajña to be a special practice." The place where the Yajña is performed is called Yajñaśālā, the place of sacrifice. The fire pit is called Havaṅkuṇḍa. The main part of the sacrificial altar is called the Vedī. There is a place where sacred grass is spread out, where the deities can reside, so they have enough space and can be honored for higher things to happen. The place should be oriented to the east. The deities are approached individually or in groups. According to the Purāṇas, there are groups of gods. For example, the Ādityas represent aspects of the sun, among them gods like Sūrya and Viṣṇu, or other aspects of the sun we know from Sūryanamaskāra, which is a salutation to the sun where individual aspects are named. Or the Maruts, who are gods of atmospheric phenomena. The sacrificial fire altar can be simple or more elaborate. It is simple in the shape of a stepped pyramid with a square base, its sides oriented toward the cardinal points. We saw a more complex form, for example, during the Mahāprabhujī Dūra Yajña, when the Yajña was being built for the āśrama, and there were nine different floor plans. That was the more complex form. During Yajña, Agnideva is very important. In Latin, it is Ignis; in English, ignite (to set aflame). In Slavic languages, it is similar to Russian ogón', Polish ogień, Old Czech oheň, and the like. All these words come from the word Agni. In ancient cultures worldwide, fire was sacred. According to ancient chronicles in our land, even two hundred years after the arrival of Christianity, pagan customs were still present. Fire was treated with great reverence; one must not spit into it. If a fire was caused by lightning, it was not extinguished, or perhaps extinguished with milk. They offered sacrifices and the like. Now we have forgotten these principles. On the contrary, walking on hot coals has become fashionable recently. People prove to themselves they can overcome something, that they can manage it, thinking they are creating something for what they are going towards. Svāmījī says we definitely should not do that because it is a desecration of fire, an expression of disrespect towards the principle of fire. When we desecrate external fires, we also desecrate the inner fire, and of course, the opposite is true as well. When we pour water on the Śivaliṅga, Svāmījī says the Śivaliṅga is a symbol of consciousness and that we are purifying our own consciousness. Or when we pollute the water in a river, we are polluting the element of water within us. When we cleanse a pond or a river, we are purifying the element of water within ourselves, or that which is connected to it. Our external activity always affects the inner, subtle level. Agni has three forms: fire as the power of the earth, lightning or thunder as the power of the atmosphere, and the sun as the power of the sky. These aspects of light represent inner forces as well. The sun is the power of the mind, lightning represents the force of withdrawal, and fire is the power of the body. The Ṛgveda explains Agni as the inner light, an inner fire, the principle of light in nature and in our soul. It is the principle of light that enters matter and dwells within us in an unmanifest form, representing our soul and the inner guru. As the saying goes, the guru is actually the inner fire that ignites the inner fire. When we participate as we are, we actually radiate our inner light. In humans, Agni manifests in various forms. For example, the digestive fire, as I mentioned. In passing, I will mention that when we eat something and have something cold like ice cream, it is best to start eating it if we absolutely must eat it at all, because this cools the fire at the beginning, essentially soothing it. We extinguish that digestive fire at the beginning and then wonder why it doesn’t digest properly. Then there is the fire of the breath. We develop that energy of the breath through the practice of Prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma gives us greater vitality, enhances creativity and spirituality, mental energy, willpower, and the like. Then there is the fire of intelligence, which is in turn supported by the fire of Prāṇa. So again, we see the importance of Prāṇāyāma; it can elevate and awaken intelligence. Prāṇāyāma is very important even for children. Then there is the fire of the mind. According to the Vedas, the mind is fire which arose from space, and therefore the mind needs space and freedom. Meditation helps us greatly with that, first and foremost when we dive into the inner space or visualize the space within ourselves, as well as spending time in nature where there is open space. According to scientific studies, meditation helps against neuroses and similar mental illnesses. When we focus closely on work, for example on a computer, it is good to then give the possibility of expansion again—either immerse yourself for a moment into the inner space or gaze into the distance. That is actually the best way for us to relax. Then there is the fire of emotions. We also have it in language: we say someone is a spark, the fire of love; some burn in the fire of passion, the fire of desire. Positive emotions nourish our inner fire, our Agni, while negative emotions extinguish and suffocate it, creating a fire dangerous for us and others. There is also the fire of speech. In the Vedas, it is said that when Agni, the cosmic fire, enters the body, it becomes speech, which is also a form of fire. The tongue is the primal form of the goddess of fire, who is the wife or Śakti of Agni. The wife of Agni is named Svāhā, and the meaning of that word, as it has many meanings, is also "good speech." According to the Vedas, the tongue is thus the form of Fire, the form of the Divine Fire. The fact is that the tongue somewhat resembles a flame, that it has a triangular shape and essentially looks like a flame. These are just examples. But from this, we see how important the fire element is, while of course all elements are important simultaneously, and how essential it is to be in harmony with them. When we perform Yajña, we only put high-quality, well-dried wood into the fire. It must not smoke, be infested with parasites, or produce unpleasant smoke from incense. Similarly, when we focus light for meditation or Sādhana, the scriptures remind that it should be light from ghee or some pure oil. We should not use candles with paraffin; they are impure. The smoke then does not purify, or the flame is impure. Ghee is used as an offering, and the herbs with Ghee are called Havansāmagrī. Ghee is clarified butter, a symbol of pure light. In the Vedas, it is stated that Agni, like a firebrand, dwells in the ocean of Ghee. Here we also read such poetry, and essentially we do not understand it. When we realize the symbolism that Agni is our soul and Ghee is pure light, pure consciousness, it means our soul resides in the ocean of pure consciousness. This is an example of the symbolic language of the Vedas. During Yajña, additional offerings are used: milk, rice cakes, honey, grains, and the like. When we offer the oblation, we recite the mantra and cast the oblation into the fire only at the end of the mantra. Ghee is poured into the fire with a special copper ladle, and the herbs are cast in with the right hand, using only the middle finger, ring finger, and thumb. In Yajña, offerings are made to Agni; they are offered into the fire. What we give to Agni, Agni receives precisely through the intermediary of mantras. The other parts are passed by Agni to the other gods. When we offer the oblation into the fire, we say Svāhā, which is actually the wife of the god of fire. She is his Śakti, his energy—the energy through which the fire burns. We offer those sacrifices to individual gods, but in reality, ultimately the offering goes to the one supreme god who is above them. According to the Vedas, offerings should not be given directly to the devās, but only through Agni and simultaneously with that mantra. Otherwise, the gods cannot accept the offering. The gods cannot accept a coarse material offering—what we actually put into the fire—as to them it is immaterial. During that sacrifice, Agni functions exactly the same as in our body, like the digestive fire. In our body, Agni processes the food it receives, refining it to a subtle level, and that offering on the subtle level is carried wherever it is needed. Likewise, during the offering, Agni transforms the oblation from the gross to the subtle, and this transformation takes place through the magnificent power of mantras. If we want Agni to deliver the offering correctly to the right address, we must chant the mantras precisely and correctly. It is similar to writing an address on an envelope; if we write it incorrectly, it may not reach. In a way, with the mantra we are writing the address, and Agni then delivers it. Deities exist on earth, that is within the five elements, and mantras are their sound form. Vedic mantras are the roots of creation, and when chanted, certain vibrations arise that cause the devās to appear as beings or come forth to fulfill the wishes of those performing the Yajña. These vibrations are so powerful that those gods must come. Devās also have their desires and needs, but their power is limited. If people perform sacrifices accompanied by mantras, then the energy of the deities rises accordingly. The Vedas state that if we want to support the devās, it can only be through Yajña. A Yajña is essentially a mutual support between the gods and humans; both have their benefits. In a Yajña, Saṅkalpa is important. It is the intention of the person conducting the Yajña. Saṅkalpa also increases the power of mantras. Saṅkalpa is a very powerful technique, but it is important to keep it in mind. Beforehand, we actually draw out its strength. If we have any Saṅkalpa, it is best to remind ourselves of it every day, preferably three times a day. If we have a Saṅkalpa only during Yoga Nidrā, and we have Yoga Nidrā only once a week or every two weeks, then it doesn’t have that much power. For many years, Svāmījī gave us a ceremony on the web to strengthen the Saṅkalpa. Many people do it, and those I have spoken to say these things are powerful and help them. Yajña has various purposes. There are three such purposes for which we perform Yajña. Some perform Yajña to ensure benefit and prosperity in this world, for themselves and those around them. Another performs Yajña because they wish to live happily after death, to reach Devaloka, to heaven. There is a slight catch: the stay in Devaloka is limited; the soul can remain only until the merits are exhausted, and then it must return to the cycle of birth. So the best is to perform Yajña selflessly. The Bhagavad Gītā says that performing Yajña for the welfare of the world without desire for reward and without attachment leads to the purification of the mind, and a purified mind then guides us to liberation. So the highest goal is the attainment of liberation. Yogis also cultivate discipline and mental purity. The Vedas state that a person who has attained direct experience of God-realization no longer needs to appease individual gods. But if we are at the level of separation from God, the Vedas recommend worshiping individual Gods. There are also Sannyāsins who have renounced the world; they do not turn to the devās, but pray directly to God. Others should turn to the devās and express their respect. Svāmījī often says that when we rise, we should greet the earth, give thanks to that principle of the earth, the essence of the earth. Likewise to water, fire, air, to look outside at the space, also to express respect for the space, and so on. We are actually harmonizing those elements and supporting them. In the sacrifice, only that offering reaches the deities to which we do not lay claim. In some offerings, it is said namama, which means "not for me." For example, "I will give to Agni, I will give namama." That belongs to Agni, it is not for me. Sometimes we can hear this during those Yajñas, or for example when we look at the Purāṇas or the Vedas, it is often there as well. The mantras we chant during Yajñas have various purposes. Each Yajña has its own purpose, its mantras, its devās, its altar, the time when it should be done, and so on. But the ultimate goal is always to please that Supreme God, that Being. The Yajña is performed by four pandits and assistants. There is a pandit reciting from the Ṛgveda, a scholar of the Ṛgveda. Another expert of the Sāmaveda sings mantras and hymns from the Sāmaveda. The expert in Yajurveda performs the ritual, and the expert in Atharvaveda must know all four Vedas and oversees the entire ceremony. During the Yajña, one must live as a new Brahmacārī. The person for whom the Yajña is performed, or who participates, should also observe certain rules: fasting or at least limiting food intake, and in any case eating vegetarian. A Yajña can last several days. During that time, one should meditate, visit temples, maintain both external and internal purity, and at least three times a day become aware of their Saṅkalpa, reminding themselves of the purpose for which the Yajña is performed, and also pray with Saṅkalpa. Of course, one must have faith in the Yajña. During Yajña, one must not lie, haggle in the market, curse anyone, or harm anyone. They must not drink alcohol, nor drive a fast car. One must renounce violence and must not sleep during the day. Yajña should be performed only with positive intentions. Saṅkalpa should always be precise and positive. It needs to be repeated because it is like a battery that discharges over time. Through Jñāna, we also purify ourselves internally so that we may return to our origin. So that we do not feel sorry that those Yajñas are somewhat inaccessible to us. But all of them exist as inner Yajñas, and there we have the full field of action. It says in the Bhagavad Gītā: if a person works without expecting reward, selflessly, without attachment, that too is Yajña. Those who perform righteous actions as Yajña, by not having attachment, are not bound to the earth either and attain liberation. The spiritual fire ceremony will burn away their impurities, and in the vibrational role, our mantra will ensure it. In Karma Yoga, it is good to repeat the mantra. That highest sacrifice is actually the sacrifice of our ego. We offer the ego to the world or to the fire of divine consciousness. Sacrifice is Yajña, a sacrifice to God. If all actions are performed for God, when everything you do is done for God, then every act becomes Yajña. If a person, for example, is not a believer but performs good deeds out of compassion for the benefit of humanity, that too is Yajña, because even humanity is a reflection of God. In yoga, we also perform an internal Yajña directly during the practice: Prāṇāyāma, meditation, and Kriyā. In these practices, Prāṇa as the life energy withdraws from the senses, becomes an offering, and connects with our inner world, with the world of our soul. This fire then burns away all our impurities. In meditation, the mantra is very important, especially the guru mantra and the message of the guru mantra. Through such meditations, one sends out positive energy and elevates consciousness to a higher level, attuning with the devās—those astral forces, the elements, and essentially with the entire divine order. If we live in harmony like this, we gain peace, health, and prosperity. These are actually the fruits of Yajña as well. The Bhagavad Gītā also speaks about the inner Yajña. In the third chapter, the 14th verse, Kṛṣṇa speaks: "When you eat only that which you also offer to me, you will simply be free of all sin. But those who prepare food solely for their own enjoyment consume sin." One should eat only after offering to God. For that, we have prayers and mantras before eating. The mantra there again serves that function during the Yajña—the vibrational function. At the same time, by chanting the mantra and offering that food as a sacrifice to God, we purify the food. Today we never know how the food came to us, what all it went through. Nowadays, everything is so confusing that we don’t even really know what ingredients they put into the food, so we must be very careful to offer only Sāttvic food to God through the inner fire. The food we eat is actually consumed by Agni in the form of digestive fire, and if before eating we recite a mantra and offer the food to God, it is also a Yajña. Yajña is essentially a process that brings us back to wholeness, to unity. Svāmījī today shares a beautiful thought. He says that, for example, when we perform Kāyaprāṇāma, it is actually also a Yajña. There we chant mantras with a plea for peace—mantras to the devās, to the elements: peace in the water, peace in space, and so forth. At the same time, we work with the breath; that is the offering. We turn to Mahāprabhujī, which actually weaves the light into the universe, which is the highest form of light. So we need not be sad that we do not have external Yajñas; we probably have everything, we just simply need to practice. I also show you the literature here. These Vedas are from Śrī Chandrasekharendra Sarasvatī. I have demonstrated this several times already, but I applied it to all those parts. Then Yoga and the Sacred Fire by David Frawley—there the symbolism of fire is beautifully presented. Then the commentary on the Bhagavad Gītā by Paramahaṃsa Yogananda—there is probably that inner symbolism, that inner Yajña. And then, of course, The Hidden Forces Within a Person, where we have beautiful overviews, and probably everything is summarized there. Bhagavān will be the master of the tea.