Āhāva

By Swami Harshananda

Āhāva literally means ‘calling’.

Derived from the root ‘hve’ (‘to call’), āhāva is the technical name of a formula of summons pronounced loudly by the hotṛ (chief of the priests representing the Rgveda) in a Soma sacrifice before starting the śastra (laudatory recitation). It is usually in the form of śom 3*^[1] sāvom or śoṃsāvo 3^[1] (a corrupt form of śarṃsāva).

Soma juice is extracted (savana) three times during the day :

Morning - prātasavana
Noon - mādhyandinasavana
Evening - tṛtīyasavana

During all these three savanas āhāva is done 4 times in the first, 5 times in the second and again 4 times in the third.

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 The numeral 3 indicates that the syllable is to be chanted for 3 unites of time, called a 'pluta' as against 1 unit of time ('hrasva') or 2 units of time (dīrgha').

The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari

Explore Other Articles

Danḍavata
Significance of Vinayaka Chaturthi
Ideals and Values/Self Respect & Absence of too much Pride
Sri Datha Apararadha kshamapana stotram
Aksayya

[three-1] 1.0 ^1.1 The numeral 3 indicates that the syllable is to be chanted for 3 unites of time, called a 'pluta' as against 1 unit of time ('hrasva') or 2 units of time (dīrgha').

[1]