Talk:Alternatives to Pañca-Mahāyajñas

By Vishal Agarwal

In the Gītā and in other Śāstras, some alternatives to the above five mahāyajñas are given, a detailed description of which is beyond the scope of the present compilation:

Some yogins offer yajñas to the deva-s alone, whereas others offer yajña by yajña itself in the fire of Brahman. Gītā 4.25

Some offer hearing and other senses into the fires of restraint; others offer sound and other objects of senses into the fires of the senses. Gītā 4.26

And others offer all actions of the senses and all actions of the prāṇas into the fire of the yoga of restraint on the ātmā, kindled by knowledge. Gītā 4.27

Likewise, some offer in yajña their material possessions, or others their austerities and still others their practice of yoga; while other striving individuals who have undertaken stringent vows offer their study of scriptures and knowledge as yajña. Gītā 4.28

Others offer inhalation (prāṇa) into exhalation (apāna) and others exhalation into inhalation having restrained the course of inhalation and exhalation, and intent on the control of the vital breaths. Gītā 4.29

Others who have regulated their diets, offer life breaths into life breaths. All these are knowers of yajñas, and their evils have been destroyed through yajñas. Gītā 4.30