Agnihotra, Agni-hotra: 26 definitions
Introduction:
Agnihotra means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—This is a sacrifice offered to Agnideva. This has two parts, nitya and Kāmya.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—Personified as the son of Pṛśni and Savitā;1 a vedic sacrifice;2 performed by Bharata.3 Its nature and effects.4 Performers of Agnihotra live in pitṛyāna;5 performed by Śukra, Dhūminī, the sonless wife of Ajamīḍha;6 performed by Purūravas;7 the face of the personified Vedas.8 As efficacious as hearing the viṣṇupurāṇa once.9
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa VI. 18, 1.
- 2) Ib. III, 13, 36.
- 3) Ib. V. 7, 5.
- 4) Ib. VII. 15, 48.
- 5) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 21. 160; 30, 13; III. 14, 2; 26, 14; 35, 44; 44, 5; 66, 2; Matsya-purāṇa 124. 98.
- 6) Matsya-purāṇa 11, 58; 25, 34; 50, 18; 107, 16; 183, 81.
- 7) Vāyu-purāṇa 91, 2; 107, 18; 77, 9.
- 8) Ib. 104, 83.
- 9) Viṣṇu-purāṇa VI. 8, 30.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. IX.36.44) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Agnihotra) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to one of the seven Haviḥsaṃsthās or Haviryajñas (groups of seven sacrifices).—Hārīta says: “Let a man offer the Pākayajñas always, always also the Haviryajñas, and the Somayajñas (Soma sacrifices), according to rule, if he wishes for eternal merit”.—The object of these sacrifices [viz., Agnihotra] is eternal happiness, and hence they have to be performed during life at certain seasons, without any special occasion (nimitta), and without any special object (kāma). According to most authorities, however, they have to be performed during thirty years only. After that the Agnihotra only has to be kept up.
Agnithotra is mentioned in the Āpastamba-yajña-paribhāṣā-sūtras.—“the Agnihotra is prescribed by the Yajur-veda”.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to the ritual where “articles like milk are offered as oblations into fire” and represents one of the various rituals mentioned in the Vaikhānasagṛhyasūtra (viz., vaikhānasa-gṛhya-sūtra) which belongs to the Taittirīya school of the Black Yajurveda (kṛṣṇayajurveda).—The original Gṛhyasūtra of Vaikhanāsa consists of eleven chapters or “praśnas”. Each praśna is subdivided into sub-divisions called “khaṇḍa”. But only the first seven chapters deal with actual Gṛhyasūtra section. Agnihotra is one of the seven haviryajñas.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to:—A purificatory ritual in which mantras are chanted and fruits, etc. are offered to the fire; fire sacrifice. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to the “holy fire”, according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 1, “on the origin of elephants”]: “[After Agni cursed the elephants of the quarters]: The elephants went to Bhṛgu’s hermitage and tore down trees, and voided dung and urine in the holy fire (agnihotra) there. Hereupon the good sage straightway became angry: ‘Upon smelling their own dung and urine, let them always be producing a tickling of the palate (an attraction for it)!’ Thus they were once cursed by that sage of extensive penance”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—[agnihotraṃ] A vedic ritual in which an oblation is offered particularly to agni, The god of Fire
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र), the most performed Vedic sacrifice, has left traces in several (daily) rituals. Its mantras, actions or implications play a role in the sāyaṃprātarhoma (aupāsanahoma), the prāṇāgnihotra (bhojanavidhi), the vaiśvadeva (devayajña), the saṃdhyā rites (probably) in gṛhya libation sacrifices in general.
The Agnihotra came to denote the sacred fire in later Sanskrit and (perhaps) in Pali. It is hard to say wether early āhnikāni may have existed which might have influenced the esoteric interpretations of the Agnihotra in the brāhmaṇas.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) is a Vedic yajña (ritual or sacrifice) performed in orthodox Hindu communities.
The central part of the Agnihotra consists of making two offerings of brown rice (unpolished) into the fire exactly at, slightly before, or even after the time of sunset and sunrise, along with Vedic mantras that relate the fire and the sun to each other: 'agnir jyotir, jyotiḥ sūryaḥ svāhā' in the evening, but the reverse 'sūryo jyotir, jyotir agniḥ svāhā' in the morning. This preserves the sun over night, which is also one of the interpretations of the ritual given in the Samhitas and Brahmanas.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to “fire oblations”, according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, “Now there lived a Brahmin called Viṣṇudatta in Navanagara. He was wealthy with great riches, great revenues; he was endowed with copious acquisitions and means of subsistence. He had mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas. He was a mantra-reciter and mantra-practitioner. He summoned Nāgas again and again. He sacrificed fire oblations (agnihotra). [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
India history and geography
Agnihotra.—(EI 22; CII 3, 4), offerings to fire; a particular sacrifice, often mentioned as one of the five sacrificial rites (mahāyajña) which are the daily duties of a Brāhmaṇa. Note: agnihotra is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) refers to one of the sixty doctrines of different religious sects that existed in ancient India, as mentioned by Uddyotanasūri in his 8th-century Kuvalayamālā (a Prakrit Campū, similar to Kāvya poetry).—Page 203.20 f.: There is a detailed description of about 60 doctrines of different religious sects and schools of philosophy that had developed before the time of Uddyotanasūri, for example, [Agnihotra] [...]. This list of different sects of Uddyotanasūri’s may be compared with the lists given by Bāṇa in the Harṣacarita (Books 5, 8).
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
agnihōtra (अग्निहोत्र).—n (S) Maintenance of a perpetual and sacred fire.
agnihōtra (अग्निहोत्र).—n Maintenance of a perpetual and sacred fire.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—[agnaye hūyate'tra, hu-tra, ca. ta.]
1) an oblation to Agni (chiefly of milk, oil and sour gruel.).
2) maintenance of the sacred fire and offering oblation to it; (agnaye hotraṃ homo'smin karmaṇīti agnihotramiti karmanāma); or the sacred fire itself; तपोवनाग्निहोत्रधूमलेखासु (tapovanāgnihotradhūmalekhāsu) K.26. होता स्यात् °त्रस्य (hotā syāt °trasya) Manusmṛti 11.36. °त्रमुपासते (tramupāsate) 42; स्त्रीं दाहयेत् °त्रेण (strīṃ dāhayet °treṇa) Manusmṛti 5.167,6.4, दाहयित्वाग्निहोत्रेण स्त्रियं वृत्तवतीम् (dāhayitvāgnihotreṇa striyaṃ vṛttavatīm) Y.1.89. The time of throwing oblations into the fire is, as ordained by the sun himself, evening (agnaye sāyaṃ juhuyāt sūryāya prātarjuhuyāt). Agnihotra is of two kinds; नित्य (nitya) of constant obligation (yāvajjīvamagnihotraṃ juhoti) and काम्य (kāmya) occasional or optional (upasadbhiścaritvā māsamekamagnihotraṃ juhoti).
-tra a. Ved.
Derivable forms: agnihotram (अग्निहोत्रम्).
Agnihotra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms agni and hotra (होत्र).
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—n.
(-traṃ) 1. Maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire. m.
(-traḥ) 1. Fire. 2. Ghee. E. agni and hotra oblation with fire, burnt offerings.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—n. 1. a ceremony consisting in oblations to consecrated fire, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 4, 25. 2. the consecrated fire, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 5, 167.
Agnihotra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms agni and hotra (होत्र).
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—1. [neuter] fire-sacrifice.
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—2. [adjective] sacrificing to Agni.
1) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—Oppert. Ii. 5306.
—Yv. [Mackenzie Collection] 7.
2) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—Āpast. Cs. 309.
3) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—[tantric] Fl. 386.
4) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—son of Dvādaśāhejya: Advaitaratnakośaṭīkā Tattvavivecanī.
1) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—[=agni-hotra] [from agni] 1. agni-hotra mfn. (agni-) sacrificing to Agni, [Atharva-veda vi, 97, 1]
2) [=agni-hotra] [from agni] 2. agni-hotra n., [Atharva-veda] etc. oblation to Agni (chiefly of milk, oil, and sour gruel; there are two kinds of Agnihotra, one is nitya id est. of constant obligation, the other kāmya id est. optional)
3) [v.s. ...] the sacred fire, [Manu-smṛti; Yājñavalkya] etc.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—I. [bahuvrihi compound] n.
(-tram) 1) A sacrificial ceremony which consists in making oblations to fire, of milk (payas), curds (dadhi), sour gruel (yavāgū), clarified butter (ghṛta), boiled rice (odana), grain (tanḍula), the juice of the Soma plant, flesh, sesamum oil (taila) and kidney beans (māṣa), or as is practised at present, merely of milk, sesamum oil and sour gruel. There are two kinds, 1. the nitya, perpetual, ‘during the whole life’ or that Agnihotra which is addressed to Agni every evening at sunset and to Sūrya every morning at sunrise; and 2. the kāmya, voluntary or the Agnihotra which occurs only occasionally and which is performed for the attainment of some specific object, as the Mṛtāgnihotra or the Māsāgnihotra in the beginning of the Sattra Kunḍapāyināmayana.
2) The same as agnyādhāna q. v. E. agni and hotra, sc. karman ‘an act in which oblations are made to Agni’. Ii. [tatpurusha compound] m.
(-traḥ) 1) Fire.
2) Havis or clarified butter. E. agni and hotra.
1) Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—[agni-hotra] (traṃ) 1. n. The perpetual maintenance of a sacred fire.
2) [agni-hotra] (traḥ-trī-traṃ) a. Intended for or connected with the maintenance of the perpetual fire.
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—1. (agni + hotra)
1) m. a) Feueropfer, sowohl die Handlung selbst als das, was geopfert wird (havis, havya) [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 3, 328.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha 4, 237.] [Medinīkoṣa r. 248] (lies agnihotrogni). — b) Feuer (wohl nur das geheiligte Feuer) [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] —
2) n. Pflege des heiligen Opferfeuers [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 836.] — Trotz des häufigen Gebrauches dieses Wortes lässt sich das masc. nicht weiter belegen. In der Veda-Literatur bezeichnet agnihotra n. eine bestimmte liturgische Handlung, welche z. B. [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa 5, 26—34.] besprochen wird: yathā.yaśo agniho.re vaṣaṭkā.e yathā.yaśaḥ [Atharvavedasaṃhitā 10, 3, 22.] a.ni.o.raṃ ca śra.dhā ca vaṣaṭkā.o vra.aṃ tapaḥ [11, 9, 9.] vrātya.uddhṛteṣva.niṣvadhiśrite gniho.re tithirgṛ.ānā.acchet [15, 12, 1.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 2, 2, 4, 7. 3, 1, 1. 3, 9. fgg. 4, 3, 14. 3, 2, 2, 7.] [Bṛhadāranyakopaniṣad 4, 3, 1.] sa ya idamavidvānagnihotraṃ juhoti [Chāndogyopaniṣad 5, 24, 1. 2.] yasyāgnihotramadarśamapaurṇamāsamacāturmāsyamanāgrayaṇamatithivarjitaṃ ca [Muṇḍakopaniṣad 1, 2, 3.] Dieselbe Bedeutung hat agnihotra wohl auch an den folgenden Stellen: dārāgnihotrasaṃyogaṃ kurute yaḥ [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 3, 171.] agnihotraṃ ca juhuyāt [4, 25.] na bāliśaḥ . hotā syādagnihotrasya [11, 36.] ye gnihotramupāsate [11, 42.] [Mahābhārata 3, 4078.] variṣṭhamagnihotrebhyo brāhmaṇasya mukhe hutam [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 7, 84.] hutvā caivāgnihotrāṇi [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 36, 9.] nāgnihotrāṇyahūyanta [2, 41, 9.] In der Bedeutung geheiligtes Feuer erscheint agnihotra an folg. St.: strīṃ dāhayedagnihotreṇa [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 5, 167.] dāhayitvāgnihotreṇa striyam [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 1, 89.] agnihotreṇa saṃskāramarhastvaṃ na ca lapsyase [Rāmāyaṇa 6, 8, 26.] agnihotraṃ samādāya [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 6, 4.] āśrameṣvagnihotrāṇi munīnāṃ gṛhītvā prakṣipantyapsu [Sundopasundopākhyāna 2, 14.] tāpasā ntarhitāḥ sarve sāgnihotrāśramāḥ [Nalopākhyāna 12, 71.] agnihotrātsamutthāya (die Göttin Sāvitrī) [Sāvitryupākhyāna 1, 8.] Dagegen bezeichnet agnihotra in yavāgvāgnihotraṃ juhoti oder yavāgūmagnihotraṃ juhoti [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 2, 3, 3,] [Scholiast] den dem Feuer geweihten Gegenstand.
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—
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Āgnihotra (आग्निहोत्र):—adj. f. ī zum Agnihotra geeignet, dazu dienend: trī gauḥ [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 11, 5, 3, 5.] Vgl. [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 169,] [Nalopākhyāna 2.]
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—1. [Z. 9 lies 11, 7, 9 Stenzler 11, 9, 9.]
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—2.
2) dogdhrībhiragnihotrībhiḥ [Oxforder Handschriften 17,b,3 v. u.]
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—n. Brandopfer [Spr. (II) 3174.]
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—1. n. —
1) Feueropfer , Brandopfer und das dabei Geopferte ([227,11,12]). —
2) geheiligtes Feuer.
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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र):—2. —
1) Adj. Agni opfernd. —
2) f. ī eine zum Feueropfer bestimmte Kuh [Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 11,3,1,1.5.2,1.5,3,2.5.] agnihotrīvatsa m. [12,4,1,11.]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Agnihōtra (ಅಗ್ನಿಹೋತ್ರ):—
1) [noun] a sacrifice addressed to the fire-god, Agni.
2) [noun] an oblation of milk, ghee, oil and sour gruel, to Agni.
3) [noun] maintenance of the sacred fire essential for daily oblations.
4) [noun] the sacrificial fire.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Hotra, Agni, Ani.
Starts with (+7): Agnihotra bhatta, Agnihotra suri, Agnihotradevata, Agnihotrahavani, Agnihotrahoma, Agnihotrahomapaddhati, Agnihotrahomavidhi, Agnihotrahut, Agnihotrahuti, Agnihotrakarman, Agnihotramantra, Agnihotramantrarthacandrika, Agnihotrantyeshti, Agnihotrapancaka, Agnihotraprakarana, Agnihotraprayana, Agnihotraprayashcitta, Agnihotraprayashcittapaddhati, Agnihotraprayashcittaprayoga, Agnihotraprayashcittasamkshepa.
Full-text (+133): Agnihotrin, Agnihotrahavani, Agnihotrahut, Pranagnihotra, Agnihotrahoma, Agnihotrasthali, Agnihotrahuti, Agnihotrocchishta, Agnihotradevata, Agnihotraprayana, Agnihotravela, Agnihotratva, Pratarahuti, Agnihotrika, Agnihotrayanin, Agnihotroccheshana, Agnihotreshti, Agnihotravrit, Adhvarahotra, Yajatra.
Relevant text
Search found 169 books and stories containing Agnihotra, Agni-hotra, Agni-hotras, Agnihōtra, Āgnihotra; (plurals include: Agnihotras, hotras, hotrases, Agnihōtras, Āgnihotras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Aitareya Brahmana (a comprehensive analysis) (by Sanghamitra Mukherjee)
Gavāmayana Satra < [Chapter 1 - Rituals]
Goddesses (1): Description of Aditi < [Chapter 2 - Gods and Goddesses]
Minor Deities in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa < [Chapter 2 - Gods and Goddesses]
Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya) (by George Thibaut)
IV, 1, 18 < [Fourth Adhyāya, First Pāda]
IV, 1, 16 < [Fourth Adhyāya, First Pāda]
III, 3, 40 < [Third Adhyāya, Third Pāda]
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 2.2.49 < [Chapter 2 - Jñāna (knowledge)]
Verse 1.4.40 < [Chapter 4 - Bhakta (the devotee)]
Verse 2.1.42 < [Chapter 1 - Vairāgya (renunciation)]
Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation) (by Swami Lokeswarananda)
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 8.218 < [Section XXXVI - Non-Payment of Wages]
Verse 6.89 < [Section VIII - The Renouncer of the Veda (vedasaṃnyāsika)]
Verse 5.166 < [Section XIV - Duties of Women]
Brahma Sutras (Nimbarka commentary) (by Roma Bose)
Brahma-Sūtra 3.4.36 < [Adhikaraṇa 9 - Sūtras 36-39]
Brahma-Sūtra 4.1.16 < [Adhikaraṇa 10 - Sūtras 16-18]
Brahma-Sūtra 3.3.8 (correct conclusion, continued) < [Adhikaraṇa 2 - Sūtras 6-9]
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