Agnihotra, Agni-hotra: 25 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
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Source: Sacred Texts: The Grihya Sutras, Part 2 (SBE30)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”.
Source: Shodhganga: Vaikhanasa Grhyasutra Bhasya (Critical Edition and Study)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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaAgnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—This is a sacrifice offered to Agnideva. This has two parts, nitya and Kāmya.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexAgnihotra (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.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Source: Pure Bhakti: Brhad BhagavatamrtamAgnihotra (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)
Source: gurumukhi.ru: Ayurveda glossary of termsAgnihotra (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)
Source: Google Books: The Daily Evening and Morning Offering (Agnihotra) According to the BrāhmanasAgnihotra (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.
Source: WikiPedia: HinduismAgnihotra (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)
Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on AgricultureAgnihotra (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
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical GlossaryAgnihotra.—(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.
Source: Singhi Jain Series: Ratnaprabha-suri’s Kuvalayamala-katha (history)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
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryagnihōtra (अग्निहोत्र).—n (S) Maintenance of a perpetual and sacred fire.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishagnihōtra (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
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryAgnihotra (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).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryAgnihotra (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.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryAgnihotra (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).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryAgnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—1. [neuter] fire-sacrifice.
--- OR ---
Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र).—2. [adjective] sacrificing to Agni.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum1) 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.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) 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.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Goldstücker Sanskrit-English DictionaryAgnihotra (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.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) 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.
[Sanskrit to German]
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
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusAgnihōtra (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)
Starts with (+10): Agnihotra bhatta, Agnihotra suri, Agnihotradevata, Agnihotrahavani, Agnihotrahoma, Agnihotrahomapaddhati, Agnihotrahomavidhi, Agnihotrahut, Agnihotrahuti, Agnihotrakarman, Agnihotramantra, Agnihotramantrarthacandrika, Agnihotrantyeshti, Agnihotrapancaka, Agnihotraprakarana, Agnihotraprayana, Agnihotraprayashcitta, Agnihotraprayashcittapaddhati, Agnihotraprayashcittaprayoga, Agnihotraprayashcittasamkshepa.
Ends with: Managnihotra, Nityagnihotra, Pranagnihotra, Punaradhanagnihotra, Tretagnihotra.
Full-text (+126): Agnihotrin, Agnihotrahavani, Agnihotrocchishta, Agnihotrahuti, Agnihotradevata, Pratarahuti, Agnihotrasthali, Agnihotrahut, Agnihotratva, Agnihotrahoma, Agnihotrika, Agnihotroccheshana, Agnihotrayanin, Agnihotravela, Agnihotreshti, Agnihotravrit, Agnihotraprayana, Adhvarahotra, Agnihotri, Yajatra.
Relevant text
Search found 96 books and stories containing Agnihotra, Agni-hotra, Agnihōtra, Āgnihotra; (plurals include: Agnihotras, hotras, Agnihōtras, Āgnihotras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Mimamsa interpretation of Vedic Injunctions (Vidhi) (by Shreebas Debnath)
Chapter 3 - Utpattividhi (Introduction)
Chapter 6 - Prayogavidhi (Introduction)
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 8.218 < [Section XXXVI - Non-Payment of Wages]
Verse 6.4 < [Section II - The Procedure to be adopted]
Verse 4.25 < [Section V - The Agnihotra and the Darśa-Pūrṇamāsa]
Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya) (by George Thibaut)
IV, 1, 16 < [Fourth Adhyāya, First Pāda]
IV, 1, 18 < [Fourth Adhyāya, First Pāda]
III, 3, 40 < [Third Adhyāya, Third Pāda]
Brahma Sutras (Nimbarka commentary) (by Roma Bose)
Brahma-Sūtra 3.3.8 (correct conclusion, continued) < [Adhikaraṇa 2 - Sūtras 6-9]
Brahma-Sūtra 3.4.17 (correct conclusion, continued) < [Adhikaraṇa 1 - Sūtras 1-20]
Brahma-Sūtra 4.1.16 < [Adhikaraṇa 10 - Sūtras 16-18]
Bharadvaja-srauta-sutra (by C. G. Kashikar)
Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas (by Goswami Mitali)
Part 2 - The Sacrifices Related to the Sun-god Dealt with in the Purāṇas < [Chapter 5 - Rituals Related to the Sun-Worship in the Purāṇas]
Part 12 - Savitṛ (the Bestower of Wisdom and Intelligence) < [Chapter 2 - Salient Traits of the Solar Divinities in the Veda]
Part 8 - Purāṇic Religion and Its Link to the Vedic Tradition < [Chapter 3 - General Characteristics of the Purāṇic Religion and its Link with the Vedic Tradition]
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