Yajna (avatar)

The Bhagavata Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, and Garuda Purana{{cite book|last= Bibek Debroy, Dipavali Debroy|title=The Garuda Purana |publisher=Lulu.com|pages=133}} list Yajna or Syavambhuva as an avatar of Vishnu, or Adi-Narayana. Yajna is classified as one of the 14 main Manvantara-avatars (an avatar corresponding to a Manvantara and who supports the corresponding Indra and other gods to maintain the principles of cosmic order) called vaibhava-avatars. Yajna is also categorized as a Kalpa-avatar (an avatar corresponding to an aeon called Kalpa) of Vishnu.

Yajna is the son of Prajapati Ruci and Akuti, the daughter of Svayambhuva Manu - the first Manu (progenitor of mankind).Mani p. 890 During the period of Svayambhuva Manu (Svayambhuva Manvantara), there was no qualified Indra, the post of the king of Svarga (Heaven) and the king of gods. So, Vishnu incarnated as Yajna and held the post of Indra.{{cite web|url=http://vedabase.net/sb/1/3/12/en|title=Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.12|last=Prabhupada|author-link=Prabhupada|publisher=The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.|access-date=2 April 2010}}

The Bhagavata Purana mentions that Ruchi begot one son and one daughter by his wife, Akuti.

Of the two children born of Akuti, the male child was directly an incarnation of Vishnu, and his name was Yajna, which is another name of Vishnu. The female child was a partial incarnation of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Vishnu. Svayambhuva Manu very gladly brought home the beautiful boy named Yajna, and Ruchi, his son-in-law, kept with him the daughter, Dakshina. Later, Yajna married Dakshina and had twelve sons. These twelve devas (gods) are collectively called the Yāmas.{{cite web|url=https://vedabase.io/en/|title= Bhagavata Purana, Book 4: Chapter 1: Verse 6|publisher=Vedabase}}

After Yajna's birth, he lived at the house of his grandfather Svayambhuva Manu. The sons to Yajna and Dakshina are named as Tosha, Pratosha, Santosha, Bhadra, Sânti, Idaspati, Idhma, Kavi, Vibhu, Svahna, Sudeva, and Rocana. They are collectively called as the Tushita gods. Later Yajna is described to become the Indra.{{cite web|url=http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto4/chapter1.html#Text%209|title=Bhagavata Purana Canto 4, chap. 1:Genealogical Table of the Daughters of Manu|last=Anand Aadhar |access-date=2 April 2010}} The Garuda Purana says that he performed many sacrifices.

Another Shaiva tale from the Vishnu Purana tells at the time of the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice (Yajna), Yajna, the lord of sacrifice, was escaping as a deer. Yajna's head was severed by Virabhadra, a fierce incarnation of Shiva. Latter accounts in the Harivamsa and Linga Purana relate this to the origin of the constellation (Nakshatra) Mrigashīrsha ("deer-headed"). The creator god Brahma elevated the deer-headed Yajna to the planetary sphere as Mrigashīrsha.{{cite book|last=John Dowson|title=A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology, and religion, geography, history|publisher=Asian Educational Services.|pages=371}}{{cite book|last=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishnu Purana|publisher=BiblioBazaar, LLC|volume=1|pages=176–7, 180}}

Vishnu has been equated to Yajna ("sacrifice") as in the Vedas. The commentator on the Vedas - Sayana describes Vishnu as the lord of Yajna or the sacrificer himself.{{cite book|last=Nagendra Kr Singh|title=Vedic mythology|publisher=APH Publishing.|pages=253}} The Bhagavad Gita also associates Vishnu to Yajna (sacrifice). Performing sacrifices is considered equivalent to pleasing Vishnu.{{cite book|last=Robert D. Baird|title=Modern Indian interpreters of the Bhagavadgita|editor=Robert Neil Minor|publisher=SUNY Press|pages=214}} The Vishnu Sahasranama ("Thousand names of Vishnu") also relates Yajna as a name of Vishnu.{{cite book|last=Vijaya Kumar|title=The Thousand Names of Vishnu|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|pages=558|chapter=Name 445}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | author = Mani, Vettam | title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature | url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft | publisher = Motilal Banarsidass | year = 1975 | location = Delhi | isbn = 0-8426-0822-2 }}

{{VishnuAvatars}}

Category:Avatars of Vishnu

Category:Yajna