Yajna Purusha

Yajna Avatara is one of the prominent incarnations of Lord Vishnu . Lord Yajna is regarded as the Kalpavatara of Lord Vishnu. According to the description found in Markendeya Purana , Lord Vishnu incarnated in His Yajna Avatara to protect Svayambhuva Manu and Svayambhuva Manvantara. According to Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana , Yajna Avatara is considered the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Yajna Avatara is also known as Lord Yajneshwara and Lord Makha or Lord Yajna . An account about the glory of Lord Yajna is also found in Yajurveda .

Lord Yajna is a prominent deity and is regarded superior to Indradeva , Agnideva , Varunadeva , Suryadeva , Chandradeva and other deities. According to the account found in religious texts, Lord Yajna was the Indra of Svayambhuva Manvantara. As described in Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Shri Vishnu Sahasranama and Vedas, Yajna is considered the ritualistic manifestation of the Lord Vishnu Himself.

Lord Yajna Origin

According to the legend found in Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana and Sukha Sagar , once, Lord Brahma divided His body into two fragments with the purpose of expanding the Universe. Among the two fragments, one was called 'Ka' and the other 'Ya'. Collectively both the fragments are called Kaya . One fragment of Lord Brahma's body manifested into a man and the other into a woman. The name of the man was Svayambhuva Manu and the woman's name was Shatarupa . The entire humanity has originated as the progeny of this primordial man and woman. Humans are called Manava because they are the descendants of Manu.

Svayambhuva Manu is also described as the great-grandson of Chitragupta . Chitragupta became known as Kayastha because He originated from the Kaya, i.e., of Lord Brahma. The son of Chitragupta was Bhanushrivastva , whose son was Devadhutraka . The son of Devadhutraka was Svayambhuva Manu. Svayambhuva Manvantara was named after Svayambhuva Manu.

Svayambhuva Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada , and three daughters, Akuti , Devahuti and Prasuti . Manu gave Akuti's hand in marriage to Ruchi Prajapati by following the tradition of Putrika Dharma . The tradition of Putrika Dharma marriage dictates that, if a man has no son, he makes the husband of his daughter take a vow during the wedding ceremony that the father of the bride will adopt the first son born to his daughter. Although Akuti had brothers, she still married Prajapati Ruchi by following the tradition of Putrika Dharma at the behest of her mother Queen Shatarupa.

Lord Yajna Purusha, who was the incarnation of the Lord Vishnu Himself, was born as the son of Akuti and Prajapati Ruchi. Lord Yajna married Goddess Dakshina , who was the partial incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi . After the incarnation of Lord Yajna Purusha, the sacrificial rituals like Yajna and Homa came into being and were practiced by Gods. These rituals empowered them, making them mighty and powerful and as a result a vigorous force began to permeate the entire Universe.

With Lord Yajna's blessings, Devi Dakshina gave birth to twelve sons, Tosh , Pratosh , Santosh , Bhadra , Shanti , Idaspati , Idhma , Kavi , Vibhu , Svahna , Sudeva and Rochan , who are called Yaam Devata collectively. These Yaam Devata were the dominant deities of Svayambhuva Manvantara.

Svayambhuva Manu gave his second daughter Devahuti in marriage to Sage Kardama , who was the mind-born son of Lord Brahma, while he gave his third daughter Prasuti to Lord Brahma's son Daksha Prajapati in marriage.

In due course, once, Svayambhuva Manu experienced a profound sense of detachment in his heart. He felt exceedingly detached from worldly pursuits and as a result renounced his Kingdom of Earth. He, along with his wife Shatarupa, began performing intense penance in the forest by standing on one foot at the banks of River Sunanda . One hundred years had passed since he started his penance. Then, a group of fierce demons arrived in that forest. Just as those demons charged towards the Manu and Shatarupa to devour them, King Manu and Queen Shatarupa's grandson Lord Yajna, along with His twelve sons, appeared there. Lord Yajna, with His divine powers, created a protective shield around the King Manu and Queen Shatarupa, and attacked those demons with the assistance of His sons. Afterwards, a fierce battle ensued between Lord Yajna and the demons, which ended with the fleeing of the demons to save their lives.

After the battle, all the Gods showered flowers on Lord Yajna and requested Him to accept the designation of Indra . When the Gods entreated Him again and again, Lord Yajna accepted the throne of Indra and became known as the Indra of Svayambhuva Manvantara. According to the legend, in Svayambhuva Manvantara, no one was found worthy, who could assume the throne of Swarga as the king of the Gods and Swarga Loka. Therefore, to fulfill the role of Indra of the Svayambhuva Manvantara, Lord Vishnu Himself incarnated as Yajna.

Thus, Lord Vishnu, incarnated as Lord Yajna, to protect Manu and his Manvantara.

Lord Yajna Family

Ruchi Prajapati was the father of Lord Yajna and Devi Akuti was His mother. Lord Yajna was married to Devi Dakshina and became father of twelve sons - Tosh, Pratosh, Santosh, Bhadra, Shanti, Idaspati, Idhma, Kavi, Vibhu, Swahna, Sudeva and Rochan.

Lord Yajna Iconography

Lord Yajna is depicted wearing Pitambari, that is, yellow garments. He is shown adorned in various golden ornaments and a crown while ascending out of a Yajna Kunda. In various visual representations, Lord Yajna is portrayed in His four-arm form carrying a conch, a discus, a mace and a lotus flower in each of His hands.

In other representations, Lord Yajna is shown in His two-arm form while seated in Padmasana position and wearing His hair in a bun without any ornaments and crown.

Lord Yajna Mantra

Lord Yajna Moola Mantra -

Lord Yajna Vedic Mantra -

Lord Yajna Festivals

In religious texts, there is no description found regarding any prominent festival dedicated to Lord Vishnu's Yajna Avatara. However, Yajna is performed during various festivals including Navaratri , Makara Sankranti and Lohri .

Famous and prominent temples of Lord Yajna

• Yajnapurusha Kunda, Akshardham Temple, New Delhi