Famous Mythical Yagnas In Hinduism

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Yagnas were the most integral part of Hinduism considered as a form of worship. Apart from the daily puja and aarti, yagnas or sacrifices were conducted by kings to please the gods. These mythical yagnas were done for a number of reasons. In some cases, these yagnas brought about rainfall or good crop. And in other cases they were for selfish reasons like the birth of a son or the boon of immortality.

The crust of the matter is that the yagna was central to the way of life that the Vedic Hindus left. There are many interesting stories about the yagnas performed by great kings. While some of these mythical yagnas are famous for the results they brought, some have become infamous as calamities.

Here are some of the most famous yagnas that were conducted in the mythical past of Hinduism.

Daksha's Yagna

King Daksha was the son of Lord Brahma and the father of Devi Sati (Lord Shiva's consort). He organised a yagna on large scale to please the Gods. He invited all the gods to this mythical yagna except his own son-in-law Shiva and daughter Sati. But despite this slight, Sati wanted to attend her father's yagna. She fought with Shiva and arrived without Him at Daksha's palace. She was insulted by her father as an uninvited guest and threw herself in the ritual fire out of angst. This angered Shiva and he danced the infamous dance of destruction, the Tandav with Sati's charred body.

Drupada's Yagna

King Drupada was humiliated by her estranged friend Drona in a war. Therefore, she conducted a massive yagna to ask for son. But the Gods blessed him with a son (Dhrishtadyumna) and a daughter (Draupadi). The twin children came out of the fire and were destined to destroy Drona. The birth of Draupadi changed the course of the Mahabharata forever.

Lord Rama's Ashvamedha Yagna

The Ashvamedha yagna was typically done by a king to acquire wealth and power by subjugating the neighbouring kings. Lord Rama performed this famous 'horse sacrifice'. A stallion who was 24 year old was let loose to wander and a 100 princes and soldiers followed it. Anybody who stopped the horse had to go to war with Lord Rama. The horse was finally stopped by Luv and Kush, Lord Rama's own sons. This brought Rama face to face with his estranged wife Sita again.

These 3 were the most famous yagna's performed by Kings in the mythical past.