SomaYajña – A Brief Introduction

bhagavad svarūpa of somayajña

All four Vedas declare “यज्ञो वै विष्णुः” hailing SomaYajña as Bhagavān’s own form. The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa of the ṚgVeda states “विष्णुर्वै यज्ञः”; and, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa further explains it with “यो वै विष्णुः स यज्ञः” and “स यः स विष्णुर्यज्ञ सः” clarifying that yajña is God Viṣṇu himself.

All four Vedas declare “यज्ञो वै विष्णुः” hailing SomaYajña as Bhagavān's own form. The Aitareya Brāhmaṇa of the ṚgVeda states “विष्णुर्वै यज्ञः”; and, the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa further explains it with “यो वै विष्णुः स यज्ञः” and “स यः स विष्णुर्यज्ञ सः” clarifying that yajña is God Viṣṇu himself.

Jagadguru Śrī Vallabhācārya jī Mahāprabhu, further elucidating the śruti “यज्ञो वै विष्णुः”, explains in Subodhini jī 3.29.38, "यज्ञाधिष्ठात्री देवता विष्णुः 'यज्ञो वै विष्णुः' इति श्रुतेः" that Bhagavān Viṣṇu is indeed the presiding Deity of all yajñas.

The Gopatha Brāhmaṇa of Atharva Veda also says “विष्णुर्यज्ञो देवताश्चैव यज्ञं”, affirming that God Viṣṇu is both the yajña itself and the yajña's presiding deity. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad Gītā 8.4 “अधियज्ञोऽहमेवात्र देहे देहभृतां वर॥” and again in Bhagavad Gītā 9.24 “अहं हि सर्वयज्ञानां भोक्ता च प्रभुरेव च” unequivocally implying that He alone is the sole enjoyer, master, and presiding deity of all yajñas.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa furthermore explained in Bhagavad Gītā 9.16 that he himself is the kratu, the sacrifice itself, the offering to the ancestors, the juice of the herbs, the Vedic mantra, the clarified butter, the sacrificial fire, and the very act of offering itself. Vallabhācārya jī Mahāprabhu thus concludes in his Bhāgavata MahāPuraṇa commentary, Subodhinī jī 2.10.24-25, “यज्ञो देवता स्वयमिति विष्णुः … अतः स्वयमेव यज्ञः स्वयमेव हव्यं।”, that Bhagavān Viṣṇu himself is also the sacrificial-offerings in the yajña.

Jagadguru Śrī Vallabhācārya jī Mahāprabhu in his treatise ŚāstrārthaPrakaraṇa ś. 11 states "यज्ञ रूपो हरिः पूर्वकाण्डे ब्रह्म तनुः परे। अवतारी हरीः कृष्णः श्रीभागवत ईर्यते॥" meaning that Śrī Hari is in the form of yajña in the Karma-kāṇḍa (the ritualistic section of the Vedas), in the form of Brahma in the jñāna-kāṇḍa (the knowledge section of the Vedas), and He incarnates as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as explained in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

In essence, the SomaYajñas are not just rituals; they are the self-embodiment of the Bhagavān Śrī Hari, representing a profound connection between the ceremonies and the divine reality, as emphasised throughout Vedic scriptures.