यज्ञ

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit यज्ञ (yajñá). Doublet of जशन (jaśan).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /jəɡ.jᵊ/, [jɐɡ.jᵊ]

Noun

यज्ञ • (yajña) m

1. (chiefly Hinduism) sacrifice, oblation

Declension

Declension of यज्ञ (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	यज्ञ yajña	यज्ञ yajña
oblique	यज्ञ yajña	यज्ञों yajñõ
vocative	यज्ञ yajña	यज्ञो yajño

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• যজ্ঞ (Assamese script)
• ᬬᬚ᭄ᬜ (Balinese script)
• যজ্ঞ (Bengali script)
• 𑰧𑰕𑰿𑰗 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀬𑀚𑁆𑀜 (Brahmi script)
• ယဇ္ဉ (Burmese script)
• યજ્ઞ (Gujarati script)
• ਯਜ੍ਞ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌯𑌜𑍍𑌞 (Grantha script)
• ꦪꦘ (Javanese script)
• 𑂨𑂔𑂹𑂖 (Kaithi script)
• ಯಜ್ಞ (Kannada script)
• យជ្ញ (Khmer script)
• ຍຊ຺ຎ (Lao script)
• യജ്ഞ (Malayalam script)
• ᠶᠠᡯᠨᡳᠶᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘧𑘕𑘿𑘗 (Modi script)
• ᠶ᠋ᠠᠽᡛᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧇𑦵𑧠𑦷 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐫𑐖𑑂𑐘 (Newa script)
• ଯଜ୍ଞ (Odia script)
• ꢫꢙ꣄ꢛ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆪𑆘𑇀𑆚 (Sharada script)
• 𑖧𑖕𑖿𑖗 (Siddham script)
• යඥ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩻𑩣 𑪙𑩥 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚣𑚑𑚶𑚓 (Takri script)
• யஜ்ஞ (Tamil script)
• యజ్ఞ (Telugu script)
• ยชฺญ (Thai script)
• ཡ་ཛྙ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒨𑒖𑓂𑒘 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨪𑨥𑩇𑨓 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hyaȷ́nás. Cognate with Avestan 𐬫𐬀𐬯𐬥𐬀 (yasna, “act of worship”), Latin ieiunus (“fasting, abstinent”), Persian جشن (jašn, “festival”). The Sanskrit root is यज् (yaj).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /jɐd͡ʑ.ɲɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐd͡ʑ.ɲɐ/

Noun

यज्ञ • (yajñá) stem, m

1. worship, devotion, prayer, praise
2. act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.1.1:

     अ॒ग्निमी॑ळे पु॒रोहि॑तं य॒ज्ञस्य॑ दे॒वमृ॒त्विज॑म् ।
     होता॑रं रत्न॒धात॑मम् ॥

     agnímīḷe puróhitaṃ yajñásya devámṛtvíjam.
     hótāraṃ ratnadhā́tamam.

     I glorify Agni, the high priest of the sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who presents the oblation to the gods, and is possessor of great wealth

3. a worshipper, sacrificer
4. fire
5. Sacrifice personified

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of यज्ञ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	यज्ञः (yajñáḥ)	यज्ञौ (yajñaú) यज्ञा¹ (yajñā́¹)	यज्ञाः (yajñā́ḥ) यज्ञासः¹ (yajñā́saḥ¹)
vocative	यज्ञ (yájña)	यज्ञौ (yájñau) यज्ञा¹ (yájñā¹)	यज्ञाः (yájñāḥ) यज्ञासः¹ (yájñāsaḥ¹)
accusative	यज्ञम् (yajñám)	यज्ञौ (yajñaú) यज्ञा¹ (yajñā́¹)	यज्ञान् (yajñā́n)
instrumental	यज्ञेन (yajñéna)	यज्ञाभ्याम् (yajñā́bhyām)	यज्ञैः (yajñaíḥ) यज्ञेभिः¹ (yajñébhiḥ¹)
dative	यज्ञाय (yajñā́ya)	यज्ञाभ्याम् (yajñā́bhyām)	यज्ञेभ्यः (yajñébhyaḥ)
ablative	यज्ञात् (yajñā́t)	यज्ञाभ्याम् (yajñā́bhyām)	यज्ञेभ्यः (yajñébhyaḥ)
genitive	यज्ञस्य (yajñásya)	यज्ञयोः (yajñáyoḥ)	यज्ञानाम् (yajñā́nām)
locative	यज्ञे (yajñé)	यज्ञयोः (yajñáyoḥ)	यज्ञेषु (yajñéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• यज्ञोपवीत (yajñopavīta, “sacred thread”)

Descendants

• → Balinese: yadnya
• → English: yajna
• → Indonesian: yadnya
• → Javanese: yadnya
• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Assamese: যগ্গু (zoggu)
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀚𑀡𑁆𑀡 (jaṇṇa)
• → Sauraseni Prakrit: *𑀬𑀕𑁆𑀕 (*yagga)
  • Gujarati: યાગ (yāg)
  • Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਯੱਗ (yagga)

    Shahmukhi script: یگّ (yagg)

• Pali: yañña

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “यज्ञ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 839/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 394