Yajna (
IAST: ) literally means "sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering", and refers in
Hinduism to any
ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with
mantras. Yajna has been a
Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called
Brahmanas, as well as
Yajurveda. The tradition has evolved from offering oblations and libations into sacred fire to symbolic offerings in the presence of sacred fire (
Agni).