In this article I will share my first hand experience of performing Yagna i.e. fire offerings both physically and virtually. As of today, I have done 20 yagna’s physically (20 by myself, while I have sat as a participant in many more) and multiple one’s virtually on Sadhana app.  

The Idea of this article is to give all relevant information so that making the choice becomes easy for the pursuant on which method to choose for performing Yagna.

Time

The most critical factor for anyone to commit for a Sadhana (especially householders or working people) is Time. We always want things to be short and sweet. Unfortunately there are no short cuts on the path of Sadhana. But there are smart ways to navigate around the process and get the maximum out of the invested time.

If Done Virtually

Lets take an example of the Sri Suktam Sadhana going on currently. On any given day, the time required to perform the core steps of Yagna takes around 1 hour 15 mins if one follows the recordings available on the Sadhana App. This includes 

1. Purification and Achamana
2. Lighting of Lamp and Ganesha Invocation
3. Svastivachana
4. Guru Dhyana and Ishta Dhyana
5. Lighting of Fire and initial fire offerings
6. Actual Mantra of the day ~ 108 times
7. 53 Names of Sri Suktam Mantra
8. Lord Vishnu Stuti
9. Ma Lakshmi Stuti
10. Purna-ahuti and Forgiveness Chant

The meaning of Mantras and some important information around the Sadhana is also available as nuggets in between.

There is an option to skip some of the part if the listener has already gathered the information during previous Sadhana. This can shorten the Sadhana time to approx. 1 hour.

If Done Physically

Apart from the above mentioned steps, below are the additional activities that one has to do on daily basis.

1. Arranging the ingredients for the day
2. Setting up the fire pit / havan kund
3. Cleaning post havan

The above 3 steps add on easily from 20-30 mins to the entire process depending on how well you have arranged the things before hand to make it available daily, and how cleanly you are able to conduct the havan (leaving behind less to clean).

Apart from this you will have to invest time in a one time activity for procuring all the ingredients and fire wood required for the havan. No matter how much you bank on getting things online, its easily a 2 hour activity. 

Money

Once we have figured based on time available and committed to do sadhana by either means, the next important resource is money.

If done Virtually

Sadhana app is absolutely Free. You just need an internet connection. Only thing is at the end of your 16 day Sadhana it is mandatory to offer some dakshina to a nearby temple, or education of girl child etc. as mentioned in the article elaborating detail around Sadhana.

I would highly recommend to donate on the app as well, since its a token of gratitude towards the platform who made the method of performing the Sadhana easy. Look at it lie a pandit ji who comes to home and performs the yagna on behalf of us while we just sit there.

If done Physically

In the case of a 16 day Sadhana one may end up spending anywhere in the region of 8000 – 12000 INR. Below is the break up of key contributors

1. Fire Wood – If you stay in a place where you can get good quality fire wood for free, then this is not an expense. For a Urban Sadhaka like me, I need to spend 150 rs on firewood for every day of Yagna. That leads to a total of around 2500 INR (max)
2. Ghee – I am novice when it comes to Sadhana. So I end up consuming slightly more ghee to keep the fire going. I have slowly learnt the art of keeping the fire burning in its most elegant form with optimal use of wood, ghee and oxygen ( Yeah, realized it lately that if we keep the breeze coming in it helps!). For 16 days, I would suggest around 8-9 Packets of  Kg Ghee. At an average price of 600 Rs / Kg, it would cost you around 5000 INR.
3. Sandal wood – Well, choose a size that suits our budget. You can always imagine a bigger piece while you are offering :). With all 16 days calling out for sandalwood offering, a medium quality sandalwood of a size of your index finger will cost you around 100-120 / Day. That leads to a total of around 2000 INR.
4. Other Ingredients – Price for 16 days worth of items (Considering 2 people are offering in the Hawan) – Total 3000 INR
   • Dry Fruits –  800-1000 Rs
   • Hawan Samagri – 1000 Rs
   • Other special ingredients of the day – 1000 Rs

Energy

Lets look at the third most important factor given that we have made the choice for top 2 resources that drive any conditioned mind (Yeah that’s how we are grown up in today’s world, even for spiritual act, the first prompt that comes to the mind is time and money)

If done Virtually

If you are using Sadhana app, you just need enough energy to wake up, bathe, sit at a quiet place for 1 hour and focus. That’s it. And trust me that’s the end goal. 

Antaramukha Samaradhya Bahirmukha Sudarlabha

~ Lalitha Sahasranama, Verse 162

She who is worshipped mentally, She who is difficult to attain by those whose attention is outward.

Sadhana app gives you that edge to sit quietly and focus while we run through the process of yagna offerings. Physical Yagna involves lot of transaction that need to happen but with the virtual Yagna its all about going deep by switching off oneself physically. Of course you may choose to make offerings via the icons that the app offers. My 2 cents on it is, now that anyways I have chosen to do things virtually why not just run the entire process in mind (in complete stillness). 

If done Physically 

There is no better joy than doing yagna physically. I did my first Yagna on the last day of Sharad Navartri in 2022. That was one the biggest turning point of my life. I immediately connected with the Yagna Fire. The whole experience of doing Yagna, keeping the fire burning and making the offerings, imagining Maa coming out of it, Swaaha devi carrying the offerings to Maa is an experience in itself. 

Mind you its very tiring. The heat consumes energy out of your body. You would even dehydrate in you do fire offerings in summers. Also the physical labor of setting things up and cleaning up consumes energy. I generally take an extra nap of 30 mins before I leave for office as I need to recharge.

Here are links to some the videos that I had recorded during physical Yagna. 

Instagram

Wildr

Physical or Virtual, my request is Just Do It!

With Sadhana App there is an opportunity to learn and inculcate these vedic practices. I choose to use Sadhana as a learning platform and do things physically (especially Yagna). At the same time while I am travelling or in someone else’s home, I use the app to keep my daily routine going.

At the end of the day, the goal is not the process but the outcome of spiritual transformation .

And the mission, reviving Santana Dharma

धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः

Jai Shri Hari!