("sacrifice for
the sake of human beings") One of the Five Great Sacrifices
(panchamahayajna) described in the dharma literature as a religious
responsibility.
These Five Great Sacrifices are religious observances that a
twice-born householder must do on a daily basis.
This is a person who was born into one of India's three
twice-born groups—brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya—and has undergone the teenage
religious initiation known as "second birth." Each of the five yajnas
(sacrifices) is aimed towards a distinct class of creatures, ranging from
Brahman's Ultimate Reality to animals, and is gratified by diverse activities.
The nryajana is aimed toward one's fellow humans, and it is
gratified by showing hospitality to one's visitors.
Despite the fact that Hindu religious life has changed
significantly and several other rituals have faded into obscurity, this
ceremony is still extensively observed, and the spirit of hospitality is still
quite prevalent in Hindu culture.
