Yañña
Yañña，[Vedic yajña，fr．yaj： see yajati．The metric reading in the Veda is sometimes yajana，which we are inclined to look upon as not being the source of the P．yajana] 1．a brahmanic sacrifice．-- 2．almsgiving，charity，a gift to the Saṅgha or a bhikkhu．The brahmanic ritual of Vedic times has been given a changed and deeper meaning．Buddhism has discarded the outward and cruel form and has widened its sphere by changing its participant，its object as well as the means and ways of “offering，” so that the yañña now consists entirely in a worthy application of a worthy gift to a worthy applicant．Thus the direct and as it were self-understood definition of yañña is at Nd2 523 given with “yañño vuccati deyyadhammo，” and as this the 14 constituents of the latter are enumd； consisting of the 4 paccayas，and of anna，pāna，vattha，yāna，mālā，gandhā，vilepana，seyya，avasatha，padīpeyya．Cp．Nd1 373．-- The term parikkhāra，which refers to the requisites of the bhikkhu as well （see DA．I，204--207），is also used in the meaning of “accessory instrument” concerning the brahmanic sacrifice：see D．I，129 sq．137 sq．They are there given as 16 parikkhāras，as follows：（4） cattāro anumati-pakkhā viz．the 4 groups khattiyas，ministers，brahmans and householders，as colleagues by consent； （8） aṭṭhaṅgāni of a king-sacrificer； （4） cattār’aṅgāni of a purohita．‹-› The term mahāyañña refers to the brahmanic ritual （so at M．II，204； DhsA．145，cp．Expositor 193）； its equivalent in Buddhist literature is mahādāna，for which yañña is also used at Pv．II，950 （cp．PvA．134）．‹-› The Jātakas are full of passages referring to the ineffectiveness and cruelty of the Brahmanic sacrifice，e．g．J．III，518 sq．； VI，211 sq．& cp．Fick，Sociale Gliederung，p．146 sq．One special kind of sacrifice is the sabba-catukkayañña or the sacrifice of tetrads，where four of each kind of gifts，as elephants，horses，bulls，and even men were offered：J．I，335； III，44，45； PvA．280．The number 4 here has the meaning of evenness，completeness，or harmony，as we find it freq．in the notion of the square with ref．to Vimānas & lotus ponds （in J．Vv & Pv etc．）； often also implying awfulness & magic，as attached e．g．to cross-roads．Cp．the Ep．of niraya （Purgatory） “catu-dvāra” （esp．at Pv．I，10）．See cpds．of catur．-- It may also refer to the 4 quarters of the sky，as belonging to the 4 Guardians of the World （lokapālā） who were specially worth offering to，as their influence was demonic （cp．Pv．I，4）．
The prevailing meaning of yañña in the Suttapiṭaka is that of “gift，oblation to the bhikkhu，almsgiving．“ Cp．Sn．295，461，484，1043．At Vv 3426 the epithets “su-dinna，su-huta，su-yiṭṭha” are attributed to dāna．-- The 3 constituents which occur under dāna & deyyadhamma as the gift，the giver and the recipient of the gift （i．e．the Saṅgha：cp．opening stanza Pv I1） are similarly enumd under yañña （or yaññapatha） as “ye yaññaṁ （viz．cīvaraṁ etc．） esanti” those who wish for a gift，“ye yaññaṁ abhisaṅkharonti” those who get it ready，and “ye yaññaṁ denti” those who give it，at Nd2 70 （under appamatta）．Similarly we find the threefold division of “yañña” （=cīvara etc．），“yaññayājaka” （=khattiyā，brāhmaṇā etc．including all 8 classes of men：see Nd2 p．129 s．v．khattiya，quoted under janab），and “dakkhiṇeyya” （the recipient of the gift，viz．samaṇa-brāhmaṇā，kapaṇ’addhikā vanibbakā，yācakā） at Nd2 449b （under puthū）．-- Cp．the foll．（mixed） passages：D．I，97，128--144 （brahmanic criticised）； II，353，354 （profitable and unprofitable，criticised）； M．I，82 （brahm．）； S．I，76，160； II，42 sq．63，207； III，337； IV，41； A．I，166； II，43 （nirārambhaṁ yaññaṁ upasaṅkamanti arahanto，cp．DhsA．145）； Sn．308 （brahm．），568 （aggihutta-mukhā yaññā：the sacrifices to Agni are the best； brahm．）； Th．1，341； J．I，83，343； III，517 （°ṁ yajati； brahm．）； IV，66； V，491，492； VI，200 （yañña-kāraka-brāhmaṇa），211 sq．； DA．I，267； DhA．II，6．
--âgāra a hall for sacrifices Pug．56 （=yañña-sālā PugA 233）．--āvāṭa the sacrificial pit D．I，142，148； J．I，335； III，45，517； VI，215 （where reading yaññavāṭa，cp．yaññavāṭaka at Cp．I．72）．It has been suggested by Kern，Toev，s．v．and it seems more to the sense，to read yañña-vāṭa for yanñ’āvāṭa，i．e．enclosed place for sacrifice．Thus at all passages for °āvāṭa．--kāla a suitable （or the proper） time for sacrifice D．I，137； Sn．458，482； DA．I，297．--upanīta one who has been brought to the sacrifice S．I，168 （trsl．K．S．211 not quite to the point：“the oblation is brought．” Reading is uncertain； v．l．°opanīta which may be read as opavīta “wearing the sacrificial cord”：see foll．）．--opavīta （?） [see upavīta] in phrase yaññ’opavīta-kaṇṭhā “having the （sacrificial，i．e．） alms-cord wound round their necks” SnA 92 （v．l．BB yaññ-opacita-kammā）．Cp．yañña-suttaka．--patha [cp．patha2] （way of） sacrificing，sacrifice Sn．1045； Nd2 524 （yañño y’eva vuccati yañña-patho）； J．VI，212，215．--vaṇṇa praise of sacrifice J．VI，200．--vidhāna the arrangement or celebration of a sacrifice J．VI，202．--sampadā success of the sacrifice D．I，128 sq．（in its threefold mode），134，143，144； Sn．505，509．--sāmin lord or giver of a sacrifice D．I，143．--suttaka “sacrificial string，” i．e．alms-cord （the sign of a mendicant） DhA．II，59．Cp．above：°opavīta．（Page 547）