# अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/agnihotra

अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) is a Sanskrit word meaning sacrificing to Agni, the cow destined for the Agnihotra, oblation to Agni, the sacred fire, maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire, ghee. Its 16 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them The Agnihotra Sacrifice/Oblation, Adjectival: Performing or Related to Agnihotra, Maintenance of the Sacred Fire.

- **Etymology:** E. अग्नि and होत्र oblation with fire, burnt offerings — E. agni and hotra oblation with fire, burnt offerings
- **SLP1:** `agnihotra`  **IAST:** agnihotra  **Devanagari:** अग्निहोत्र
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnihotra
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/agnihotra/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** आग्निहोत्र (āgnihotra)

## Meanings by context

### The Agnihotra Sacrifice/Oblation (6 definitions)
- oblation to Agni  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 6,1] 2. अग्नि (agni) — होत्र (—hotra) n., AV. &c. oblation to Agni (chiefly of milk, oil, and sour gruel; there are two kinds of Agnihotra, one is नित्य (nitya) i.e. of constant obligation, the other काम्य (kāmya) i.e. optional) [ ID=1138 ]
- daily fire-sacrifice involving an offering of milk morning and evening  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 003-2 ] अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) 1. agni-hotrá, n. fire-sacrifice: daily offering of milk morning and evening. [ ID=286 ]
- 1. An oblation to Agni. 2. Maintenance of the sacred fire.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 004-11 ] अग्नि - होत्र (agni-hotra) n. 1. an oblation to Agni; 2. maintenance of sacred fire. [ ID=271 ]
- fire-sacrifice  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 004 ] 1 अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) n. fire-sacrifice. [ ID=240 ]
- 1. A sacrificial ceremony consisting of making oblations to fire. 2. Fire. 3. Clarified butter.  
  *Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) [Printed book page 013-b ] अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) I. Bahuvr. n. ( - त्रम् (-tram) ) 1 A sacrificial ceremony which consists in making oblations to fire, of milk (payas), curds (dadhi), sour gruel (yavāgū), clarified butter (ghṛta), boiled rice (odana), grain (tanḍula), the juice of the Soma plant, flesh, sesamum oil (taila) and kidney beans (māṣa), or as is practised at present, merely of milk, sesamum oil and sour gruel. There are two kinds, 1. the nitya, perpetual, ‘during the whole life’ or that Agnihotra which is addressed to Agni every evening at sunset and to Sūrya every morning at sunrise; and 2. the kāmya, voluntary or the Agnihotra which occurs only occasionally and which is performed for the attainment of some specific object, as the Mṛtāgnihotra or the Māsāgnihotra in the beginning of the Sattra Kun- ḍapāyināmayana. 2 The same as अग्न्याधान (agnyādhāna) q. v. E. अग्नि (agni) and होत्र (hotra), (hotra,) sc. कर्मन् (karman) ‘an act in which oblations are made to Agni’. II. Tatpur. m. ( - त्रः (-traḥ) ) 1 Fire. 2 Havis or clarified butter. E. अग्नि (agni) and होत्र (hotra). [ ID=467 ]
- fire-sacrifice consisting of a burnt offering of fresh milk  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 112-a ] agni-hotrá, n. fire-sacrifice (a burntoffering of fresh milk). [ ID=42 ]

### Adjectival: Performing or Related to Agnihotra (4 definitions)
- sacrificing to Agni  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 6,1] 1. अग्नि (agni) — होत्र (—hotra) mfn. ( अग्नि (agni)- (agni-) ) sacrificing to Agni, Atharva-veda (Title) vi, 97, 1 [ ID=1137 ]
- sacrificing to Agni  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) 2. agni-hotra, a. sacrificing to Agni. [ ID=287 ]
- Intended for or connected with the maintenance of the perpetual fire.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 909-b ] अग्नि - होत्र (agni-hotra) ( त्रः - त्री - त्रं ) ((traḥ-trī-traṃ)) a. Intended for or connected with the maintenance of the perpetual fire. [ ID=44443 ]
- sacrificing to Agni  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > 2 अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) a. sacrificing to Agni. [ ID=241 ]

### Maintenance of the Sacred Fire (3 definitions)
- 1. Maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire. 2. Fire. 3. Ghee.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) [Printed book page 007 ] अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) n. ( - त्रं (-traṃ) ) 1 Maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire. m. ( - त्रः (-traḥ) ) 1 Fire. 2 Ghee. E. अग्नि (agni) and होत्र (hotra) oblation with fire, burnt offerings. [ ID=312 ]
- The perpetual maintenance of a sacred fire  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 006-b ] अग्नि - होत्र (agni-hotra) ( त्रं ) ((traṃ)) 1. n. The perpetual maintenance of a sacred fire. [ ID=262 ]
- 1. Maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire. 2. Fire. 3. Ghee.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) [Printed book page 006-b ] अग्नि (agni) होत्र (hotra) (agnihotra) n. ( - त्रं (-traṃ) ) 1. Maintenance of a perpetual or sacred fire. m. ( - त्रः (-traḥ) ) 1. Fire. 2. Ghee. E. अग्नि (agni) and होत्र (hotra) oblation with fire, burnt offerings. [ ID=311 ]

### Associated Entities and Persons (2 definitions)
- the cow destined for the Agnihotra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3B) [Printed book page 6,1] अग्नि (agni) — होत्री (—hotrī) f. the cow destined for the Agnihotra, ŚBr.; AitBr. [ ID=1137.1 ]
- 1. Rsis who procreate for the world, establish dharma, and live in the Pitriyana. 2. Grhamedhi Rsis numbering 88,000 who live in the southern path of the sun.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > अग्निहोत्र (agnihotra) [Printed book page 1-272 ] Agnihotra Ṛsis procreate for the world and establish Dharma in it; live in the Pitṛyāna. Gṛhamedhi Rṣis; 88,000; live in the southern path of the sun till the end of the world; 4 quality of immanence in them; kinds of; 5 place of 8000 sages. 6 Ṛṣi — Paramaṛṣi, Ṛṣitā, Mahaṛṣis, Ṛṣikas, Ṛṣiputrakas, Śrutaṛṣis and Ṛṣijāti, ety. of. Vā. 59. 79-87. [ Footnote: 4) M. 124. 98-100, 102-4.] [ Footnote: 5) Vā. 5. 35; 49. 126; 59. 63.] [ Footnote: 6) Br. II. 7. 180.] [ ID=2170 ]

### The Sacred Fire of Agnihotra (1 definition)
- the sacred fire  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the sacred fire, Mn.; Yājñ. &c. [ ID=1139 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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