Bhutayajna

(“sacrifice to creatures”) One of the five
great sacrifices (panchamahayajna)
that is prescribed in the texts on religious duty (Dharma Shastras). These
five great sacrifices are daily religious
observances for a “twice-born” householder, that is, a householder born into
one of the three “twice-born” groups in
Indian society—brahmin, kshatriya,
and vaishya—who is eligible to receive
the adolescent religious initiation
known as the “second birth.” Each sacrifice (yajna) is directed toward a different
class of beings, from the Ultimate
Reality down to animals, and is satisfied
by specific actions. The bhutayajna is
directed toward animals and outcasts
(and in some understandings, ghosts),
and it is satisfied by putting out food for
them to eat. In the time since the
Dharma Shastras were composed,
Hindu life has undergone significant
changes, and this particular sacrifice is
rarely performed today.