Nryajana

(“sacrifice to human beings”) One of the
Five Great Sacrifices (panchamahayajna)
that is prescribed in the dharma literature, which describes religious duty.
These Five Great Sacrifices are daily religious observances prescribed for a
twice-born householder. This is a person who has been born into one of the
three twice-born groups in Indian society—brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya—
and who has received the adolescent
religious initiation known as the “second birth.” Each of the five sacrifices
(yajna) is directed toward a different
class of beings—from the Ultimate
Reality of Brahman down to animals—
and is satisfied by different actions. The
nryajana is directed toward fellow
human beings, and is satisfied by showing hospitality to one’s guests. Although
Hindu religious life has undergone significant changes and some of the other
rites have fallen into oblivion, this rite is
still widely practiced; the ethos of hospitality is still very strong in Hindu society.