IN OCTOBER 2010 a conference entitled “Homa Variations: From Vedic to Hindu and Buddhist” was held at Harvard University. For three days, a dozen scholars presented their work as it relates to the homa ritual. Over the course of that time, about two dozen others were in attendance as well. One of the high points of the conference was the performance of a Newari homa by Naresh Bajracharya, one of the conference participants. Following the conference, additional papers were solicited to provide greater depth to this collection.