Agnihotra in the Kali Yuga: A Study of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa’s Kāṇva Recension and its Ritual Adaptation

This study integrates Vedic philology, ritual history, and philosophical hermeneutics in a multi-layered analysis of Agnihotra. Particularly in the Yajurveda, where its exterior performance is linked to varṇa and āśrama, it elucidates Agnihotra's technical structure and śākhā-specific methods by drawing on Śruti sources. The conceptual extension of ritual eligibility when dharma declines is explained by an analysis of Purāṇic and Smṛti depictions of Yuga decline. Then, passages from the Upaniṣadic and Bhagavadgītā are considered to demonstrate how Agnihotra is internalized as niṣkāma-karma and jñāna-yajña, creating a continuum between philosophical insight and ritual practice. Lastly, the Mādhyandina and Kāṇva recensions of the Śukla Yajurveda are compared to see whether they are appropriate for Agnihotra during the Kali Yuga. The latter maintains earlier, more intricate ritual levels, while the former provides systematic clarity. This study concludes that the Kāṇva recension is the most academically robust śākhā for Agnihotra practice in Kali Yuga.