1. A (brahmanic) sacrifice, known otherwise as mahāyāga (or pl ˚yāgā), and consisting of the 4: assamedha, purisamedha sammāpāsa, vāja-peyya. Thus mentioned at SN.i.76 & Snp.303.
2. In Buddhistic sense: gift alms-giving, charity; expense or expenditure of giving (almost synonym with cāga) AN.i.91 (here given in line with dāna & cāga, with distinction of āmisa˚ & dhamma˚ i.e. the material sacrifice, as under 1, and the spiritual sacrifice or help); with the same contrast of ā˚ & dh. at DN iii.155 Iti.98 102 Ja.v.57 Ja.v.65 Dhp-a.i.27
   ■ Ja.iv.66 (sahassena yāgaṃ yajanto); Mil.21 (dhamma˚) Vv-a.155; Pv-a.135 (mahā˚-saññita yañña), Pv-a.136 (mahā˚).
   ■ suyiṭṭha yāga sampadā “well-given is the perfection of charity” Thag-a.40 (Ap. v. 7) = 230 (id.).

• -piṇḍa the sacrificial oblation consisting in a ball of meat or flour (cp. piṇḍa-pitṛ-yajña) Ja.vi.522 (with variant reading yāgu˚).

fr. yaj, *Sk. yāga, cp. yañña & yaja