Homa, havan, yajña — what's the difference?

Yajña is the widest word: any sacred offering or sacrifice, from the great Vedic rites to the “five daily yajñas” of a householder. Homa is specifically an offering into fire. Havan is the everyday North Indian word for a homa, and homam is the usual South Indian form of the same word.

In practice, the three are often used interchangeably for a fire ritual at home or in a temple.

Homam — the sacred fire offering · Ask a Jyotishi your own question