Does the ancient Indian practice of Yagya reflect some critical product design attributes? A Designer’s perspective

Abstract

Background: Yagya is recognized as one of the most valuable outcomes of Indian knowledge systems (IKS). It was a significant element of the Vedic period and remained an integral part of the everyday lives of kings, rishis, learners, villagers, & others who practised this tradition with entire commitment and to the best of their abilities. Problem: Yagya, as a concept and practice, is an appropriate and meaningful case study for a wide range of disciplines, and it is being investigated in a variety of domains including- management, medicine, environmental science, mathematics, and many more. However, its reflection from design perspective, which places a strong emphasis on attributes like creative thinking, problem solving, etc. remains unexplored. Methods: The study's takeaways are derived from a review of the content from various mediums available on 'Yagya,' specifically Vangamaya 25 - 'Yagya ka Gyan Vigyan,' authored by Pt. Sriram Sharma Acharya. Results: The paper discusses Yagya and its association with various disciplines with a focus on attributes relevant to design. Yagya, when viewed from this lens, appears to depict some of the critical design attributes including- creative & problem-solving mindset, need-based & purpose-driven solutions, multi-sensory experience, and scalability, that are vital to (product) design. Conclusion: The practise of Yagya reflects many critical product-design attributes. The evidence presented in the paper emphasises the importance of studying ancient knowledge traditions and highlights the need to incorporate them into current educational curriculum to familiarise learners with ancient India’s rich and refined knowledge systems.