Which Hindu Scripture - for everyday living?

[pujaD]

Please advise which Hindu scripture/s states which puja should be performed when, what steps, materials and mantras should be applied, in regards to a Hindu lifetime.

For example: when someone moves into a new home - Which puja?
What Katha should be perfomed when?
Havan?
etc.

Is a Priest required for every puja and what is the actual significance of the priest?
Can it be performed by oneself?
What day?
Should only steel dishes, copper pots, etc be used?
What are the do's and don'ts?

[saidevo]

namaste Puja.

A good place to look at for such things is:
http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/knowledge/

There might be umpteen others that you might find in a google search. Also check the Library links I am posting under the section titled 'vrata pUjA vidhAnam'. pUjA vidhAnam books are usually sold in Hindu bookshops and shops that sell puja items.

[ScottMalaysia]

Most of the rituals come from the Agamas, Puranas, and other sources. As far as I know, there is no Scripture that lists the rituals and gives steps for performing them. The same is true of most religious scriptures - the Bible doesn't give instructions on celebrating the Mass, nor does the Qur'an give instructions on performing the Islamic prayer.

I have thought about writing a book on how to perform all the various Hindu rituals. As far as I know, there isn't a book which provides step-by-step instructions on performing the Hindu rituals, with mantras in Sanskrit, transliteration and English. It would be good to have a book which gives instructions on setting up a home altar, performing daily puja, visiting the temple and performing worship there, celebrating all the festivals, performing all the samskaras, etc. Such a book would need to have at least two editions - one for North India and one for South India.

[sanjaya]

Most of the rituals come from the Agamas, Puranas, and other sources. As far as I know, there is no Scripture that lists the rituals and gives steps for performing them. The same is true of most religious scriptures - the Bible doesn't give instructions on celebrating the Mass, nor does the Qur'an give instructions on performing the Islamic prayer.

I have thought about writing a book on how to perform all the various Hindu rituals. As far as I know, there isn't a book which provides step-by-step instructions on performing the Hindu rituals, with mantras in Sanskrit, transliteration and English. It would be good to have a book which gives instructions on setting up a home altar, performing daily puja, visiting the temple and performing worship there, celebrating all the festivals, performing all the samskaras, etc. Such a book would need to have at least two editions - one for North India and one for South India.

That's an excellent idea! I would buy such a book. The problem right now is that Hindu rituals are passed down within families, a sort of "oral tradition." This might have worked hundreds of years ago before people had such great access to the written word, because people had much better memories (that's how the Vedas were passed down for centuries with such precision, but without ever being written on paper). However, people today are much more used to the written word, and so these oral traditions could be easily lost. I hope that Hindus will start writing books on precisely how pujas and other rituals ought to be performed.

[pujaD]

Thank you - This is very true and insightful.

Therefore when a priest performs a puja - where does he get his info from?

Is it a case of family traditions now, rather than scriptures?

What is the significance of the priest in todays culture?

Which puja's should be observed in todays Hindu lifestyles and when?

You mention Puja should be different in the North to the South - how and why?

Lots of questions that are causing me confusion. Thank you very much for your help and insight

[Eastern Mind]

pujaD:

Welcome to these forums. One of the problems in any line of questioning about Hinduism is the vastness of Hinduism itself. Its far vaster than the 3 Abrahamic religions combined. Everyone on these forums will have a somewhat different view. We, as Hindus, are chronically asking or being asked "What makes sense to you?" This is all part and parcel of the faith ... self-inquiry. It is not a religion of rules at all. And yet once you've narrowed it all down to your personal sect or sampradfaya within a sect, there would be some rules or guuidelines. There is no scriptural or person hierarchy to set things like that out. My advice would be to go slow, find out what calls you, use your intuition etc.

For example, suppose there are two temples in your town. Go to both, sit and just feel. One will probably make you more at peace than the other. That's a start. Or on here, after awhile, you'll just notice that you want to read the stuff by cetain people more than the stuff of others.

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

pUjA vidhAnam books are usually sold in Hindu bookshops and shops that sell puja items.

And all the volunteer priests in the west, and in the east I suppose, carry them around, but they must be all used, pages turned, pages loose, finger marks all over them. No self-respecting brahmin would ever carry one that doesn't look like its on its very last legs. If you carried a new one, it would seem theat you never used it, and that would be downright disgraceful.

Aum Namasivaya

[saidevo]

I found links to some puja documents in the scribd.com. You need to be a member(ship free) to download documents. Here are the links for what they are worth:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7040018/ChandiHomam
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9355541/Shree-Ganesha-Vrata-Kalpam
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9325788/BlueBook (sri chakra)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19897829/Devi-Puja-Roman-Transliteration
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20519912/How-to-Perform-Ganesh-Chaturthi-Puja-at-Home
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17844479/How-to-Observe-Mangala-Gowri-Puja
http://www.scribd.com/doc/18539429/FAQ-of-Swarna-Gowri-Pooja
http://www.scribd.com/doc/18993957/Varasiddhi-Vinayaka-Vrata-FAQ
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9325993/a-Pooja
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19550007/Sri-Sai-Vratakalpam-in-English
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3521997/Devara-Pooja
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19857351/Aachamana-Vidhi-Its-Significance
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2084889/saraswathipooja

[sringeri]

Namaste

For junior members like me who are learning through the various discussions posted on this forum,is it true that the scriptures do not define what we need to perform.
As eastern member mentions I like and would follow with what I am comfortable with.Of course it is largely influenced by what my family used to practice like keeping prayer songs in the morning,lighting the lamp twice a day,doing ritual offerings during festivals etc.
At the same time I would very much want for my understanding and for my children to appreciate and hopefully imbibe these values !! This is becos I believe people should follow what they believe in,at the same time I am sad that I have to force my children to perform daily sandhyavandanam also . Between a motherly dominance and concern that they reap the benefits later , what do you think can I do ?

I welcome comments / observations for this.

Pranams

Sringeri

[Eastern Mind]

Vanakkam Sringeri:

You pose an age old question or dilemma when you say you are sad that you force your children. I am a western adoptive. None of my 5 kids were able to remain within the religion we (my wife also) attempted to imbibe (force, coerce, induce) in them. The one value they all kept was vegetarianism. Some kept sexual purity to a degree.

I have a couple of thoughts. Remember these are just my own opinions formed from experience. Firstly, there are two levels to worship. One is leaning towards intellectualism, the other is more mystical. Its the mystical one that will most likely catch your kids, in fact catch anyone.

The intellectual one is just a habit one can develop. You can recite mantrams, wave flames, etc all day long with no heart, if you're used to it. Its kind of like driving a car along a long boring highway. Its useful in that it gets you to your physical destination, but it wasn't fun, and you certainly didn't get anywhere with your character development or daily learning.

The mystical way would be to go to the same destination with the same car, over a longer period of time selecting a route that takes you through different terrain, small country inns, temple pit stops, wildlife or humanity, interesting people at coffee shops etc. This time you reach the same destination, but your learning, yoiur character, and mostly, your amount of fun you had are all quite different.

In the mystical way, it is dependant on the individual; in this case, your child. Teaching a kid memory is one thing. Giving them an experience which may allow for a mystical experience from within is something totally different. And in order for a real keen sense of the divine and bhakti for it to develop from within, inner experiences are absolutely necessary.

Of course, as I said before, I was unsuccessful to a degree. I was unable to catalyse such an experience in my children. Who knows why? I wash it off with the concept of karma, or their and my own seed karmas, and don't worry about it much.

All I can suggest is to involve your kids a lot. Teach them to do the family puja by slowly allowing them more and bigger roles. Get your own ego on the floor and realise the bigger parental duty. Take them out to the awesome signs in nature like mad weather, ocean waves, waterfalls, the birthing of animals, beneficial herbs, etc. Be keen about life yourself.

Explain the mystical side as much as you can. Let them know that God or Mahadevas temporarily inhabit the murthy at a temple and can actually see back through their mystical vision. Teach them that vibuthi glows in the inner worlds, as does flame. Teach them that freshly cut fruit, flowers, and incense also cut across to the second plane, and can be smelled by the devas there. Ask them to try winking at a murthi to see if he'll wink back. Ask them to sit still and stare at a murthi for 5 or more minutes straight to see if the murthi begins to sway on a pulsating rhythm of universal dance. All this and more they should know. Then maybe, just maybe, the traditions of Sanatana Dharma will remain alive in them to be passed on to your own grandchildren.

Hope this is all of some help.

Aum Namasivaya

[sambya]

Most of the rituals come from the Agamas, Puranas, and other sources. As far as I know, there is no Scripture that lists the rituals and gives steps for performing them. The same is true of most religious scriptures - the Bible doesn't give instructions on celebrating the Mass, nor does the Qur'an give instructions on performing the Islamic prayer.

I have thought about writing a book on how to perform all the various Hindu rituals. As far as I know, there isn't a book which provides step-by-step instructions on performing the Hindu rituals, with mantras in Sanskrit, transliteration and English. It would be good to have a book which gives instructions on setting up a home altar, performing daily puja, visiting the temple and performing worship there, celebrating all the festivals, performing all the samskaras, etc. Such a book would need to have at least two editions - one for North India and one for South India.


theres one book in bengal by the name of purohit darpan which was written about a 100 years ago by a brahmin pandit . he foresaw the downfall of traditional brahminical rituals and wisdom and started to compile the mantras rituals etc in a single book .

it deals with topics like regular sandhya vandana gayatri , shraaddha , vivaaha , upanayan and dasavidha samskars , general rules for daily existence like times and manners in which to take a bath , big festivals like navaratri durgoutsav vidhi , and even smaller local vrats of bengal . this book was primarily meant for the priests . it is available in common market even now .

however there a big problem while writing such books . considering the vast amount of shastric texts that r available in the country , it will take a lifetime for a person to study through them all . besides there is no uniform puja paddhati for whole of india . even our festivals vary locally .

for example i read in that book that when plucking vilwapatra(bel leaves) from trees a person living in ashwakranta shall pluck it with the stem , one who lives in rathakranta shall tear it off leaving the stem so on and so forth . ashwakaranta rathakranta are geographical divisions of ancient india . secondly a vilwapatra is supposed to be offered wet while a tulsi must be dry . thirdly a nirmalya ( an object offered to god with correct rituals and mantras ) should not be kept in contact with the body of the vigraha after the puja gets over . these rules are only a few out of millions , from agamas , the main source of puja rituals .

now imagine what a herculean task it would be to compose a book for entire india . i doubt whether it can be ever possible !! :dunno:

[ScottMalaysia]

theres one book in bengal by the name of purohit darpan which was written about a 100 years ago by a brahmin pandit . he foresaw the downfall of traditional brahminical rituals and wisdom and started to compile the mantras rituals etc in a single book .

it deals with topics like regular sandhya vandana gayatri , shraaddha , vivaaha , upanayan and dasavidha samskars , general rules for daily existence like times and manners in which to take a bath , big festivals like navaratri durgoutsav vidhi , and even smaller local vrats of bengal . this book was primarily meant for the priests . it is available in common market even now .

however there a big problem while writing such books . considering the vast amount of shastric texts that r available in the country , it will take a lifetime for a person to study through them all . besides there is no uniform puja paddhati for whole of india . even our festivals vary locally .

for example i read in that book that when plucking vilwapatra(bel leaves) from trees a person living in ashwakranta shall pluck it with the stem , one who lives in rathakranta shall tear it off leaving the stem so on and so forth . ashwakaranta rathakranta are geographical divisions of ancient india . secondly a vilwapatra is supposed to be offered wet while a tulsi must be dry . thirdly a nirmalya ( an object offered to god with correct rituals and mantras ) should not be kept in contact with the body of the vigraha after the puja gets over . these rules are only a few out of millions , from agamas , the main source of puja rituals .

now imagine what a herculean task it would be to compose a book for entire india . i doubt whether it can be ever possible !! :dunno:

Is the book in English or Bengali? If it's in English, do you know where I can get it from?

[kshama]

Please advise which Hindu scripture/s states which puja should be performed when, what steps, materials and mantras should be applied, in regards to a Hindu lifetime.

For example: when someone moves into a new home - Which puja?
What Katha should be perfomed when?
Havan?
etc.

Is a Priest required for every puja and what is the actual significance of the priest?
Can it be performed by oneself?
What day?
Should only steel dishes, copper pots, etc be used?
What are the do's and don'ts?

Namaskar Puja D,

I am sure you must already have answers to your questions by now. I wish to add in few thoughts.

There are many sources of knowledge pertaining rituals in Hinduism. A safe way is to ask priests, as they know better.

One can equip themselves with the knowledge and perform themselves. But then, some rituals should only been done by initiated individuals. So it is safe for ordinary persons to do basic pooja at home.

I just feel the need to adress this. Does God only hears prayers through eloborate homas, rituals and so on? Will not god hear prayers from a person who one not even a dollar? If God only hears prayers through elaborate rituals then, all rich people in the world are happy indeed, since they can afford the costs? But are all rich people happy? What is the missing link? Bhakti.

Seek ways to cultivate bhakti, all things will be taken care of by God.

[sringeri]

Thank you . Yes I try to restrain my ego and understand that I have a long way in mitigating it,still efforts are on.And Patience is really being tried !!!

Thanks a ton for your thoughts and suggestions,

Pranams

Sringeri

[sambya]

Is the book in English or Bengali? If it's in English, do you know where I can get it from?

well, i dont whether an english translation actually exist . but i think its highly improbable that such a book would find suffiecent readers within the territory of bengal . it was written in bengali script with the target audience of purohits of bengal . however it has gained considerable popularity in the ritualistic and curious circles of bengal over the last century .