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SethDrebitko
14 June 2010, 11:38 AM
A friend does cleaning for apartments and was asked to also clean a families altar by the residence. Shouldn't the maintenance of an altar be something the owner should do themselves out of respect? What exactly are the proper methods to treat an altar?

Shanti
14 June 2010, 12:25 PM
I would not have a housekeeper clean in my puja room. I do believe that it should be done by the members of the home. This is part of one's devotion.

Eastern Mind
14 June 2010, 12:38 PM
Vannakam Seth:

I'm with Shanti. Do it yourself. But of course if you don't want to, you can always exercise free will and hire someone. Seems odd to me though.

Aum Namasivaya

SethDrebitko
14 June 2010, 03:10 PM
I personally don't agree with having someone clean your altar, I was mostly just curious if that was common.

Ramakrishna
14 June 2010, 10:09 PM
Namaste,

I agree with Shanti and Eastern Mind. An altar is a very sacred place and it should be cleaned by the devotees, not some stranger. I suppose it is not that bad if the person cleaning it knows that it is a very sacred place and should be cleaned carefully and with reverence. But I still would not let somebody else clean my altar.

Jai Sri Krishna

shian
14 June 2010, 11:14 PM
dont let others who not have faith and not have respect to Sanatana Dharma to entering your personal altar.

because after see the murtis, they will be have comment or something not clean in mind

i have get this bad experience

in the first time i build the altar
when my christians firends visting me, they have entered the altar
when i go for a few time and i back again
i hear from outside of my altar (i walking to enter my altar)
see they pray in the name of jesus to subjugate the devil ha ha haha....

now, their prayer is become fruit
now my altar is become better and my idols become very much

maybe i must say thanks to them who pray for my altar ha ha ha ha

sambya
15 June 2010, 03:06 AM
ofcourse altars should be cleaned by oneself . how can the servants and the like clean your altar ?

infact cleaning the altar is also a ritual . you do that after a bath and wearing fresh clothes .

Storm
15 June 2010, 10:01 AM
If I may, while I'm not Hindu, I did keep an altar in my neopagan days. I would never have allowed anyone else to clean it.

shian
15 June 2010, 08:40 PM
i better clean by myself

cleaning and decorate the altar is one part of Bhakti

ScottMalaysia
17 June 2010, 01:51 AM
An altar is considered a sacred place in Hinduism. Preferably if possible the altar should be in a special puja room that is only entered for prayer. If you have a room that you can use for such a purpose, then place the altar so that the Deities or pictures face east (you should face west when you look at them). A South Indian tradition is to hang a yellow or golden curtain in front of the entrance to the puja room.

But otherwise just place it in your living room in such a position that the pictures or Deities are facing east if possible. The area around it should be considered sacred and you should bathe and put on clean clothes before approaching the altar. Do not touch the altar in the morning before bathing.

SethDrebitko
19 June 2010, 10:37 PM
@ ScottMalaysia
Thank you very much for the clarification. My fiancée is Lutheran so I will probably keep my alter in my personal office. I have not set it up yet because we are still doing construction, and painting a bit. I do not want to risk damaging my place of worship by mistake.