How to worship the right way?

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam,

Viraja, I think similar questions arise when we're physically really ill, hospitalised even, or during travel ... long flights, and airports. In those cases I just try to do SOMETHING.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ashish_Marathe]

Namaste,

I think similar questions arise when we're physically really ill, hospitalised even, or during travel ... long flights, and airports.

Also when you're performing a sadhana in a remote cave in the Himalayas. The answer, I guess, is Manasopachar, manasik poojan.

[Viraja]

Vannakkam,

Viraja, I think similar questions arise when we're physically really ill, hospitalised even, or during travel ... long flights, and airports. In those cases I just try to do SOMETHING.

Aum Namasivaya

Right EM ji, I have read very, very staunch devotees look upon worshiping their ishta akin to taking care of a small baby... they do not want to miss feeding him/her even for a day. I have read that many such people carry a Shivalinga/Shaligrama in their suitcase and at some weird location too, take them out and offer them their respects...!

I also get weird questions such as these - whether raisins from the marketplace that come in a package can be offered each day in a small quantity afresh from the same package... when we make other food at home, we offer a small quantity of it to god and then assume the rest of it is sanctified and can be eaten. By the same token, all raisins in the same package would share the same status, when a handful of it is offered to god, is it not? And what happens to bananas that come in a quantity of 6 or 7? If we eat one banana from the bunch, can be still offer the rest?

[devotee]

Namaste Viraja,

1. When you belong to a certain sampradaya, and are in the habit of doing daily aradhana to an Ishta-devata, and there comes festivals/ceremonies attached to other devatas (within and outside of your sampradaya), how do you celebrate the occasion? Do you do your daily aradhana as usual and then also do the other devata worship?

For example, 2 occasions I encounter the above situation: While celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi and while celebrating Navaratri. Since these festivals involve considerable amount of effort, by the time I am done with worshiping these devatas, I have no energy or mood left to continue my daily aradhana. In that case, should I discontinue my daily aradhana for that day (or 9 days in case of Navaratri) and do the other devata worship? Is this acceptable?

I perform my daily SAdhanA as usual and then perform other Devata worship. It was JanmAshTmi yesterday. I performed my SAdhna as usual and I kept fast and also celebrated Lord Krishnás birth at midnight. I do Durga Pooja in Navratris for all the nine days keeping myself on fruit diet. However, everyday, I do it after performing my daily sAdhanA. Actually, may be it is easier to me because I am an Advaitin and all forms of God/Goddess are same to me. My thinking is that I must first do rituals as taught by my Guru and then do other pooja if I have time and energy left.

2. I have, in my puja, predominantly Vaishnava deities. I offer naivedya (offering of food) to them in a specific order, which, as much as I know is correct. Nevertheless, I also have Sri Hanuman ji, Sri Chakrathazhwar, and Sri Ramanujar pictures. When do I offer them naivedya? Before the gods or after the gods? (Somewhere I read a guruji as Sri Ramanujar is to be considered first for offering naivedya, but I am not sure about this...).

Guru must be given priority over any other form of God. Guru is none other than God but it is that form which has taken care to show me the Path and to take me out of the samsAra. It is said that "If God gets angry with me, my Guru will save me from God's anger. However, if my Guru gets angry with me, even God cannot save me." Of course, in every pooja/dhArmic ritual it is Guru who must be worshiped first.

OM

[Viraja]

Thank you very much Devotee ji for the reply.