how to perform puja?

[christine]

namaste (:

one of the things that i've had the MOST trouble figuring out, learning about, and getting people to talk about is how to perform puja. i am working on putting together an altar/shrine in my bedroom, not facing the foot of my bed as that is disrespectful, but how do i use it once i have it?

also, is it necessary to use incense? i live at home with my parents and my mother is hypersensitive to smells. the slightest odor makes her feel very ill and she honestly can't handle it. are unscented candles okay to use instead?


any help would be greatly appreciated.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté christine

Welcome to HDF.

This post may be of help... it is slightly beyond ~entry level~ but IMHO of value.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=7048


praṇām

[christine]

is there any form of puja i can do specifically for parvati, my ishta devata, or ganesha, another favorite? should i include shiva if i'm already honoring parvati and ganesha?

are there any specific mantras to use for those deities? and is there any puja i can do that just consists of the mantra, lighting a candle, making an offering, and washing the deities?

is incense mandatory? i still live at home with my parents, being nineteen, and my mother is hypersensitive to smells and can't stand the smell of incense.

[sunyata07]

Namaste Christine,

You might find this weblink useful. It's from Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's instruction on worship of Ganesha, and it includes a basic outlight of puja for Him: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/reso..._contents.html. I'm sure this could also be tailored to include worship of Mother Parvati, if you so wished. As for your worshipping Shiva, that is entirely your choice. It is common for the three to be worshipped as the Holy Family (often alongside Lord Kartikeya/Murugan). But there are no hard and fast rules for worshipping this Deva or that Deva. My advice would be to do what you feels most comfortable for you, especially if you are still finding your feet around actual worship.

The link I've included above should include the basic mantras for Ganesha, as well as special ones that use Gayatri metre. The most common ones are either: Om Gam Ganapataye namah or Om Sri Ganeshaya namah. Shiva's mantra is: Om namah Shivaya. I am not sure what mantras are used for Parvati. Maybe you could try posting this question in the Shakta forum?

I should mention that with regards to conducting puja at home, no strict rituals are required, other than you are clean and wearing fresh clothing (take a shower first, or at least wash your hands, legs, feet and mouth) and in a calm, peaceable state of mind. Worship can be as simple as lighting a candle in your shrine. What counts more than any physical show of devotion is what's in your heart, so concentrate on that and the names of God. Having a steady flow in puja ceremony will take practice and experience, so enjoy your time learning and don't be too hard on yourself for not knowing! There is a beautiful prayer you can say after puja to ask God's forgiveness for having made any mistakes or spoken prayers incorrectly.

I had the same problem with lighting incense in my home. You could try opening your bedroom window and another window in your house to create a draught to move the air around, that way the incense won't hang around and make a huge smell. Otherwise, you could try stuffing towels or whatever in the crack underneath your door to stop the smoke escaping out to the rest of the house. Better yet, why not light incense outside (weather permitting, of course)? I'm just throwing ideas out here, you don't have to do any of this, of course.

Om namah Shivaya

[dhruva023]

I will not comment on how to do puja, I have my own way of doing it. However, I think incense is not something that is must. If you really want to use something and not incense, than you can use fresh flowers. It will freshen the environment. I usually sprinkle little water on flowers before using them, it creates an effect of early morning. I like it.!!

[anirvan]

is there any form of puja i can do specifically for parvati, my ishta devata, or ganesha, another favorite? should i include shiva if i'm already honoring parvati and ganesha?

are there any specific mantras to use for those deities? and is there any puja i can do that just consists of the mantra, lighting a candle, making an offering, and washing the deities?

is incense mandatory? i still live at home with my parents, being nineteen, and my mother is hypersensitive to smells and can't stand the smell of incense.

Hello Christine,welcome. Nothing is mandatory as long as you are doing puja out of love and shradha. in scriptural puja (which are all done according to tantra ideals).

so mostly your puja is out of love and should be according to your likings, so mantra.stotra everything should be according to your likings.i will ask to give some importance to some steps...

1)it better to worship with clean clothes,after washing hands/feet/mouth/bath according to climate and your body conditon.

2) whatever stotra (basically prayers in deity"s praise good) you read, try to concentrate on the meanings. you can get these on internet,books

3)most important aspect is timing....should be same time everyday. and always invite and tell the next time of puja to deity always.if you can"t do someday,inform in previous puja that i will attend such work,so next time will be this time.

4) basically we offer ourself at deity"s feet. so usually our 5 tattvas are offered in symbolical form. any number you can do will work.these are

a) prithvi (earth)-Gandha tattva-(smell)--- its nature is smell-symbolically offered in the form sandalwood paste,kumkum,saffron etc

b)jala(water)....rasa tattva(taste)...symbolically--Food.,water,other drinks... whatever you like most and feelings that your deity would like too

c)Agni( fire).....offer in the form of DEEPA,arati ,candel etc.best is ghee deepa

d) Bayu(air). sparsa tattva(touch sensation)...offering in the form of DHUPA..incense sticks, incense powders

incense powder(mostly natural plant gums,leaves,bark) is considered superior to sticks(chemically made) and also non-allergic.

e) akash (sky/ether) rupa tattva(beauty form)...symbolically offered is Flowers.

any number from above is ok but think at time of offering that " hey lord, my body is made up off this nature,i am not anything from this.i am offering this tattva of nature in this form.bless me my swaroop.

always include few minutes of dhyana at end (just try to visualize the deity with closed eye with love)

its better to get benefit of meditation while doing devotional worship. for this a single deity you love most is better as meditation is better with one object always rather that so many distraction. this will help in ISTHA-NISTHA ....a vital in bhakti yoga.

i feel this would be enough to do the best worship.

[PARAM]

namaste (:

one of the things that i've had the MOST trouble figuring out, learning about, and getting people to talk about is how to perform puja. i am working on putting together an altar/shrine in my bedroom, not facing the foot of my bed as that is disrespectful, but how do i use it once i have it?

also, is it necessary to use incense? i live at home with my parents and my mother is hypersensitive to smells. the slightest odor makes her feel very ill and she honestly can't handle it. are unscented candles okay to use instead?


any help would be greatly appreciated.

According to Hindu rules all directions have their point, but Do Puja facing East.
Never sleep putting feet at south and Head at North, as it is apavitra.

[Friend from the West]

Namaste,
To all I just want to say what a wonderful site. So friendly in spirit. I have only been a member for three days but have started to learn much. I want to thank Christine for her inquiries and for everyone for their responses, because I am learning by this.

Good evening.
Peace,
Rich

[Eastern Mind]

According to Hindu rules all directions have their point, but Do Puja facing East.
Never sleep putting feet at south and Head at North, as it is apavitra.

Vannakkam Param et al: This direction thing varies from sect to sect. Many temples face east so the pujaris would be facing west. Its a large faith.

Great questions, Christine.

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

is there any form of puja i can do specifically for parvati, my ishta devata, or ganesha, another favorite? should i include shiva if i'm already honoring parvati and ganesha?

are there any specific mantras to use for those deities? and is there any puja i can do that just consists of the mantra, lighting a candle, making an offering, and washing the deities?

is incense mandatory? i still live at home with my parents, being nineteen, and my mother is hypersensitive to smells and can't stand the smell of incense.

Vannakkam Christine: On the mystical side, you are calling to the devas, "Come. Come. Come to this place and scatter your blessings upon me." All the stuff associated with puja is for that purpose: to establish this connection. At the time of puja, the veils between worlds are lifted or thinned, paryially or completely, depending on the strength of the puja. The devas (real beings, not some inner thoughts) can see, hear and smell from their side as well. So the right stuff that THEY associate with puja should be used. For smell, it is incense, but you certainly don't need it. Fresh fruit also provides a smell they can associate with. Lights made from oil or ghee are also good for sight. Vibhuthi and kumkum can also be seen from the other side. Bells, especially the right bells, make a particular sound they can hear.

In Catholicism, and in Eastern Orthodox faiths, there is also this mystical connection. Devas also are of a religion or mind, just like you and I. If you use candles, it is a bit like chanting Latin instead of Sanskrit. better to use nothing at all. We are not in the business of mix and match, both to not confuse ourselves, and to not confuse devas associated with us. The Protestant have mostly lost this mystical knowledge, from a lack of belief, and rites associated with it.

These beings temporarily inhabit moorthies or hover around pictures of selected deities during puja. So from the mystical side, this is the real meaning of puja. This is another reason performing puja at the same time every day is important. The devas see it as an appointment after awhile. The basic form is well outlined in the link that Sunyata mentioned.

Aum Namasivaya