two of many questions about puja

[heartfully]

_/|\_
Namaste!

Hi everyone. I'm trying to get what I need to begin doing puja for Ma. One thing I'm confused about is if I need a figure/statue to use for bathing and dressing or is it all done symbolically? I am also wondering what kind of material it is best to use for bathing Her.

Sorry if these are dumb questions or they have been answered somewhere else that I wasn't able to locate.

Love,
<3full

[sunyata07]

Namaste heartfully,

Quite the contrary, these are perfectly valid questions. I'd advise looking for a puja set somewhere online, or in a local Indian shop if there's on in your area. If you're going to buy one on the internet, the Rudraksha-Ratna site is a great place to look.

Remember that the implements you use for worship must be used only for worship. I've lost count the amount of times I have dedicated a part of the evening for physical worship of God and then realised I was missing some small object, implement, offering or material. So, you see how helpful it is to be prepared before you begin doing puja regularly.

We talked about this topic of physical worship vs. mental worship before. If any other members can remember the topic this was discussed under, perhaps you'd be so kind as to link them here for heartfully's benefit? Personally, I think mental worship is just as valid and beneficial for the devotee to reach God as is the physical act of offering the Deity food, flowers, flame, etc. If you want to actually worship Maa, however, in the traditional sense of beholding Her physical form (called darshan), then it is obviously useful if you have some representation of Her. You can use a framed photo of Goddess in your most favourite manifestation of Her, or you can use an idol to place on a home altar. They say that brass or metal murtis are the best materials for idols as they contain the vibrations made during worship the best. The same goes for pictures - if you can have it backed with some copper sheeting or other metal, it would serve the same purpose.

If you'd like to include giving Goddess a bath - this is called abhishekam - along with your worship, it's probably better to use a murti so you can place it in a bowl for special use of devotional bathing. Again, make sure the bowl used to collect the fluids of bathing is used only for puja. Dressing the image is also much easier when you do it with an actual idol rather than a picture, because you don't have to clumsily drape it across the photo and then loop it behind the frame.

Worship can be done mentally, of course. Who is to stop you offering Divine Mother the fruits and ambrosia of your mind before Her lotus feet? She is not contained in anything, nor confined to one space, so don't hesitate to worship Her in your mind and heart when you want to. This visualisation is actually an integral part of physical worship, so it's not actually ever really excluded.

I hope this has helped answer your questions?

Om namah Shivaya

[Jainarayan]

Namaste, sunyata to the rescue again!

I have a couple of questions too.

If you'd like to include giving Goddess a bath - this is called abhishekam - along with your worship, it's probably better to use a murti so you can place it in a bowl for special use of devotional bathing. Again, make sure the bowl used to collect the fluids of bathing is used only for puja. Dressing the image is also much easier when you do it with an actual idol rather than a picture, because you don't have to clumsily drape it across the photo and then loop it behind the frame.

I have a murti of Sri Krishna and I can certainly reserve a bowl and pouring vessel for the abhishekam. And if I get an entire small puja set, all the better.

I'm thinking that since Sri Krishna is my Iṣṭa-devatā I would do puja to Him alone, despite having images and a murti or three of other deities (I'm eclectic and non-sectarian, I guess).

As for the clothing, what is used, just a piece of cloth to wrap around the murti, as if winding a dhoti? For Sri Krishna I would use saffron color.

How long is the clothing left on the murti, just to the end of the puja, no matter how long or short the puja?

My idea of doing puja would be:

1. Light the lamp with the lamp lighting prayer, and offer incense; in the morning, since I am going to work, I would have to extinguish the incense and lamp. I would relight them for the evening puja?

2. I say my usual prayers and mantras to all the deities on my altar; the Gayatri mantra; sarvesam; "Lead me from ignorance... ", "O Lord, kindly forgive my wrong actions... "; etc.

3. Bathe and clothe the murti.

4. Leave an offering of fruit, water and money.

5. Then... what... ?

[Eastern Mind]

How long is the clothing left on the murti, just to the end of the puja, no matter how long or short the puja?

Vannakkam: Clothing is always left on except during abhishekam. Usually a fresh set is put on after abhishekham. All statues in the house should be clothed, even ones not in the shrine room.

If you want colorful clothing go to an Indian fabric store.

Aum Namasivaya

[Jainarayan]

Vannakkam: Clothing is always left on except during abhishekam. Usually a fresh set is put on after abhishekham. All statues in the house should be clothed, even ones not in the shrine room.

Ooh, did not know that!

If you want colorful clothing go to an Indian fabric store.

Aum Namasivaya

Time to check yellowpages.com

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: We treat the murthis like we treat people, especially like royalty. You wouldn't leave the queen undressed about your house, now would you? Buy the finest clothes, the best veshtis for temple murthis etc. Make crowns. A shrine room can be kind of gaudy. (pun intended)

One interesting thing I recently learned about temple murthis of the feminne gender type is they wear full saris. priests REALLY know how to fold cloth. Amazing to watch.



Aum Namasivaya

[Jainarayan]

All along I thought murtis were depicted with clothing integral to the sculpture or carving so they were clothed. Not like a Barbie doll or GI Joe (that's a horrible analogy, I know) that comes undressed.

Learn something new every day, I always say.

[srinidhi]

TouchedByTheLord - Lord Krishna is alankara priya (lover of beautiful decorations). Lord Shiva is abhisheka priya (lover of abhishekams). So, for Sri Krishn, you can offer flowers, decorate Sri Krishna's idol with wonderful clothes, necklaces and so on. Offer incense, fruits and pray sincerely to Him.

There are so many slokas on Sri Krishna. You can say Sri Krishnashtakam after lighting the lamp (diya).

Krishnashtakam - http://kksongs.org/songs/v/vasudevasutamdevam.html

You can sing Madhurashtakam , Krishna Bhajans and say the 108 names of Krishna or chant the 1008 names of Sri Vishnu (Vishnu Sahasranama).

Also chant "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare."

Any body can say this Maha Mantra... Not just ISKCON followers. (Just want to clarify this as a Westerner once asked me this question).

[zenvicky]

Also chant "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare."

Any body can say this Maha Mantra... Not just ISKCON followers. (Just want to clarify this as a Westerner once asked me this question).

The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra"), is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra which first appeared in the Kali-Santarana Upanishad.

[Onkara]

_/|\_
Namaste!

Love,
<3full

I was looking at this site this week, it seems to give some clear indications. I haven't read all the material and I myself am learning to understand puja:


http://www.bnaiyer.com/Basic-Study/puja-title.html