| HINDU PUJA (WORSHIP) | (त्रिसंधिया पूजन)

|| HINDU PUJA (WORSHIP) || (त्रिसंधिया पूजन)

All human beings are born from God and hence they want to be intact with God always. They want to show their love towards God by worshipping Him. Since God exists in all forms, human beings found Him in different forms, called 'deities'. These deities represent different energies, which protect the human beings from their problems and help them reach the ultimate God.



Puja Hindu Puja Vedic worship Gayatri mantra prayers devotion deities Now-a-days, society is so busy, people are not finding time even to think about God. If they can allot a few minutes every day for strengthening their relationship with God, they can achieve prosperity in all walks of life. Puja(worship) helps for this purpose. We are presenting here 12-steps of vedic Puja, which is a condensed version that every one can perform by spending 30 to 45 minutes of time, every day. The following are the steps:

1. Prepartion for Worship - 1 min

2. Offering of lights - 1 min

3. Prayers to Divine guide(गुरु) - 1 min

4. Water sipping(आचमना) - 2 min

5. Prayers to god Ganesh - 2 min

6. Declaration of Intent(संकल्प) - 1 min

7. Gayatri Mantra - 15 min

8. Worshipping the deity - 15 min

9. Sipping the holy water - 2 min

10. Offering food(नैवेद्यं) - 1 min

11. Lighting camphor(हारती) - 1 min

12. Circumambulation(प्रदक्षिनास) - 2 min



The best time to start Puja is at morning 6.00 o' clock. If this is not possible, then we can do it at evening 6.00 o' clock. Puja should be performed with a quiet and peaceful mind, after taking bath.



Articles needed:
Photo or idol of deity, a tumbler of water and two plates, two oil lamps, flowers / अक्शितास (uncooked rice mixed with wet turmeric), fruit / sweet / jaggery / sugar / milk and camphor, कुमकुम (vermilion) / विभूति (white powder made from cow dung).



Prepartion for Worship:
Sit on a wooden plank or on your own आसन facing East or North. Take another wooden plank and spread a silk cloth on it. Now place the deity's photo or idol on the silk cloth, opposite to you. Wear kumkum or Vibhooti between your eye brows.



Offering of lights:
Lit up two oil lamps before the deity. Use gingelly oil or ghee as the fuel in the lamps.



Prayers to Divine guide(गुरु):
If you have a Guru, you are fortunate. Otherwise, consider your favourite deity as your Guru. Get your Guru into your mind, fold your hands at chest, and recite this:

Om Gururbrahmaa Gururvishnuhu Gururdevo maheswaraha |
Gurussaakshaat Parabrahmaa Tasmai Sree gurave namaha ||

ॐ  गुरुर्ब्रह्मा  गुरुर्विष्णु गुरुर्देवो महेस्वरह |

गुरुस्साक्षात परब्रह्मा तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः ||


Now, imagine lord Vishnu (See him at right) in to your mind, and offer your prayers to him to remove any obstacles:



Om Suklaambaradharam vishnum sasivarnam chaturbhujam |
Prasanna vadanam dhayayet sarva vighnopasaantaye ||

ॐ  सुक्लाम्बराधाराम  विष्णुम  ससिवार्नाम  चतुर्भुजम |

प्रसन्ना वदनं धयायेत सर्व विघ्नोपसान्ताये ||



Water sipping(Aachamana):
The following 24 names of god Vishnu should be uttered for receiving protective energies:



Om Kesavaaya swaaha| (ॐ  कसवाया  स्वाहा )
- Recite this once, pour water into your right hand and sip it.

Om Naaraayanaaya swaaha| (ॐ  नारायणाय  स्वाहा)
- Recite this, sip water as above.

Om Maadhavaaya swaaha| (ॐ  माधवाय  स्वाहा)
- Recite this, sip water as above.



Then pour some more water and drop it on the floor at your left side. Now fold hands in reverence, and recite the following names:



Om Govindaaya namaha|

Om Vishnave namaha|

Om Madhusoodanaaya namaha|

Om Trivikramaaya namaha|

Om Vaamanaaya namaha|

Om Sreedharaaya namaha|

Om Hrusheekesaaya namaha|

Om Padmanaabhaaya namaha|

Om Daamodaraaya namaha|

Om Samkarshanaaya namaha|

Om Vaasudevaaya namaha|

Om Pradyumnaaya namaha|

Om Anirudhaaya namaha|

Om Purushottamaaya namaha|

Om Adhokshajaaya namaha|

Om Naarasimhaaya namaha|

Om Atchyutaaya namaha|

Om Janaardhanaaya namaha|

Om Vupendraaya namaha|

Om Haraye namaha|

Om Sree krishaaya namaha|



Prayers to god Ganesh:

Since Ganesh is the dispeller of obstacles, he should be worshipped first before starting any thing. Imagine Ganesh's form in your mind(see him at right), and recite the following 17 holy names of Ganesh by folding your hands at chest:

Om Sumukhaaya namaha|

Om Yekadanthaaya namaha|

Om Kapilaaya namaha|

Om Gajakarnikaaya namaha|

Om Lambodaraaya namaha|

Om Vikataaya namaha|

Om Vighnaraajaaya namaha|

Om Ganaadhipaaya namaha|

Om Dhoomakethave namaha|

Om Ganaadhyakshaaya namaha|

Om Phaalachandraaya namaha|

Om Gajaananaaya namaha|

Om Vakratundaaya namaha|

Om Soorpakarnaaya namaha|

Om Herambaaya namaha|

Om Skandhapoorvajaaya namaha|

Om Sree Maha Ganaadhipataye namaha|



Declaration of Intent(संकल्प):

While performing this puja, mention your wish to be fulfilled. This is called sankalpa. Recite like this:

I,___________ (tell your name), offering my prayers to god / goddess ___________(tell your deity's[God] name) on this day for achieving all the four: धर्मं (righteousness), अर्थ (money), कामा (ambition), मोक्ष (liberty) and for alleviating all problems from my life. I wish the complete grace and protection of god / goddess _____________(tell your deity's[God] name) to fall on me and my family members always.

Gayatri Mantra:

If you have taken already Gayatri mantra from a Guru, you should recite that mantra in multiples of 108. People, who did not know this mantra should skip this section.



Worshipping the deity [God]:

Look at the photo / idol of your deity and get that picture imprinted in your mind. Close your eyes for 2 to 3 minutes and visualize the form of your god. Imagine your deity has come and sat before you. This is called 'ध्यानं (meditation)'.



Now recite the 108 or 1008 holy names of your deity. People who got mantra of the deity from a Guru should recite it in multiples of 108. While reciting the names or mantra, throw flowers on your deity. If flowers are not available, then throw अक्शितास (Rice) on your god.



If you are using an idol for worship, you can pour milk, fruit juices, honey, ghee, coconut water etc., on the idol and finally clean the idol with water. This should be done simultaneously with mantra recitation. Then adorn the idol with flowers.



Sipping the holy water (गंगाजल):

At the end of reciting holy names or mantra, take water in to your right hand and leave it into a plate saying:



Yetatphalam Sree _______________ (tell your deity's[God] name) devata-arpanamastu|

येतात्फलम  श्री  _______________ (tell your deity's[God] name) देवातार्पनामास्तु |

The water thus obtained is energized with divine vibrations. You should take this water from the plate into your right hand and tell this:



Om akaala mrutyu haranam sarva vyaadhi nivaaranam|

Mahaa paapa kshayakaram Sree _____________ (tell your deity's name)

devata paadodakam paavanam subham|

ॐ  अकाल  मृत्यु  हरनाम  सर्व  व्याधि  निवारणं |

महा  पापा  क्षयाकाराम  श्री  _____________ (tell your deity's name)

देवता  पादोदकं  पावनं  सुभम |



Saying this, sip the water slowly.



Offering food(नैवेद्यं):

Any fruit / sweet / jaggery / sugar / milk can be offered as food for your deity. Put them in a plate before the photo or idol and split some water droplets on it, saying:



Om Sree ______________ (tell your deity's name) devataaya namaha| Naivedyam samarpayaami|



ॐ  श्री  ______________ (tell your deity's name) देवताय  नमः | नैवेद्यं  समर्पयामि |



Note: Later, this offering should be consumed by you and your family members and it can also be distributed to others.



Lighting camphor(हारती):

Now lit up the camphor in a small plate, and move the plate around the photo / idol in a verticle circular form. Do this three times from left to right.



Circumambulation(प्रदक्षिनास):

Stand up and rotate your body from left to right. While doing this, fold your hands at chest and close your eyes. Do three complete rotations. Then kneel down before god and fold your hands, close your eyes and ask your deity to fulfill your wishes. 

From,

Kalpesh Dave