Puja
is the act of showing reverence to a god, a
spirit, or another aspect of the divine through
invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals. An
essential part of puja for the Hindu devotee
is making a spiritual connection with the divine.
Most often that contact is facilitated through
an object: an element of nature, a sculpture,
a vessel, a painting, or a print. It is possible
to reduce the suffering due to the unfavorable
position of planets through sincere reliance
on God, the One who controls the planets.
During
Puja an image or other symbol of the god serves
as a means of gaining access to the divine.
This icon is not the deity itself; rather, it
is believed to be filled with the deity's cosmic
energy. It is a focal point for honoring and
communicating with the god. For the devout Hindu,
the icon's artistic merit is important, but
is secondary to its spiritual content. The objects
are created as receptacles for spiritual energy
that allow the devotee to experience direct
communication with his or her gods.
There are
several Pujas which people can do for specific
events, such as the starting of a business,
or the beginning of a journey. The benefit of
this type of Puja is to remove obstacles. The
Pujas are performed on behalf of those who request
them by us.
Benefits
of a Puja
According to our sacred texts, Puja - |
Puja
establishes a bridge between the worshipper
(the lover) and the deity (the loved). It facilitates
flow of love-energy in both ways. This energy
not only sanctifies the self but also re-vitalizes
the body's resources, making one experience,
what is called HOLY BLISS. Thus both the worshipped
and the worshipper benefit from Puja.
How
Puja is Performed?
A worshipper
is required to be pure of body and mind. The
Puranas lay more stress on the quality of devotion
and good behaviour than on rigid puja procedures.
Puja originated as a substitute to homa and
other Vedic sacrifices which women and Shudras
could not perform and which required animal
sacrifices. Due to Dravidian (see Dasas), Buddhist
and Jain influences that preached non-violence,
the killing or sacrifice of animals was discontinued
and with the development of iconography, idol
worship and puja took the place of sacrifice.
It was also recognized that worship was essential
for all, whatever the gender or caste (see Varna)
and therefore puja was formalized as a universal
option instead of the exclusive homam.
What
is Homam?
Homams
are pujas performed for a particular deity by
invoking Agni - the God of fire.
It is said
that when Lord Brahma (the creator among the
Trinity) created man, he also created "Homam"
for man's livelihood and his attainment of spiritual
desires. The fundamental premise of Homam is
derived from the Vedams, although, according
to "Purusha Sooktham", it is the other
way around - Vedams originated from Homam! Anyhow,
Vedams and Homam are eternal truths having neither
beginning nor end, and are "Apourusheyam"
(divine, not the creation of humans). Karmam
(work or action) is an integral part of living.
Right and wrong Karmams can hardly be discerned
by human intellect, and has to be guided by
knowledge. Vedams, indeed, contain the highest
form of knowledge. The singular goal of Vedam
is to guide man through the correct path. And
Homam forms the essence of all the Karmams prescribed
in the Vedams.
The goal
of all Homams is the prosperity of the people
at large by energizing and protecting the environment.
The Sun is considered as the main source of
energy supply, and fire is considered as a representation
of the Sun's energy. According to the ancient
texts on Homam, any offer to Fire as a god,
is actually an offer to Sun. Any such offer
is either to enrich energy in the environment
or to destroy the undesirable elements in the
environment, and thus, in both ways, environment
is protected. Attaching divine nature to such
rituals (like Homam) induced people to practice
them. Thus, the ancient texts proclaim that
"Such Vaidika Karmams are result-oriented,
and meant to lead to Sreyass or spiritual attainments".
How
Homam is performed?
Each
Homam is performed strictly according to scriptures.
These are conducted by fully learned and experienced
vedic scholars.The ingredients recquired for
these homams are different for each homams.Each
homam is performed after praying (Shankalpa)
for the specific relief / benefit desired for
each individual.After each homam, pundits are
fed with vedic prayers.
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