PRAYER/PUJA

In Hinduism, the rituals are always meant to inculcate feelings of devotion and to bring about the divine orientation of human life. As a part of his house holders responsibilities, a devout Hindu is expected to perform certain rituals everything starting from morning till evening.

These rituals include: making offering to the Gods, to all beings, and to the departed souls especially before partaking any food, showing hospitality to others and continous remembrance of God through recitation of the Vedas or some holy scripture.

The new forms of daily rituals of present day Hinduism include performance of Puja, Practicing meditation and Yoga, recitation of Holy Scriptures, reading religious books, participating in “Satsang”or visiting the company of holy men, doing some charitable work, visiting temples and holy places, or chanting of some mantra or the name of a specific god.

In Hinduism, Puja is essentially a ritual suggestive of symbolic offering of  ourselves, our thoughts, desires, actions and things we own to God, as a mark of devotion and surrender, enjoying whatever that comes to us as a gift from Him. It is a religious ceremony performed in temples or in homes that involves worship through the use of a sacred image.

The word Puja is derived from the Sanskrit roots ‘Puh’ and ‘Jayate’ which translates to an English equivalent that the fruit of enjoyment is born. Puja comprises two main aspects. The first is the repetition of pure Sanskrit sounds called Mantra. The second aspect of a Puja is the Ritual process which, in this case, simply means that the correct symbolic offerings are properly made to the Deity. Through the performance of Puja, we are able to reap the fruits of enjoyment in our daily life.

According to the Hindu beliefs, during the puja ceremony the deity, which is normally a static statue, becomes alive. This happens both at the external level and at the internal level. This statue is brought to life externally through the chanting of mantras or special invocations, or specifically speaking, or establishing of life breadth. Similarly, the indwelling spirit is awakened through the devotee’s sincerity, concentration, devotion and divine grace which are symbolically represented as “Prasad”, or the blessing from above.

To fully understand the effects that stem from performance of a Puja, we must first believe that there is something bigger than ourselves – a supreme consciousness or God – and that God created each of us in His own likeness. Thus we are all miniature representations of this Universal God. We are not an entity unto our individual selves but rather we are each connected to the vastness of this living and breathing universal consciousness. In each of us, for instance, there is an aspect of light which is the representation of prosperity. At the universal level as well, there exists this aspect of light in the form of Mother Lakshami. When we pray to Lakshami Mata, we are essentially making a connection between our individual light center and the Cosmic light center. Once this bridge or connection is made, we as an individual person, begin to experience light (prosperity) in more numerous ways and with greater clarity than we ever did before.

From our Vedic literature, we know that every action that we perform has an effect on the universe. Once we perform the action, we create a change in our local environment as well as a change in the larger universe. Whatever that change is, it will affect us and the world around us. In order for the Puja to show successful results, the knowledgeable Preceptor (Pundit) will create a simulation of the Universe. Through his divine grace, he will cause the connection to be made between the individual and the Cosmos.

The knowledgeable Preceptor knows the sacred Mantras. These are the original sounds that cause vibrations throughout the universe. Each particular mantra will cause a vibration in a specific location in the body of the Yajman and a corresponding location in the cosmic universe. The mantra vibrations run as snake-like waves and connect the micro-area in the body of the Yajman with the macro-area in the universe. 

A mantra consists of a word or several words from the Sanskrit language which have certain sound vibrations which help the devotee attune his consciousness to higher planes as well as invoke specific subtle energies into and around the aura, making it more dynamic and capable of expressing higher aspects of Cosmic Truth i.e. , Love, wisdom, joy, etc.

Most modern-day Brahmins have instilled an expectation in the minds of Hindus that a Puja is of the nature of a Satsang where a mass of people gather to pray, chant devotional bhajans and sing kirtans. This form of worship is simply a public display of community and togetherness. It has little to do with creating a change in someone’s life. It has little to do with connecting the Individual Self or ‘I-ness’ with the Universal Self. It has little to do with the true results that the Yajman is seeking. In summary then, the Puja process will yield positive results only when the Preceptor is knowledgeable, competent and possess divine qualities that will enable him to lead the Yajman and family along the correct path with the two aspects of Mantra and right Offerings to the Deities.

Thus, through the Puja, we are going to God with great humility and affection. We are making an affectionate plea for mercy while we do what God wants us to do for the well-being of the universe. He wants us all to live and act in the best interests of the planet and the universe. We must show God through the Puja that we have received His message with great clarity. And we must do it with heartfelt consideration, i.e.: with great devotion. The Puja ritual is not mysticism or magic. It is only magical in the sense that it instills in the mind of the Performer (Yajman), that he must habituate himself to a different way of thinking, of speaking and of acting. The Puja ritual forces us to bow before God and humble ourselves before Him. And once we practice that level of humility with God, we begin to see God in our fellow Man as well. We begin to see God in everything around us. We reach a new state of equilibrium between us in this human body and the Cosmic or Universal consciousness. And when this happens, the universe allows us to enjoy wealth and prosperity again knowing that we have learnt our lesson – knowing that we are not likely to abuse that wealth all over again.