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Performing a
Hindu puja ritual is a wonderful way to experience direct communication with
the divine. Forging a spiritual connection with the
divine is the ultimate goal of many forms of worship — we transcend the
limitations of our humanity by using prayers, rituals, and invocations, or we
seek the celestial in sacred items such as statuary, imagery, or natural
objects. In the Hindu tradition, worshipers bond with the divine through the
puja ritual. Though participants show reverence for their chosen deities,
puja serves to bring the two together on an energetic level. There are no limits as to who may serve as
the focal point of your puja. You need only choose a spirit guide to commune
with and an object to represent them. Preparing for the puja ritual, however,
can take some time, depending on the number of devotional acts you will
perform. A classic puja includes 16 acts, including meditation, chanting, the
reading of sacred texts, offerings of food and drink, and cleansing. You may
also wish to present gifts of incense, flowers, and jewelry during the
ritual. An altar or table covered by an altar cloth provides space for the
representation of the divine and the seat of the puja. To begin, prepare your
offerings and place them to the right of the altar. Then center yourself and
release any stress you may feel — the puja is meant to be a joyful experience.
Typically, the ritual begins with the ringing of a bell and an invitation,
and progresses from chanting to the cleansing and dressing of the deity to
the offerings to meditation. You can modify your puja in any way you wish. Though the elaborate puja rituals performed
in Hindu temples take place at sunrise, noon, sunset, and midnight, puja
performed in the home primarily takes place in the mornings and evenings.
With practice, you will create a direct path to spiritual oneness that allows
you to experience an amazing sense of closeness that reinforces your
connection with the divine. |
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