Puja is a worship ritual performed by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honor a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event. Puja is considered to be an especially powerful form of worshipping the Divine because it combines physical, verbal, mental, and vibrational aspects of worship. Here are some key points about Puja:
- Puja is a Sanskrit word that means reverence, honor, homage, adoration, and worship.
- Puja is typically performed by a Hindu worshiper alone, though sometimes in the presence of a priest who is well-versed in complex rituals and hymns.
- In temples and priest-assisted events, puja, food, fruits, and sweets may be included as sacrificial offerings to the ceremony or deity, which, after the prayers, becomes prasad – food shared by all gathered.
- Puja can be performed individually or collectively, in silence or voiced prayer or chant, and a typical puja has 27 steps.
- Puja can consist of meditation, austerity, chanting, often with japa beads, scripture reading, offering food, and/or prostrations.
- Puja is usually concluded with a light offering, an aarti to the Lord, which is a ritual in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more Gods.
- 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 deitys cosmic energy.
- Puja is a means of honoring the gods or goddesses, whose presence in the home is believed to protect the family and to engender good fortune.
In summary, Puja is a ritual of worship and reverence to one or more deities, and it is considered to be an especially powerful form of worshipping the Divine because it combines physical, verbal, mental, and vibrational aspects of worship. Puja can be performed individually or collectively, and it usually involves offering food, fruits, and sweets to the deity.
