When we need to communicate with a person, we use language and communicate with them directly to make them understand our point of view. Similarly, when we give commands to a machine like a computer, we make it understand what we want through its keyboard, switch or buttons. But when we need to communicate with God, we do not have a direct means of language because God is not visible to us. Therefore, the powerful medium to reach that invisible power is through worship or Puja. It is the means of achieving something that cannot be done by a machine.
Various Stages of Worship
There are various steps involved of a successful worship, which are as follows:
Sanctification
The work of the worship ceremony begins with the process of sanctification. It is an emotional process in which one purifies oneself mentally and physically before focusing on the worship of God and nature. One purifies oneself through the act of worship, and by purifying one's thoughts and body, one prepares oneself for performing extremely pure actions. With this mindset, one creates a state of concentration and follows a method of purifying the body and soul.
Shikha Bandhan
Shikha, or the tuft of hair on the crown of the head, is an important aspect of Indian culture. It is considered the center of intelligence, where all kinds of thoughts originate. It is also the starting point for the transmission of all bodily sensations through the spinal cord to the rest of the body. The spinal cord is connected to the brain and transmits all thoughts and sensations.
Therefore, the shikha is kept at this point, which represents the external form of the spinal cord and the form of Lord Ganesha. Before starting the puja ritual, prayers are offered to the Supreme Being, requesting for the transmission of good thoughts through the shikha. Each presence of the puja is aimed at obtaining complete bodily and mental purity through intelligence.
Applying a Tilak
Before performing a puja, a tilak is placed on the forehead. It is applied using kumkum or sandalwood paste. Kumkum is used in most auspicious events. It is applied on the forehead because it is the foremost part of our intelligence, which is called the prefrontal cortex in scientific language. In the language of yoga, this place is called the ajna chakra. Kumkum is applied to provide peace to this chakra. One may wonder why only kumkum is used. This is because kumkum is made by mixing turmeric and lime, both of which have medicinal properties. Turmeric cools down the body and lime provides a cooling effect when applied to a wound. Kumkum is made by mixing these two ingredients, which helps in providing peace and focus to the ajna chakra. Similarly, sandalwood also provides a cooling effect to the ajna chakra. Therefore, kumkum and sandalwood paste are applied to provide peace and focus to the ajna chakra.
Defense Thread
The term "Defense Thread" itself suggests that there is a tradition of tying a defense thread for protection and sanctity in the hand of the host who will perform the entire worship ceremony using it.
Sankalp
Before starting any special worship, it is customary in the worship method to take a sankalp (vow) in front of the supreme being, to perform that worship and to wish for good results from it. This sankalp includes the details of the date, day, time, year, position of the moon and all the planets, etc., and is taken from the person who is going to perform the worship. The person who is going to perform the worship prays to the supreme being, that the best result of his worship should be obtained by him and his family.
Swasti Vachan:
Meaning, Shanti Path is a beautiful tradition that we follow in our worship, where we recite Shanti Path before beginning the puja. The purpose of this is to bless all the elements, living and non-living present on earth with peace and to maintain harmony between mankind and nature. Vedic mantras are recited with the intention of spreading peace and happiness everywhere, in the universe, water, forests, and medicines, everything that God has created in this cosmos.
Similarly, Ganpati Puja begins with the installation of Lord Ganpati. Whether it is a wedding, land worship, housewarming ceremony, business initiation, Laxmi Puja or any other kind of worship, the first step is to install Lord Ganpati. All auspicious work begins with the installation of Lord Ganpati, as all work is possible only through a healthy mind. Therefore, first we install Lord Ganpati, worship him, and then pray to the Supreme Being to stabilize our minds so that we can complete the work with success.
Panchatatva Puja
This puja is performed before the installation of Lord Ganesha, in which the lamp is lit and the worship is initiated. This is done to worship fire. The lamp is lit at the beginning of the worship because before starting any worship, the Supreme Father, the Divine Light or the form of fire in which He exists, is worshipped in the same form to give meaning to His worship. Another reason is that the first element of the five elements from which the human body is formed is fire. Our body remains alive and healthy only through fire, as the Jatharagni digests the food we eat. It is not possible to digest food and keep the body alive without this fire. Similarly, the temperature of our body remains stable only through fire. Therefore, fire always keeps us healthy and alive, and that is why the first honor is given to this fire.
Establishing the Kalash:
In every puja ritual, it is essential to establish the Kalash. The Kalash is installed by giving it the form of a coconut and summoning all the deities on it. Five betel leaves or mango leaves are kept, which signify that we must protect our nature. Filling the Kalash with water signifies how essential water is for our lives.
To learn more about such topics, you can study Vedic astrology. The Indian Astrology is the best institution that offers you three types of courses in this field. These courses are Vedic Astrology, Video Vedic Astrology, and Combo Course, and they are available to you through distance learning programs as per your preference.
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