Shodashopachara Puja

Puja:

Puja (Prayer) is the first step to impart training to the mind to concentrate and involve physically and mentally while performing worship of God. It is important to understand the meaning of “MANTRAS” and actions required to be performed to obtain the complete benefits of the prayers.

In Hindu practice, puja is done on a variety of occasions, frequency and settings. It may include a daily puja done in the home, or occasional temple ceremonies and annual festivals. In other cases, puja is held to mark a few lifetime events such as birth of a baby or a wedding, or to begin a new venture. The two main areas where puja is performed are in the home and at temples to mark certain stages of life, events or some festivals such as Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja. Puja is not mandatory in Hinduism. It may be a routine daily affair for some Hindus, periodic ritual for some, and rare for other Hindus. In some temples, various pujas may be performed daily at various times of the day; in other temples, it may be occasional.

“^{Shodasa Upacahar}” is a complete process of performing the rituals of puja, the worship. Upachar means service; there are 16 upachars to be executed for worship. It is usually rendered with the vedic chantings. Alternately one should close the eyes and perform this offering mentally (manasa puja). All these “Shodasha upachara puja” is a standard practice in temples and also at home on special occasions.

All these 16 steps are symbolical representations of the various forms of expressing reverence like offering the deity a golden throne to be seated, washing his feet, washing his hands, offering him water to drink, ceremonial bathing with sacred waters, offering new clothes, anointing him with sandal paste and other perfumes, adorning of jewels, worshipping with flowers, offering of fragrant incense, lighting the lamp, offering food (Prasada), fruits and sweet drinks, chanting his praises, offering Arati and finally prostrating to him and seeking his blessings.

Purpose of rituals :

The Vedic conception of sacrifice as a link between the celestial beings and men is explained in the Karma Kanda section. Performance of any ritual is an excellent training for the wandering mind and in truth is a sadhana for spiritual progress. The rites are also known as ‘sacrifice’ since one is taught to dedicate oneself and all of one’s possessions, including the fruits of the ritual.

Related Terms :

1. Puja Samagri (various substances) used in ritualistic worship : Some religious rituals are incomplete without the help of other components, for example, specific substances (Puja Samagri) are necessary in ritualistic worship of God. These components aiding the religious rituals are an important link in seeking the grace of God through the medium of religious rituals. Understanding the spiritual importance of each of these components (Puja Samagri) enhances the bhav (Spiritual emotion) towards them, thereby making the religious ritual rich in bhav. With this objective in mind the spiritual importance and salient features of the components (Puja Samagri) like turmeric, vermilion, gandha (sandalwood paste), flowers, akshata, betel nut, coconut, Panchakhadya, incense sticks, camphor etc. used in ritualistic worship are mentioned in this article.
2. Pujari  : Pujari is a designation given to a Hindu temple priest who performs pūja. The word comes from the Sanskrit word "पूजा" meaning worship. They are responsible for performing temple rituals, including pūjā and aarti. Pujari are mainly drawn from the Hindu Brahmin.

Shodashopachara Puja:

Shodashopachara-puja means the Upachar/service Shodasa/sixteen-steps in the performance of PUJA, on special occasions.

In Hinduism, upachara (Sanskrit: उपचार; service or courtesy) refers to the offerings and services made to a deity as part of worship.

Shodashopachara Puja is one of the widely performed Vedic rituals. It includes sixteen ritual services a devotee offers to the Deity being worshipped at the altar. It aims at raising your five senses, removing all the negative energies from your mind and body. In short, this puja is performed to completely purify your mind and body (include the five senses). Purification results in naturally positive thoughts and actions intended to bring in all good for you.

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati, Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin sannidhim kuru;

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव गोदावरि सरस्वति ।

नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि जलेऽस्मिन् संनिधिं कुरु ॥

Meaning:

O Holy Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and also Godavari and Saraswati,

O Holy Rivers Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri; Please be Present in this Water (and make it Holy).

Benefits of Shodashopachara Puja:

• Negative thoughts are all removed, feelings of positivity and newness restored
• Spiritual strength increased
• Blessings of the Deity invoked and worshipped

See also:

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Shudhhi/suchihi mantram:Apavitraha pavitrova

oṃ apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṃ gato’pi vā .

yaḥ smaretpuṇḍarīkākṣaṃ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ ..

ॐ अपवित्रः पवित्रो वा सर्वावस्थां गतोऽपि वा ।

यः स्मरेत्पुण्डरीकाक्षं स बाह्याभ्यन्तरः शुचिः ॥

Meaning: Om, if one is Apavitra (Impure) or Pavitra (Pure), or even in all other conditions, he who remembers Pundarikaksha (another name of Sri Vishnu, literally meaning with lotus-like eyes), he becomes pure outwardly as well as inwardly.

Mantras/Stotras of all God/Goddess

“Mananaat traayate iti mantrah” – That which uplifts us by continuous repetition is a ‘Mantra’!

Mantras are extremely powerful – combined with both the sound elements and the essence of what is being recited, Mantras can transform individuals leading to power and strength. Chanting of Mantras can give us the power for attaining a blissful state and liberation.

A Mantra chanted correctly or incorrectly, knowingly or unknowingly, carefully or carelessly, is sure to bear the desired result for one’s well being. It is believed that the glory of Mantra chanting cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can only be experienced or realized through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the Mantra.

According to some scholars, Mantra chanting is Mantra Yoga. The basic yet powerful Mantra, Om or Aum harmonizes the physical forces with the emotional forces and the intellectual forces. When this happens, you start to feel like a complete being – mentally and physically. But this is an extremely slow process and requires a lot of patience and unfailing faith.

List:

The sixteen steps in servicing are listed below: Begin with:

Dhyanam-Dhyanam is reciting a short prayer specific to god that one worships and engage our mind into lotus feet of that god. In the Hindu scriptures, Lord Ganesha is always worshipped in the beginning of any ritual for his blessings to ensure that the whole procedure would move smoothly unhindered by any external obstacles at any stage. So, these upacharas are first done for Lord Ganesha and then all steps are repeated for the main deity.

Shukla-Ambara-Dharam Vissnnum Shashi-Varnnam Catur-Bhujam |

Prasanna-Vadanam Dhyaayet Sarva-Vighno [a-U] pashaantaye ||

OM Ekadantaya Vidmahe Vakkratundaya Dheemahi, Tanno Danti Prachodayat

1. Avahanam- Inviting the worshipped God or Goddess to come into the place of worship or idol by chanting the Vedic verse as though you are inviting a loveable guest inside your home.

2. Asanam- Offering the worshipped God a seat. After inviting a guest to your house you would offer a comfortable seat for him to relax. In similar way by chanting the Vedic verse offer a seat to the chosen deity.

3. Paadyam- Wash the feet of God by pouring water at His feet. As per our tradition, the guest is offered water to wash his feet after he relaxed for adequate time. Imagine you are washing the delicate, lotus feet of Lord.

4. Arghyam-Water is offered to the deity to wash hands.

5. Achamanam- Water is offered to drink with the chanting of the relevant vedic mantra.

6. Snanam- Sprinkle water on God as if giving Him bath. In a detailed pooja, bath God with panchamrutham (Milk, Yoghurt, Ghee, Honey, Sugar, Coconut Water, Fruit Juice, Sandal Powder, Turmeric one at a time). This is followed by bath with fresh water

7. Yagnopavitham- Offer Yajnopaveetham(sacred thread/flower/akshathas). In olden days the old people used to make “Yagnopaveeta” daily in their houses for offering to the guest. It is presumed that the guest had travelled for a long distance before he reach your house, during the course he had to take bath in the Rivers/streams and may lose his “Janevu” or “Jandem”. It is also important to note “Yagnopaveeta” used to be worn by both men and women. You might have noticed the statues of Goddesses shown wearing “Janevu” in museums. So whether you worship God or Goddess you have to offer “Janevu”

8. Vastram- Offer new clothes, Jewellery. Imagine that you adore the Lord with the ornaments of your love and other good qualities.

9. Gandham- Place sandalwood paste on the forehead of God. After getting dressed and wearing “Yagnopaveeta” the host offer good smelling sandal wood paste. “Sugandham (Good Smelling), “Manoharam” (Should steal the heart) is the quality of Sandal wood paste narrated by Vedic verse. It is expected to apply the sandal wood paste gently on the neck of the Lord.

10. Pushpam- Glorify God by reciting His 108 names, and offer one flower or a petal at a time, like offering flowers/flower petals to Lord Venkatesha and Lakshmi Devi, Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi etc

11. Dhoopam- Show incense to God. As the perfumed smoke reaches the Lord, so our soul also should aspire to reach God.

12. Deepam- Show oil lamp to God. It is not expected to make your guest to sit in the dark. In olden days when electric power was not in use, lamps were used to be kept on stands slightly away from the place where people used to dine. It also symbolizes bringing of light into one’s place and life.

13. Naivedyam- Offer specially prepared food to God. This food must be prepared cleanly in separate utensils, other than in what we eat, and without tasting beforehand.

14. Tamboolam- Betel leaves and betel nuts are offered to God after the Naivedhyam. After delicious food, it is the practice to offer betel leaves for proper digestion. The quality of betel leaves is narrated in the verses. “Pooghiphala (Beetle nut) Samayuktam, Nagavalli dalairyatam (Japatri petals) karpoora churna (Edible Karpoor powder) samuktam, tamboolam”.

15. Neeranjanam- Camphor lamp is shown to God. It is again customary that in every auspicious occasion aarati is offered to the deity. This is an important and auspicious occasion as Lord himself has come home, so with utmost devotion offer “Aarati” to the Lord.

16. Mantra Pushpam / Pushpanjali : The pooja ends with another service called “Mantra Pushpam” in which a devotee offers handful of flowers to God finally glorifying Him and places the flowers on his lotus feet with utmost devotion and dedication.

Pooja is based on Mantras (hymns) and is focused on concentrating on sounds.

Additionally Namaskra, Atma Pradakshina (Revolving round you and saluting the Lord within yourself). Samarpana, Kshamarpana (To beg apology for any mistake made during offering of the services), Theertha prasada are also important steps apart from the above Shodashopachara pooja. In addition there are “Rajopachara” like holding Umbrella for the Lord, waving hand fan to provide Lord a gentle breeze, singing a song to please him, dancing before him to give him entertainment,, Showing Mirror to him, providing horse and elephant ride etc;

These are otherwise called “DEVOPACHARA”

Respectful discarding as seen in Ganapathi and Durga festivals. This means the idol served a limited purpose to begin with. Later on for various temples came up. Idols incorporated with principles of Iconography: ⊙-1-5-3 God have come to be preserved. All these 16 steps are symbolic forms of expressing formal reverence to the highest universal embodimrnt of power

In addition to Shodashopachara “Rajopachara” includes holding Umbrella for the Lord, waving hand fan to provide Lord a gentle breeze, singing a song to please him, dancing before him to give him entertainment, showing mirror to him, providing horse and elephant ride etc;.

*for Kasi-Visvanatha: akshata, Akshatal’ grains of rice, Vibhooti, darba, Bel-patra, datura;

Vishnu/avataras: flowers, tulasi leaves; Grains of unbroken raw rice mixed with ghee and turmerick powder;

As if to overcome any short coming or wrong understanding Hindus have devised the offering of five elements to God in the Panchopachara-Puja-mantra: (Vam refers to water offered for cleansing and the food offered as naivedyam). Offerings to God and distribution of Prasada symbolizes part-taking the ritual food with God. Seed letters represent/symbolize the elements implied along with numerical symbolism: O-1-5-3 as follows:

1. Lam Prithivi tatvatmikayai urdvapundram dharayami

2. Vam amrita tatvatmikayai argyam agrarpayami/naivedyam samrpayami

3. Ram agni tatvatmika yai deepam darsayami

4. Yam Vayu tatvtamika yai dhupam agrapayami

5. Ham akasa tatvatmikayai pushpam dharayami Antahkarana-chatushya, soft-ware, Aham/self, chitta/conscience, buddhi/intelligence, manas/mind;

Biologically, one apparent seed contains within both the male and female aspects in zygote:

They are not lost, but their identity is merged to emerge as Bija-a third force. This is the case with Bija-akshara mantra (Vam, Ham, Ram, Yam, Aum-Om etc). There is a saying that where science ends Philosophy begins and where Philosophy ends, Religion begins and Religion is based on faith.

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ [2]
3. ↑ [3]
4. ↑ Hinduism (/ˈhɪnduɪzəm/) is an Indian religion and dharma, or way of life. It is the world's third-largest religion, with over 1.2 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit. ''the Eternal Dharma''), which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts. Another, though less fitting, self-designation is Vaidika dharma, the 'dharma related to the Vedas.' Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites, and shared textual sources that discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics. Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life; namely, dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/freedom from the passions and the cycle of death and rebirth), as well as karma (action, intent and consequences) and saṃsāra (cycle of death and rebirth). Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings (Ahiṃsā), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among others. Hindu practices include rituals such as puja (worship) and recitations, japa, meditation (dhyāna), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages. Along with the practice of various yogas, some Hindus leave their social world and material possessions and engage in lifelong Sannyasa (monasticism) in order to achieve moksha.
5. ↑ [4]
6. ↑ Mantras and Stotras