Pooja is the act of showing
reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine
through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals. An essential
part of Pooja for the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual
connection with the divine. Most often that contact is
facilitated through an object: an element of nature, a
sculpture, a vessel, a painting, or a print. It is possible to
reduce the suffering due to the unfavorable position of planets
through sincere reliance on God, the One who controls the
planets.
During Pooja 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
deity's cosmic energy. It is a focal point for honoring and
communicating with the god. For the devout Hindu, the icon's
artistic merit is important, but is secondary to its spiritual
content. The objects are created as receptacles for spiritual
energy that allow the devotee to experience direct communication
with his or her gods.
There are several Poojas which people can do for specific
events, such as the starting of a business, or the beginning of
a journey. The benefit of this type of Pooja is to remove
obstacles. The Poojas are performed on behalf of those who
request them by us.
Benefits of a Pooja according to our sacred texts, Pooja -
Pooja establishes a bridge
between the worshipper (the lover) and the deity (the loved). It
facilitates flow of love-energy in both ways. This energy not
only sanctifies the self but also re-vitalizes the body's
resources, making one experience, what is called HOLY BLISS.
Thus both the worshipped and the worshipper benefit from Pooja.
How Pooja is Performed?
A worshipper is required to be pure of body and mind. The
Puranas lay more stress on the quality of devotion and good
behaviour than on rigid Pooja procedures. Pooja originated as a
substitute to homa and other Vedic sacrifices which women and
Shudras could not perform and which required animal sacrifices.
Due to Dravidian (see Dasas), Buddhist and Jain influences that
preached non-violence, the killing or sacrifice of animals was
discontinued and with the development of iconography, idol
worship and Pooja took the place of sacrifice. It was also
recognized that worship was essential for all, whatever the
gender or caste (see Varna) and therefore Pooja was formalized
as a universal option instead of the exclusive Hawan.
What is Hawan?
Hawans are Poojas performed for a particular deity by invoking
Agni - the God of fire.
It is said that when Lord Brahma (the creator among the Trinity)
created man, he also created "Hawan" for man's livelihood and
his attainment of spiritual desires. The fundamental premise of
Hawan is derived from the Vedams, although, according to
"Purusha Sooktham", it is the other way around - Vedams
originated from Hawan! Anyhow, Vedams and Hawan are eternal
truths having neither beginning nor end, and are "Apourusheyam"
(divine, not the creation of humans). Karmam (work or action) is
an integral part of living. Right and wrong Karmams can hardly
be discerned by human intellect, and has to be guided by
knowledge. Vedams, indeed, contain the highest form of
knowledge. The singular goal of Vedam is to guide man through
the correct path. And Hawan forms the essence of all the Karmams
prescribed in the Vedams.
The goal of all Hawans is the prosperity of the people at large
by energizing and protecting the environment. The Sun is
considered as the main source of energy supply, and fire is
considered as a representation of the Sun's energy. According to
the ancient texts on Hawan, any offer to Fire as a god, is
actually an offer to Sun. Any such offer is either to enrich
energy in the environment or to destroy the undesirable elements
in the environment, and thus, in both ways, environment is
protected. Attaching divine nature to such rituals (like Hawan)
induced people to practice them. Thus, the ancient texts
proclaim that "Such Vaidika Karmams are result-oriented, and
meant to lead to Sreyass or spiritual attainments".
How Hawan is performed?
Each Hawan is performed strictly according to scriptures. These
are conducted by fully learned and experienced vedic
scholars.The ingredients recquired for these Hawans are
different for each Hawans.Each Hawan is performed after praying
(Shankalpa) for the specific relief / benefit desired for each
individual.After each Hawan, pundits are fed with vedic prayers.
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