Zimmer[22] refers to the puja to the yantras, rituals that help the devotee focus on spiritual concepts. Puja in Hinduism, Zimmer argues, is a path and process of transformation of consciousness in which the devotee and the spiritual meaning of the deity are brought together. This ritual process of puja is considered liberating, liberating, purifying and a form of yoga of mind and emotions in different parts of India. [23] [24] The Bhagavad Gita chapter 9:26 offers a beautiful description of a simple puja in which Lord Krishna says that even a leaf, flower, fruit or water, if offered with unconditional love and devotion, is sufficient and has fallen to God. Mamo patta samasta durita kshaya dvara | Sri parameshvara prityartham devapujam karishye || The 16 steps common to most pujas, as well as the preparatory steps, are described below. There is, of course, diversity in practice and how different stages can be sequenced or grouped according to sampradaya traditions and deities as well as regional, community and family traditions. Devotees can also perform puja with much less than 16 steps, with a daily practice as simple as lighting a lamp and offering shloka and quiet mantras (prayers) or chanting one of God`s names with a japa mala or prayer beads (usually with 108 beads). Unlike Vedic pujas, the meaning of divine pujas shifted from external demands and goals to experiencing unity with deities and their spiritual essence. It became a form of yoga whose end result was to be God`s consciousness through homage to God. Despite this developed theoretical spiritual significance, the puja continued to be a vehicle for many people to fulfill wishes and calls, such as the good health of one`s own child, a quick recovery from illness, success in planned enterprise or otherwise.

In the structure and practice of puja, mantras and rituals focus on spirituality, and all requests and calls are pinned only until the end of the puja. [21] Deho Devalayah Proktah Jivo Devassanātanah | Tyajedajannanirmalayam So`ham Bhāvena Pujavet || The traditional 16-step puja is called Shodashopachara Puja in Sanskrit – Shodasha means 16 and upachāra means devotional offering. It can be performed daily for an Ishta Deva in a relatively short period of time as a spiritual practice (sādhana) that promotes discipline and devotion. This allows the devotee to take some time each day to remember and cultivate his favorite form of the Divine. The objects and actions offered to the Divine in the Puja act as vessels of the devotee`s faith and spiritual energy, allowing direct communication and interaction with the Divine. During a lifetime, he helps the devotee to reserve this time for worship every day, to work to remember the Divine at all times, and to finally see the Divine in all things and in all beings around him. « Puja. » dictionary Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puja. Retrieved 11 October 2022. The structure of the elaborate puja also varies greatly between temples, regions, and occasions.

[30] All these rituals for puja are a way to attain purity of mind and focus on the divine, which Hindus believe may be an appropriate stepping stone to know the Supreme Being or Brahman. Water is offered by the devotee to bathe the divine form. In the longer pujas, the five elements contained in the Panchāmrit (honey, sugar, milk, cottage cheese and ghee) are also used to bathe the divine form. During this process, sacred hymns are sung. Singing: om sri [name of deity] snānam samarpayāmi In the Panchayatana Puja, that is, the puja for the five deities – Shiva, Devi, Vishnu, Ganesha and Surya – her own family deity must be kept in the center and the other four around her in the prescribed order. A quick puja has the same structure as the actions that people would normally perform for a quick welcome, hospitality, and loving interaction with a loved one. First, the deity is welcomed, recognized by name and welcomed, sometimes with a diya or incense stick lit. The devotee continues to connect to spiritual manifestation by meditating (a form of darshan) or chanting hymns and mantras, followed by personal prayers. Once the prayer is over, the spiritual visitor is lovingly thanked as a guest and welcomed as a farewell. [25] A quick meditative puja is sometimes offered by some Hindus without idol or image. According to anthropologist Chris Fuller, Hindu texts allow for flexibility and shortened puja based on occasion, needs, and personal preferences.

[32] According to scholars, one of the earliest mentions of pūjā is found in the Grighya Sutras, which contain rules for domestic rites. These sutras, dated to about 500 BC. J.-C., use the term puja to describe hospitality, to honor the priests who were invited to their homes to perform rituals for deceased ancestors. As in Vedic times, the general concept of puja remained the same, but expanded to welcome the deity as a guest of honor with the spiritual essence of divinity. [16] The Puranian literary corpus, dating from about the 6th century AD, contains many sketches on how to execute the deity Puja (deva pūjā). The Puja deity thus merges vedic rites with devotion to the divinity in its ritual form.