Puja is a sacred worship ritual and one of the nine processes of Bhakti Yoga, specifically known as Archana. It is a way to honor the Divine with devotion—offering prayers, and presenting a ritual bath (abhisheka), food, incense, light, flowers, and heartfelt intention.
You may perform puja for your personal deity, offer guru puja in reverence to your teacher, or celebrate special festivals such as Krishnajayanti (Krishna’s Appearance Day), Ganesh Chaturthi, or Navaratri (Nine Nights of the Divine Mother). There are countless occasions for puja—birthdays, healing rituals, New Year blessings, project inaugurations, or housewarmings.
On a larger scale, one can order a puja from a professional pujari, such as those at the Vedic Yagya Center, to help harmonize certain karmic influences shown in one’s birth chart (www.vydic.com) In India, puja is woven into daily life—performed at home, in workplaces, and in temples alike.
A simple example is the Aarati, a light ceremony in which camphor or a lamp is waved clockwise before the altar while mantras are chanted and sweets are offered. Even a small Aarati at home is considered a puja.
I am deeply grateful to my Guru, Leela Mataji, from whom I learned to perform small pujas. I also had the blessing of offering regular Krishna Pujas at the Yoga Vidya Ashram in Westerwald during my two years as a sevaka there.
If you would like to learn more about pujas or request a small puja for your new home, office, yoga studio, or special occasion, please feel free to contact me at (787) 464-5651.