Why We Should Perform Puja?

[Guest guest]

Jaya Guru Datta,

 

In 1997, Sri Swamiji was asked, "Why should we perform puja?"

 

Here is His answer:

 

“A scientist working in a laboratory mixes so many chemicals. To a lay person

watching him from out side, all his actions may look like bizarre movements of a

child. It may look funny. But the scientist is not doing anything in a haphazard

manner. He is working with a pre-conceived plan. He works on the basis of

established scientific principles.

 

Similarly, while working in the laboratory called mind to achieve mental

concentration, one will have to perform different actions. Some actions yield

fruits quickly, while others take more time to yield long lasting fruits. Pooja

is one of such acts.

 

'The wandering mind should be stabilized' is the intention of the seekers. Many

can not achieve it. Why? Reasons are many. But the result is the same. Inability

to achieve concentration of mind. Students, businessmen, executives, teachers -

all face the same problem. It is a fact well known that nothing can be achieved

without concentration of mind.

 

Discipline is the foremost requisite to achieve concentration of mind. Eating,

sleeping, working as per a well planned schedule for 40 days will certainly help

a great deal in improving concentrating power.

 

Another requirement to accomplish concentration of mind is calmness of mind.

Mental calm is not in our immediate reach. If it were to be so, achieving

concentration of mind would have been very easy. In fact, tranquillity of mind

is even more difficult to achieve. Gentle heart is another ingredient for

concentration of mind. More gentle the heart, more easy it will be to achieve

concentration of mind.

 

Discipline, tranquillity and gentleness are like three chemicals required to

make a product called mental concentration. The act of achieving concentration

of mind by using these three ingredients itself is Pooja. The idol we like to

worship is only symbolic. The belief on a particular form of God makes the mind

calm. The aesthetic beauty of the idol and the materials with which we worship

the deity will confer beauty and gentleness to the heart. The chanting of

mantras with proper intonations and tempo will bestow discipline to the physical

body as well as to the mind. This is what happens in pooja.

 

If the scientist behaves carelessly, the experiment will not yield the desired

result. The same can be said of pooja also. Therefore, it is very important to

follow all the steps meticulously. The best thing is to start practising right

from childhood.

 

Children who watch their parents performing pooja will easily learn it. A

student who is exposed to the laboratory environment from childhood will have

unconsciously learnt some techniques. For example, he will handle the test tube

better than those who were not exposed to laboratory settings. Similarly, if the

child watches his father perform poojas, he will develop a natural flair and

affinity for it, which will help him to accomplish perfection easily. His life,

attitude and thinking will be disciplined and gentle. Therefore when he grows

up, he will always make right decisions because of his background. Such people

will be more useful to the society.

 

Thus, in order to establish discipline, peace and mutual understanding in the

society, we should all perform pooja.

 

Sri Swamiji

Bhakti Mala, July 1997

 

http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/bhaktimala/July-Bhaktimala/july-questions.html

 

Sri Guru Datta,

Swamiji Says

 

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