Guest guest Posted July 12, 2008 Report Share Posted July 12, 2008 Thanks, G. Would using a lighter be acceptable, if one had one safely operable with wet hands? Are candles disallowed because traditionally (although not any more) the cheaper ones were made from tallow/animal (e.g. beef) fat? (Beeswax is nicer and more expensive traditional ingredient.) Or is there some other reason? , " ganpra " <ganpra wrote: > > Interesting video. > > Simple enough. Only comment I would make is about the use of the > candle. In puja, candles are a no-no. Instead of a candle, use the > same ghee, make a wick out of cotton or just buy a roll of cotton > thread (should be available in grocery stores or hardware stores), > cut a piece of string and use in a lamp. > (http://www.theammashop.org/pls.html). > > G > > , " msbauju " <msbauju@> wrote: > > > > Here's my post; see the followups too: > > /message/29483 > > > > , " prainbow61 " <paulie- > > rainbow@> wrote: > > > > > > No I didn't [see the puja post]; > > > where can I find it? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 This candle question, about 6 months ago, I asked my astrologer. His answer was as follows. Traditionally, only certain oils are used to light lamps. In South India, mainly used oil is sesame oil for lighting lamps in home and temples. For specific purposes, to resolve issues (parihara deepam), certain other oils are used. These are to be lit only at home and not in temples. If sesame oil is not available, the best alternative (even in its own right) is ghee. Ghee lamps can be lit even in temples. Each material has its own significance. I do not know the significance of paraffin or soy/palm/bees wax that are used in candles. My preference is " don't trouble trouble, if trouble doesn't trouble you. " Another tip is, if anyone feels/wants/needs to light lamps in temple, use ghee. Non-problematic. I will also add a little story which happened in nov 2007. One of my relatives told his wife to light lamp in a local temple using a tree oil. It is a " parihara deepam. " At that time they did not know that parihara deepam should be lit only at homes. She did it for 10 days. One evening, the man who asked the action to be performed, was sitting in his home after dinner. He said, he is feeling uneasy, and died within a few minutes, just sitting on the chair. Last winter, when i was in India, had the opportunity to discuss this with my astrologer. He was shocked that a parihara deepam was lit in the temple. What he said later is more important. As long as one's time (meaning fortune/astrological influences) are good, one can get away with anything. When the things are iffy, even a slightest mistake can bring in most horrible effects, acting as a catalyst for misfortune. Regarding lighters, generally, anything used for puja is for that exclusive use. As long as it is not used for anything else, like its traditional use, it is ok. Instead of worrying about wet hands, my advise will be to get one of those BBQ lighters, which also produce a flame at the end. It is far more safer than a cig lighter for lighting lamps, don't have to worry about wet hands and can be reserved for that use exclusively. , " msbauju " <msbauju wrote: > > Thanks, G. > > Would using a lighter be acceptable, if one > had one safely operable with wet hands? > > Are candles disallowed because > traditionally (although not any more) the cheaper > ones were made from tallow/animal (e.g. beef) > fat? (Beeswax is nicer and more expensive traditional > ingredient.) Or is there some other reason? > > , " ganpra " <ganpra@> wrote: > > > > Interesting video. > > > > Simple enough. Only comment I would make is about the use of the > > candle. In puja, candles are a no-no. Instead of a candle, use the > > same ghee, make a wick out of cotton or just buy a roll of cotton > > thread (should be available in grocery stores or hardware stores), > > cut a piece of string and use in a lamp. > > (http://www.theammashop.org/pls.html). > > > > G > > > > , " msbauju " <msbauju@> wrote: > > > > > > Here's my post; see the followups too: > > > /message/29483 > > > > > > , " prainbow61 " <paulie- > > > rainbow@> wrote: > > > > > > > > No I didn't [see the puja post]; > > > > where can I find it? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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