Bhaktisandesam - Puja items as symbols

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Symbols We Live With.

Symbolism in natural Puja objects .

 

Vedic rituals, like the 'Yagna' and 'Puja', said Rishi Aurobindo,

are " attempts to fulfill the purpose of creation and elevate the

status of man to that of a godhead or a cosmic man " . Puja is

essentially a ritual suggestive of symbolic offering of our lives and

activities to God.

 

Symbolic Significance of Puja Items

Every object associated with the ritual of Puja or worship is

symbolically significant. The statue or image of the deity, which is

called 'Vigraha' (Sanskrit: 'vi'+ 'graha') means something that is

devoid of the ill effects of the planets or 'grahas'. The flower that

we offer to the deity stands for the good that has blossomed in us.

The fruits offered symbolize our detachment, self-sacrifice and

surrender, and the incense we burn collectively stands for the

desires we have for various things in life. The lamp we light

represents the light in us, that is the soul, which we offer to the

Absolute. The vermilion or red powder stands for our emotions.

 

The Lotus

The holiest of flowers for Hindus, the beautiful lotus is symbolic of

the true soul of an individual. It represents the being, which lives

in turbid waters yet rises up and blossoms to the point of

enlightenment. Mythologically speaking, lotus is also a symbol of

creation, since Brahma, the creator came forth from the lotus that

blooms from the navel of Vishnu. It is also famous as the symbol of

BJP - the Hindu Right-wing political party of India, the familiar

lotus position in meditation and yoga, and as the national India and

Bangladesh.

 

The Purnakumbha

An earthen pot or pitcher - called 'Purnakumbha' - full of water, and

with fresh mango leaves and a coconut atop it, is generally placed as

the chief deity or by the side of the deity before starting a Puja.

Purnakumbha literally means a 'full pitcher' (Sanskrit: 'purna' =

full, 'kumbha' = pot). The pot symbolizes mother earth, the water

life-giver, the leaves life and the coconut divine consciousness.

Commonly used during almost all religious rites, the pitcher also

stands for goddess Lakshmi.

 

Fruits & Leaves

The water in the Purnakumbha and the coconut have been objects of

worship since the Vedic age. The coconut (Sanskrit: Sriphala = God's

fruit) alone is also used to symbolize 'God'. While worshipping any

deity, a coconut is almost always offered along with flowers and

incense sticks. Other natural objects that symbolize divinity are the

betel leaf, the areca-nut or betel-nut, banyan leaf and the leaf

of 'bel' or vilva tree.

 

Naivedya or Prasad

It is our ignorance ('avidya') which we offer to the deity in a Puja.

The food symbolically stands for our ignorant consciousness, which we

place before god for spiritual enlightenment. After he suffuses it

with knowledge and light and breathes a new life into our bodies, it

makes us divine. When we share the prasad with others, we share the

knowledge we thus gained with fellowbeings.

 

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Jai Shree Krishna !