Ramavihs11 - question for Swamiji about puja

[Guest guest]

Dear Ram,

 

"Puja" means that which yields merit.

 

I remember Swamiji telling us sometime ago that a Puja is modular -

it can expand or contract according to your needs.

 

Here is my two cents on why you might want to stick to what Swamiji

has presented. Swamiji is efficient, never says two words when one

will do, and if he put those lines in for a barebones puja then he

did so for a reason.

 

Also, I remember translating the book in Tamil and explaining the

meaning and steps to someone, and I was marvelling at how they all

fit right in with each other. No step was superfluous and each felt

perfectly correct and a "logical" choice as the next step .

 

I have forwarded your question to Swamiji and will inform as soon as

he responds.

 

JAI MAA

Latha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

, "ramavihs11" <ramavihs11>

wrote:

> Dear Shiva,

>

> I have a question about puja. I have been doing a Shiva puja

based

> on the Devi Mandir Shiva Puja book. But I don't do everything

that

> is in the book. Many of the mudras and much of the sanskrit are

so

> foreign to me(I'm Western not Indian) I feel like I am praying

from

> long distance. To me, it's not intimate but sterile. I just

start

> with a mala of my Guru mantra, say some of the mantras in the

> beginning(that I guess invoke the different deities), then I make

> the offerings to the lingum, say the 108 names, wash the lingum

and

> give it Shiva's markings, and offer a mala of my Guru Mantra while

> offering flowers, chant to Shiva, do japa, then meditate.

>

> I leave out much that is in the book because I feel my reason for

> doing the puja is to learn to love Shiva, deepen my devotion to

> him. This way is more personal to me.

>

> I would like to know how the outcome differs between following the

> puja book exactly and the way I am worshipping Shiva.

>

> Ram