Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Dear All, OK – I left out one important ingredient in my list – we need a bowl/cup for DRINKING WATER for the deity. Hope everyone had a chance to consider the position of their altars. It’s great that we have a lot of questions today. Special thanks to Berijoy and Grace. Also to Sankar for his informative post /message/10223 Berijoy sez : “ok, this is good, nanda. Very detailed. “ Nanda : Thank ye kindly maam Berijoy: “i see i need to reconfigure my arrangement. i have my altar setup on my dining table (which i do not use for eating) which is quite high from the floor so i was sitting in chair.” Nanda: Um, you want to sit on the floor, Berijoy , so yes – the dining table is out. Note – for all those folks with problems sitting on the floor because of health reasons, a high table with you seated on the chair is OK. For nimble 20 year old Berijoy it’s the floor J Berijoy : “don't know where i could get a wooden platform (i'm not handy with woodwork), so i guess i'll go looking for a cardboard box. i do have a zafu and meditation mat that i can dedicate to this purpose so just have to find a good platform.” Nanda: I used a cardboard box for a long time – it was about 8 inches high, 25 inches long and about 15 inches wide. I put a lot of stuffing – packing material, old books etc to make the box sturdy. I then covered it with some pretty cloth. I would change the cloth ever so often to give it a new look and feel. Now I got a carpenter friend to make me a proper wooden altar. Onto Berijoy’s questions: What do you draw this yantra with? And you do this on the plate? You can draw the yantra with a few drops of water and the ring finger of your right hand. Or you could use sandalwood paste and a little stick. I personally use the water and finger – easier to wipe off too. Why do we need 2 water pots? The first water pot to hold water, and the second one to hold the purified water – you will see this as we go through the puja Where do you get a conch from? Hmmm, this is a tough one. Stevie Wonder Connor from Austin has the same question. There is a puja store in the Bay area where I can get one, but I aint so sure about the other parts of the country. Maybe folks reading this post that have bought conches in the USA can help their less fortunate, conch-challenged brethren with websites. This cloth and this rudraksh--do you need a new one each time, or do you offer the same one over and over? We offer the same one over and over – keeping in mind that they are not to be used for anything else. Also here is a thought – if you are presenting any outfit for a friend, you could offer this outfit to the deity during the puja, and then give it as a present to your friend. Then it would be God’s Prasad/blessing to your friend. But do not; do not ever offer a cloth that has already been worn. You only offer new clothes. Srini sez “In India, where the power goes off frequently, if you are chanting at night, you may want to add an emergency lamp. Of course, if you have memorized the chant, it would not be needed ” Nanda: Good points Srini “Another option that I discovered from reading Sahib Sadhu is that of our beloved Swamiji's: He would chant in the Funeral Grounds where the light from the pyres were very bright throughout the night.” Nanda : I aint gonna tell anyone in this group to go to the funeral grounds to do Beginner Shiva Puja to save on electricity . No sir! At home is good enough for now and do it in the daytime if yer worried about bills. I seek the blessings of our beloved Gurus to make our sadhana strong and bright.” Nanda: You and me both Srini Steve says: I bought a book holder made of wood at barnes and noble! aso youcan look there for one. Nanda: Thanks for the good tip. I‘ll go look too. Jami says: “I don't have the Shiva Puja Beginner Book, so I am following along with the posts, relating them to the Kaalii Puujaa book, which is what I use.If someone who has the book could give me the heads-up when we get to the section containing the Ten Directions Clap and Snap section, I would greatly appreciate it.” Nanda: I’ll tell ya Jami, but the Kali Puja is a bit more advanced than the Beginner Shiva, so it’s not going to be a one-to-one match. Just so you know. Grace had a concern regarding the placement of her altar. Well, Grace, I have forwarded your dilemma to Swamiji and will inform when he does. But my take is that we know what is recommended and try to fit in with that recommendation the best we can. The best would change depending on your specific situation. But we will wait to hear from him. Sankar brought up a good question on disposing old flowers. We will touch this subject in a few days. Thanks all, and we’ll focus a little bit on theory this evening. JAI MAA Nanda =============================================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 this is all worth reading, i enjoyed seeing it all together. here is a funny one for you. my current altar is in a very strange position above the stairs. it is like a little alcove with a swinging wooden door. i have to be very nimble to get there. unlike berijoy i am 51. AGE MEANS NOTHING. even tho a couple times i almost fell, hoho. i climb over all kinds of stuff to get there. AND I AIN'T COMIN" OUT TILL I'M DONE. jai you all. , Nanda <chandimaakijai> wrote: > Dear All, > OK – I left out one important ingredient in my list – we need a bowl/cup for DRINKING WATER for the deity. > > > > Hope everyone had a chance to consider the position of their altars. > > > > It's great that we have a lot of questions today. Special thanks to Berijoy and Grace. > > Also to Sankar for his informative post /message/10223 > > > > Berijoy sez : "ok, this is good, nanda. Very detailed. " > > > > Nanda : Thank ye kindly maam > > > > Berijoy: "i see i need to reconfigure my arrangement. i have my altar setup on my dining table (which i do not use for eating) which is quite high from the floor so i was sitting in chair." > > > > Nanda: Um, you want to sit on the floor, Berijoy , so yes – the dining table is out. Note – for all those folks with problems sitting on the floor because of health reasons, a high table with you seated on the chair is OK. For nimble 20 year old Berijoy it's the floor J > > > > Berijoy : "don't know where i could get a wooden platform (i'm not handy with woodwork), so i guess i'll go looking for a cardboard box. i do have a zafu and meditation mat that i can dedicate to this purpose so just have to find a good platform." > > > > Nanda: I used a cardboard box for a long time – it was about 8 inches high, 25 inches long and about 15 inches wide. I put a lot of stuffing – packing material, old books etc to make the box sturdy. I then covered it with some pretty cloth. I would change the cloth ever so often to give it a new look and feel. Now I got a carpenter friend to make me a proper wooden altar. > > > > Onto Berijoy's questions: > > What do you draw this yantra with? And you do this on the plate? > > > > You can draw the yantra with a few drops of water and the ring finger of your right hand. Or you could use sandalwood paste and a little stick. I personally use the water and finger – easier to wipe off too. > > > > Why do we need 2 water pots? > > > > The first water pot to hold water, and the second one to hold the purified water – you will see this as we go through the puja > > > > Where do you get a conch from? > > > > Hmmm, this is a tough one. Stevie Wonder Connor from Austin has the same question. There is a puja store in the Bay area where I can get one, but I aint so sure about the other parts of the country. Maybe folks reading this post that have bought conches in the USA can help their less fortunate, conch-challenged brethren with websites. > > > > This cloth and this rudraksh--do you need a new one each time, or do you offer the same one over and over? > > > > We offer the same one over and over – keeping in mind that they are not to be used for anything else. Also here is a thought – if you are presenting any outfit for a friend, you could offer this outfit to the deity during the puja, and then give it as a present to your friend. Then it would be God's Prasad/blessing to your friend. But do not; do not ever offer a cloth that has already been worn. You only offer new clothes. > > > > Srini sez > > > > "In India, where the power goes off frequently, if you are chanting at > > night, you may want to add an emergency lamp. > > > > Of course, if you have memorized the chant, it would not be needed ;)" > > > > Nanda: Good points Srini > > > > "Another option that I discovered from reading Sahib Sadhu is that of > > our beloved Swamiji's: He would chant in the Funeral Grounds where > > the light from the pyres were very bright throughout the night." > > > > Nanda : I aint gonna tell anyone in this group to go to the funeral grounds to do Beginner Shiva Puja to save on electricity . No sir! At home is good enough for now and do it in the daytime if yer worried about bills. > > > > I seek the blessings of our beloved Gurus to make our sadhana strong > > and bright." > > > > Nanda: You and me both Srini > > > > Steve says: I bought a book holder made of wood at barnes and noble! aso you > can look there for one. > > > > Nanda: Thanks for the good tip. I`ll go look too. > > > > Jami says: "I don't have the Shiva Puja Beginner Book, so I am following along with the posts, relating them to the Kaalii Puujaa book, which is what I use. > > If someone who has the book could give me the heads-up when we get to the section containing the Ten Directions Clap and Snap section, I would greatly appreciate it." > > > > Nanda: I'll tell ya Jami, but the Kali Puja is a bit more advanced than the Beginner Shiva, so it's not going to be a one-to-one match. Just so you know. > > > > Grace had a concern regarding the placement of her altar. Well, Grace, I have forwarded your dilemma to Swamiji and will inform when he does. But my take is that we know what is recommended and try to fit in with that recommendation the best we can. The best would change depending on your specific situation. But we will wait to hear from him. > > > > Sankar brought up a good question on disposing old flowers. We will touch this subject in a few days. > > > > Thanks all, and we'll focus a little bit on theory this evening. > > > > JAI MAA > > Nanda > > > > =============================================================== > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 thank you for all your great answers, sister nanda! now answers beget few more questions > OK – I left out one important ingredient in my list – we need a > bowl/cup for DRINKING WATER for the deity. is this in addition to the two water pots? > */Nanda:/* Um, you want to sit on the floor, */Berijoy /*, so yes – > the dining table is out. Note – for all those folks with problems > sitting on the floor because of health reasons, a high table with you > seated on the chair is OK. For nimble 20 year old */Berijoy/* it’s > the floor J ha! nimble? moi? 20 year old? girl, thanks but you're are a loooooooooong way off! :-D LOL! i passed 20 many many moons ago (as my mother used to say). > */Nanda/*: I used a cardboard box for a long time – it was about 8 > inches high, 25 inches long and about 15 inches wide. I put a lot of > stuffing – packing material, old books etc to make the box sturdy. I > then covered it with some pretty cloth. I would change the cloth ever > so often to give it a new look and feel. Now I got a carpenter > friend to make me a proper wooden altar. good it helps to know the dimensions you used. gives me a better idea of how large a box i need to scour around for. i would definitely cover with pretty cloth. one other question: on your drawing the flowers and the items to be offered, and the water pot are not on the platform. is this right? where are they? > /Why do we need 2 water pots?/ > The first water pot to hold water, and the second one to hold the > purified water – you will see this as we go through the puja so, this first pot is like tap water and the other is like spring water? > /Where do you get a conch from?/ > Hmmm, this is a tough one. */Stevie Wonder Connor from Austin /*has > the same question. There is a puja store in the Bay area where I can > get one, but I aint so sure about the other parts of the country. > Maybe folks reading this post that have bought conches in the USA can > help their less fortunate, conch-challenged brethren with websites. are they expensive? maybe someone who is nearby (if there is anyone) could do a conch run for a few of us. (tee hee hee. not bad idea really, is it?) :-) > /This cloth and this rudraksh--do you need a new one each time, or do > you offer the same one over and over?/ > We offer the same one over and over – keeping in mind that they are > not to be used for anything else. Also here is a thought – if you > are presenting any outfit for a friend, you could offer this outfit > to the deity during the puja, and then give it as a present to your > friend. Then it would be God’s Prasad/blessing to your friend. But do > not; do not ever offer a cloth that has already been worn. You only > offer new clothes. > so is it an actual article of clothing, or unsewn material? and is there a certain length of it? sorry to be so technical but as grace says since we have the benefit of your time and attention to this matter we might as well be as precise as possible. :-) > */Nanda : /*I aint gonna tell /anyone/ in this group to go to the > funeral grounds to do Beginner Shiva Puja to save on electricity . No > sir! At home is good enough for now and do it in the daytime if yer > worried about bills. whew! thank the goddess for that! LOL! > /I seek the blessings of our beloved Gurus to make our sadhana > strong and bright.” indeed! > */Steve/* says: I/ bought a book holder made of wood at barnes and > noble! aso you can look there for one./ good idea. if one does not have all these items at once, is it ok to do puja with the things available so far? -- Be Love, Berijoy http://www.egyirba.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 , "Steve Connor" <sconnor@a...> wrote: "i have to be very nimble to get there. unlike berijoy i am 51. AGE > MEANS NOTHING. even tho a couple times i almost fell, hoho. i climb > over all kinds of stuff to get there. > AND I AIN'T COMIN" OUT TILL I'M DONE." > Namaste Steve ji! Kind of your version of climbing the Himalayas to get to your cave!!! BIG SMILE! So symbolic! Oh this one is going to keep me smiling for quite a while!!! [Please don't fall!] Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Ramakrishna Deva! muktimaa > > > this is all worth reading, i enjoyed seeing it all together. > > here is a funny one for you. > > my current altar is in a very strange position above the stairs. it is > like a little alcove with a swinging wooden door. > > i have to be very nimble to get there. unlike berijoy i am 51. AGE > MEANS NOTHING. even tho a couple times i almost fell, hoho. i climb > over all kinds of stuff to get there. > > AND I AIN'T COMIN" OUT TILL I'M DONE. > > jai you all. > > , Nanda <chandimaakijai> wrote: > > Dear All, > > OK – I left out one important ingredient in my list – we > need a > bowl/cup for DRINKING WATER for the deity. > > > > > > > > Hope everyone had a chance to consider the position of their > altars. > > > > > > > > It's great that we have a lot of questions today. Special > thanks to > Berijoy and Grace. > > > > Also to Sankar for his informative post > /message/10223 > > > > > > > > Berijoy sez : "ok, this is good, nanda. Very detailed. " > > > > > > > > Nanda : Thank ye kindly maam > > > > > > > > Berijoy: "i see i need to reconfigure my arrangement. i have my > altar setup on my dining table (which i do not use for eating) which > is quite high from the floor so i was sitting in chair." > > > > > > > > Nanda: Um, you want to sit on the floor, Berijoy , so yes – the > dining table is out. Note – for all those folks with problems > sitting > on the floor because of health reasons, a high table with you seated > on the chair is OK. For nimble 20 year old Berijoy it's the floor > J > > > > > > > > Berijoy : "don't know where i could get a wooden platform (i'm > not > handy with woodwork), so i guess i'll go looking for a cardboard box. > i do have a zafu and meditation mat that i can dedicate to this > purpose so just have to find a good platform." > > > > > > > > Nanda: I used a cardboard box for a long time – it was about 8 > inches high, 25 inches long and about 15 inches wide. I put a lot of > stuffing – packing material, old books etc to make the box > sturdy. I > then covered it with some pretty cloth. I would change the cloth ever > so often to give it a new look and feel. Now I got a carpenter friend > to make me a proper wooden altar. > > > > > > > > Onto Berijoy's questions: > > > > What do you draw this yantra with? And you do this on the plate? > > > > > > > > You can draw the yantra with a few drops of water and the ring > finger of your right hand. Or you could use sandalwood paste and a > little stick. I personally use the water and finger – easier to > wipe > off too. > > > > > > > > Why do we need 2 water pots? > > > > > > > > The first water pot to hold water, and the second one to hold the > purified water – you will see this as we go through the puja > > > > > > > > Where do you get a conch from? > > > > > > > > Hmmm, this is a tough one. Stevie Wonder Connor from Austin has the > same question. There is a puja store in the Bay area where I can get > one, but I aint so sure about the other parts of the country. Maybe > folks reading this post that have bought conches in the USA can help > their less fortunate, conch-challenged brethren with websites. > > > > > > > > This cloth and this rudraksh--do you need a new one each time, or do > you offer the same one over and over? > > > > > > > > We offer the same one over and over – keeping in mind that they > are > not to be used for anything else. Also here is a thought – if > you are > presenting any outfit for a friend, you could offer this outfit to the > deity during the puja, and then give it as a present to your friend. > Then it would be God's Prasad/blessing to your friend. But do > not; do > not ever offer a cloth that has already been worn. You only offer new > clothes. > > > > > > > > Srini sez > > > > > > > > "In India, where the power goes off frequently, if you are > chanting at > > > > night, you may want to add an emergency lamp. > > > > > > > > Of course, if you have memorized the chant, it would not be needed > ;)" > > > > > > > > Nanda: Good points Srini > > > > > > > > "Another option that I discovered from reading Sahib Sadhu is > that of > > > > our beloved Swamiji's: He would chant in the Funeral Grounds where > > > > the light from the pyres were very bright throughout the night." > > > > > > > > Nanda : I aint gonna tell anyone in this group to go to the funeral > grounds to do Beginner Shiva Puja to save on electricity . No sir! At > home is good enough for now and do it in the daytime if yer worried > about bills. > > > > > > > > I seek the blessings of our beloved Gurus to make our sadhana strong > > > > and bright." > > > > > > > > Nanda: You and me both Srini > > > > > > > > Steve says: I bought a book holder made of wood at barnes and noble! > aso you > > can look there for one. > > > > > > > > Nanda: Thanks for the good tip. I`ll go look too. > > > > > > > > Jami says: "I don't have the Shiva Puja Beginner Book, so I am > following along with the posts, relating them to the Kaalii Puujaa > book, which is what I use. > > > > If someone who has the book could give me the heads-up when we get > to the section containing the Ten Directions Clap and Snap section, I > would greatly appreciate it." > > > > > > > > Nanda: I'll tell ya Jami, but the Kali Puja is a bit more > advanced > than the Beginner Shiva, so it's not going to be a one-to-one > match. > Just so you know. > > > > > > > > Grace had a concern regarding the placement of her altar. Well, > Grace, I have forwarded your dilemma to Swamiji and will inform when > he does. But my take is that we know what is recommended and try to > fit in with that recommendation the best we can. The best would change > depending on your specific situation. But we will wait to hear from > him. > > > > > > > > Sankar brought up a good question on disposing old flowers. We will > touch this subject in a few days. > > > > > > > > Thanks all, and we'll focus a little bit on theory this > evening. > > > > > > > > JAI MAA > > > > Nanda > > > > > > > > =============================================================== > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Steve Connor wrote: > i have to be very nimble to get there. unlike berijoy i am 51. AGE > MEANS NOTHING. even tho a couple times i almost fell, hoho. i climb > over all kinds of stuff to get there. > > AND I AIN'T COMIN" OUT TILL I'M DONE. gotta love ya, steve! i may not look it (if you have seen my profile pic) but i am also 51 (in fact, next week i'll be 52). but nimble? not me, no sir. (working on it though) LOL! -- Be Love, Berijoy http://www.egyirba.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 i love picturing steve climbing his own private himalaya, muktimaa! muktimaa wrote: > --- In , "Steve Connor" <sconnor@a...> > wrote: > > "i have to be very nimble to get there. unlike berijoy i am 51. AGE >> MEANS NOTHING. even tho a couple times i almost fell, hoho. i climb >> over all kinds of stuff to get there. AND I AIN'T COMIN" OUT TILL >> I'M DONE." >> > Namaste Steve ji! Kind of your version of climbing the Himalayas to > get to your cave!!! BIG SMILE! So symbolic! Oh this one is going to > keep me smiling for quite a while!!! [Please don't fall!] Jai Maa! > Jai Swamiji! Jai Ramakrishna Deva! muktimaa -- Be Love, Berijoy http://www.egyirba.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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