Significance of Various Poojas
Gho pooja
The word “Gho” means cow in Sanskrit Language. Thus “Gho Pooja” means worship of the cow. According to Sanathana Dharma, Gho Pooja is an important daily worship procedure. Spiritually the cow is so pure that millions and millions of deities take residence in and around the cow.
Ganapathy homam
Ganapathi Homam is a ritual dedicated to Lord Ganesha, performed to seek his blessings and achieve success before imparting on any venture. As per Hinduism, the grace of Lord Ganesha can remove obstacles in life and fulfill any task that you are undertaking.
Guru paaduka pooja
Guru in Sanskrit means teacher and Vandana means salutations. Guru Vandana means ‘reverence for the teacher’ and is an expression of love and gratitude towards one’s Guru. It is a means to honor the teacher for imparting knowledge and wisdom to his students.
These chaupaais are from Ramcharitmanas, ‘Bala Kanda’ composed in the Avadhi language.
Guru-disciple tradition is a distinctive attribute of Hinduism. These lines signify that Guru is an ocean of blessings and compassion. He is the dispeller of darkness and reveals to us the true meaning of life.
dhyaana muulam gurur muurtih l puujaa muulam gurur padam ll
mantra muulam gurur vaakyam l mokssa muulam gurur krippa ll
This shloka is the quintessence of life of a disciple (shishya). The root of meditation is the Guru and all the pilgrimages are at the feet of Guru. Every word of Guru is a mantra for his disciple. The root of salvation is the grace of the Guru, a shishya attains moksha only by the difference of his Guru. It is through the grace of our Guru that we can cross the ocean of material desires.
The root of worship is the feet of the Guru. The root of mantra is the word of the Guru.
guru brahma guru vishnu gurudevo maheshwarah l
guru sakshaat parabrahma, tasmae shri guruve namahaa ll
Guru is the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. In Hinduism, the Guru is equated with God in human form. In this shloka Guru has been equated with Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Guru is the creator just like Brahma who is the Lord of Creation, protector like God Vishnu, and the force of transformation like Lord Shiva. Guru is here referred to as the supreme almighty. Guru is Para Brahma who leads to a path of light. His teachings are boundless. We bow to that Guru in respect who is cardinal in itself, who constructs, sustains proficiency, and destroys the ignorance and is the eventual Godhead.
vande bodhmayam nityam guruum shankar roopinam l yamashitroh he vakroapee chandra sarvatra vandhyate ll
“I worship Lord Shankar, the eternal instructor, who is all wisdom, and resting on whose forehead, the crescent moon, though crooked in shape, is universally worshipped.”
This shloka signifies that even if a student is imperfect, he will be respected, recognized, and appreciated by all because of his Guru’s blessings. Guru tells us how to keep balance amidst the troubles of existence and guide us to walk with a vision.
akhand manglakaram vyaapatam yen characharam ll
tadpadam darshitam yen tasmaye shri guruve namaha ll
Salutations to that glorious Guru who divulged to me the Truth, which is undivided, infinite, timeless and which pervades the entire universe, be it movable or fixed. Truth is the essence of the whole universe because if a person is truthful he can grow and learn from his own mistakes. In society truthfulness makes social bonds and creates a closer connection.
bandaum guru pada kanj kripa sindhu narrupa hari ll
mahamoha tama punja jasu ba chan rabi kar nikara ll
I bow to the lotus feet of my Guru, who is a God in human form and his words are sunbeams which cut through the darkness of ignorance. He removes mental darkness through his teachings and conduct.
bandau guru pad padam paraga l suruchi suvas saras anuraga ll
amiya murimaya churan charu l saman sakal bhav ruja parivaru ll
I worship the lotus feet of Guru, who is the source of Divine love. He is like a mixture of sanjeevani (a life saving medicine) which cures even the life threatening diseases. These ailments don’t necessarily be physical but can be mental too. It cures the diseases of the cycle of birth and death. If a human has doubts about himself, his Guru becomes the source of inspiration.
sukriti sambhu tan bimal bibhuti l manjul mangal moda prasuti ll
jan man manju mukura man harani l kiya tilak gun gan bas karni ll
Guru is like the Divine vibhuti (sacred ash) which is over Lord Shiva’s body and cleans the shishya’s body and heart. It is delightful, benevolent and is the mother of bliss. This ash removes dust of doubts in a student’s mirror of mind. By applying this on one’s forehead, all qualities automatically get imbibed in the student. This purifies life and brings peace to troubled minds.
shri guru pad nakh mani gan jyoti l sumiran divya drishti hiye hoti ll
dalan moh tam so saprakasu l bade bhaag ur avi jasoo ll
Tulsidasji here says that Guru’s feet nail’s brightness is as bright as gems and the moment disciple recalls this, his heart is filled with divine light and this eternal light erodes away the clouds of ignorance. One who has the mercy of his Guru attains salvation. The moment Guru comes to our heart, the sorrows and delusions of the world take a backseat and eventually disappear.
In Thennangur , daily poojas of the paadukas of Swami Gnanananda Giri,Swami Haridhos Giri and Swami Namananda Giri performed with great reverence. Participation in the paada poojas will help devotees in their spiritual progress and bring peace and prosperity to them.
Navavarna Pooja
The significance of Navavarana Puja is the removal of the nine Havaianas (veils) and attainment of the ecstatic experience of the inner consciousness.” It helps in the spiritual progress of the devotee.
Tulasi Pooja
Tulsi Puja brings prosperity and happiness to the family. It helps to attain salvation and reduce sins. It reduces the Dev Dosha. Freshwater should be offered to Tulsi, and a lamp should be lighted every morning and evening while chanting Tulsi Pranam Mantra. It is believed that Tulsi was born on Kartik month’s Amavasya.
Udayasthamana Pooja
“Udaya” literally means “rise” or “rising,” but here it refers to the sunrise early in the morning. Similarly, “asthamana” means “sunset in the evening.” Together, the word “udayasthamana” stands for the period from morning to evening. Various worships are conducted in temples right through the day, from morning to night (that is, during the period referred to as udayasthamana), and these are termed commonly as the Udayasthamana Pooja.
Sri Shodasi Amman Pournima Pooja
Pujas done on Purnima day is said to confer great merits to the observers. Therefore special pujas like the Shodasi Amman( The goddess with sixteen hands) pooja is conducted on this day. Many spiritual gurus took birth on the Purnima day. On Purnima, day devotees mostly worship Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu or Goddess Lakshmi.
Devi Mahatmaya Parayanam
It is considered to be a stotra which completes the conferment of benefits of chanting the Devi Mahatmyam. It is small 10 line poem, describing a conversation between Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati with Lord Shiva revealing that the SiddhaKunjika stotra is a mysterious esoteric sloka to be chanted after the chanting of Devi Mahatmyam to be used with great care and precaution by practitioners. It says that the Goddess rules over certain characters of the alphabet, then praises her as the slayer of demons Shumbh, Nishumbh, Madhu, Kaitabh and prays to her to she rules as “Aimkar”, sustains the world as “Hreem”, lords over love as “Kleem”, and as “Aimkaar” grants boons. As “Dham Dheem Dhoom”, she is praised as “Dhurjati” (wife of Shiva) and as “Vaam Veem Voom”, she is praised the Lord who rules Vaani (Sound) and as “Kraam Kreem Kroom”, she is worshipped as Lord Kali and bestows prosperity when meditated as “Sham Sheem Shoom”. It proceeds along these lines and closes out with Lord Shiva telling Goddess Parvati that chanting Devi Mahatmyam without chanting Siddha Kunjika Stotra leaves the reader bereft of getting the complete benefits of chanting the Devi Mahatmyam and says it is akin to crying out loud in an empty forest.
Rahu Kala Pooja
The Rahu Kala Pooja done to the Snake God during Rahu Kalam, the period ruled by Rahu, who himself is in the form of a snake, can earn the God’s compassion for the devotees. This can act as an effective remedy for a variety of problems.
Pradosham
Pradosha or Pradosham is a bimonthly occasion on the thirteenth or fifteenth day of every fortnight in the Hindu calendar. It is closely connected with the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. The auspicious 3 hour period, 1.5 hours before and after the sunset is considered as the most suited and optimum time for worship of Shiva on this day.
Sani Preethi
Shani Puja: People should perform Shani Dosha puja, Sade Sati Puja to please Shani. It is advised to perform Shani Shanti puja as an observance to calm the planet. On Sani Trayodasi, people should perform tailabhishekam as a part of Shani Trayodashi puja.
Sankatahara Chaturthi
Significance of Sankashti Chaturthi Vratam. This vratam holds greater significance. Devotees perform pooja or worship Lord Vinayaka (another name of Lord Ganesh) for the prosperity, peace, and happiness. Adulation takes place in the evening after Chandra darshan or moon sighting. The significance, spiritual importance and the greatness of Sankatahara Chaturthi is mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana and the Narasimha Purana. Sankashti Chaturthi mahatmya was narrated by Lord Krishna to Yudhistira. Devotees of Lord Ganesh believe that if a person who observes Sankshta Chathurthi vratam would collect lot of virtues.
Shivaratri Pooja
Shivaratri Pooja has been given tremendous significance in Hindu mythology. It is said that ritual worship of Lord Shiva on a Shivaratri day pleases Lord Shiva the most. Devotees further believe that by pleasing Lord Shankara on the auspicious Shivaratri day, a person is absolved of past sins and is blessed with Moksha or salvation.
Kalabhairavar Pooja
Worshiping Kala Bhairava dispels darkness from our lives and subdues our enemies. He protects His devotees from greed, lust and anger and helps them overcome addictions of all kinds. Devotees can get relief from sufferings and sins by performing Kala Bhairava Puja on auspicious days.
Navagraha Pooja
Navagraha Rituals (Poojas) is performed if the situation of the Grahas (planets) are inauspicious, negative, bad effective, bad houses or zodiac in your Kundali/ Horoscope. Performing Navagraha Pooja provides the required strength to the person to overcome the hardships and relief from his obstacles. It also make a person progressive, success in activities, make happiness in life, wealth and health etc.
Anjaneyar Vada Malai
Vada is a food item, which is part of South Indian cuisine. It is made using Urad Dal or Black Gram. Hundreds of Vada are strewn together to make a garland and it is then offered to Hanuman. Significance of Vada Mala is that offering it to Hanuman helps in overcoming Rahu Dosha. The story behind making Vada Mala is associated with Rahu Navgraha.
