The Positive Results of Puja

The purpose of this article is to help answer a very common question, "Why am I still suffering even though I have done so many Pujas to please God?"

I will attempt to structure the article to help clarify the following area:

What is a Puja
When do we perform a Puja
How do we perform a Puja
Why do we perform a Puja

The word Puja is derived from the Sanskrit roots ‘Puh’ and ‘Jayate’ which translates to an English equivalent that the fruits of enjoyment is born. (Siva Purana Part I : I : 16 : 29). Puja comprises two main aspects. The first is the repetition of pure Sanskrit sounds called Mantra. The second aspect of a Puja is the Ritual process which, in this case, simply means that the correct symbolic offerings are properly made to the Deity. Through the performance of Puja, we are able to reap the fruits of enjoyment in our daily life. One of the main fruits of human enjoyment is the ability to procreate, to bear children who will then carry on the family name and lineage. In our general society, parents dote on their children. They nurture and care for them when they are young. They educate them to their highest possible potential. They always want to see their children healthy, happy and prosperous. They visualize a bright future for their children that encompasses their own dreams and their own hopes. And when a couple find themselves in a position where they are not able to procreate, a sense of frustration and uselessness begin to creep in. Such was the case of a couple I recently met. For ten long years they have been trying to get pregnant. For ten long years, they failed. Many times they thought that the seed had caught but soon found out that this was not so. Then the couple would try again. They consulted many doctors and visited many fertility clinics. And when all this failed, they consulted many holy people from different religious backgrounds, all to no avail. Finally someone recommended them to Sri Swami Ram Charran, a Jyotishi trancendentalist. He quickly diagnosed the problem, educated the couple and performed a Durga Puja for them. A few weeks later he received a telephone call from the wife. She was so excited that she was almost shouting into the receiver, "Swami-ji! Swami-ji! Guess what? I am pregnant! I am finally pregnant!"

To fully understand the effects that stem from performance of a Puja, we must first believe that there is something bigger than ourselves - a supreme consciousness or God - and that God created each of us in His own likeness. Thus we are all miniature representations of this Universal God. We are not an entity unto our individual selves but rather we are each connected to the vastness of this living and breathing universal consciousness. In each of us, for instance, there is an aspect of light which is the representation of prosperity. At the universal level as well, there exists this aspect of light in the form of Mother Laxmi. When we pray to Laxmi Mata, we are essentially making a connection between our individual light center and the Cosmic light center. Once this bridge or connection is made, we as an individual person, begin to experience light (prosperity) in more numerous ways and with greater clarity than we ever did before.

We have now established through the scientific discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. From our Veidic literature, we know that every action that we perform has an effect on the universe. Once we perform the action, we create a change in our local environment as well as a change in the larger universe. Whatever that change is, it will affect us and the world around us. When we create an action of love making for instance, a baby is born. More family visits occur to bless the new born. More gifts are received. The companies that sell baby products such as pampers, baby food, toys, safety seats all receive rewards from their sales resulting from this new birth. This baby may be the next Mahatma Gandhi, the next Nelson Mandella, the next Mother Theresa or the next Bill Gates. Our one single action of engaging in an act of love with our partner, causes ripples of actions throughout the universe. In other words, our act causes the universe and the entire cosmos to act upon us. To visualize this event in another way, let us pause and think of the Sun (Surya Devta) for a moment. The rays of the sun shine down upon each one of us equally no matter where we are on the face of this planet. In this same way, the nine planets (Nav Grahas) act upon each of us equally but in this latter case, we are not able to feel their actions as clearly as we feel the rays of the Sun. However, their effect upon us are present just the same whether we are able to feel and interpret it or not. When we act with arrogance and abuse our wealth for instance, one of the Grahas represented by the planet Saturn (Shani Devta) re-act to our arrogance and abuse by taking away our prosperity for a period of seven-and-a-half years. You see. We act. The Cosmic Universe re-acts to our action.

One may rightly ask, "But how does all this happen? How can someone change their future through the correct performance of a Puja?" Part of the answer lies in the knowledge, competency and divinity of the Preceptor (pundit). The other part of the answer lies in the genuine remorse of the Yajman. His pleadings for mercy at the feet of the Lord is demonstrated through his intense concentration and devotion during the Puja process. The positive results will be seen in days and weeks subsequent to the Puja. For just as a judge who has power over our imprisonment or freedom is most likely to show leniency to an accused who is genuinely remorseful and who show evidence of improvement in their behavior, so too is a leniency or freedom from our bondage shown to us by God.

In order for the Puja to show successful results, the knowledgeable Preceptor will create a simulation of the Universe. Through his divine grace, he will cause the connection to be made between the individual and the Cosmos. In a Laxmi Puja, the light center of the Yajman will become connected with the light center of the Cosmos. This process is similar to the activation of certain switches in order to enable a computer program to do what the programmer wants it to do. Using a business example, very often we find that a company will acquire a computer software that can perform multiple functions but since their current operational needs may only warrant a few switches to be turned on, other switches that are able to perform more sophisticated operations will be left closed. As the company grows and prospers it will need to refine its information gathering process. The skilled programmer will then turn on the proper switches to allow the software to perform more efficiently in different areas. This essentially is what the preceptor will be doing during the Puja. He will be turning on those sophisticated switches in the Yajman to connect him with the wider area of the Universe. Once the proper switch is turned on, the tuning will be set to synchronize with that of the universal aspect and the Yajman will begin to feel a sense of connectivity with something larger and much more vast than his earthly self. Through a combination of Mantra and Rituals (rituals in this case simply means that the correct symbolic offerings is made to the symbolic representation or Murti of the Deity), the learned Preceptor ensures that the results are positive for the Yajman and his family. Thus through Guru Krippa - the divine mercy of the Guru who acts as a mediator between the Yajman and God - positive results are assured.

The knowledgeable Preceptor knows the sacred Mantras. These are the original sounds that causes vibrations throughout the universe. Each particular mantra will cause a vibration in a specific location in the body of the Yajman and a corresponding location in the cosmic universe. The mantra vibrations run as snake-like waves and connect the micro-area in the body of the Yajman with the macro-area in the universe. This is a similar concept to the Penfield experiments where Dr. Penfield touched certain areas of the human brain with a tiny probe to trigger physical sensations such as smell or taste in the patient. The brain in this example is like the universal consciousness that I am referring to and the area of smell (nose) is the corresponding area in the body of the Yajman. Thus if a woman is not becoming pregnant, the Preceptor must first determine what is the cause of the blockage because whenever a lineage is stopped from continuance, there is always a cosmic reason. A woman may be prevented from bearing children because of the many wrongs that were committed by her Pitrs (ancestors). Since each person is born and is reincarnated in their own family line, if this Khul (family line) were allowed to continue without correcting the error of their ways, they will continue to cause harm or destruction in the universe. The universe does not want this to continue and will thus stop the family line from regeneration. However, once a holy person enters the picture, he will rescue the Pitrs from their suffering in Hell and place them in Heaven at the lotus feet of Lord Shiva. This will cause the wrongs to stop. Once a person decides to make atonement for previous wrongs in their Khul, then the holy person can lead them through that change process to help them change their behaviors from negative to positive,. The universe is always merciful to those who are repentant. The lyrics of a popular song says it all:

In English translation, this batchaa, this small, innocent child is pleading with God. Oh Prabhu, he is saying, you are powerful and strong. Please have mercy on me and protect me. How can God refuse such a humble request?

Once the correct Mantra is chanted, the areas representing the reproductive systems in the child-less couple will be connected to the area governing Cosmic reproduction. Now once this connection is made, the Yajman must plead for mercy. This brings into focus the second aspect of the Puja or the Ritual portion. Remember that ‘ritual’ in this sense simply means making the correct symbolic offering to the respective aspects or Deities of the universe. So in the case where the Yajman is hit with a Shani Graha and lost all his prosperity, he will first make an offering of Saindhoor (red sandalwood paste to represent prosperity) to Ganesh Devta. Since Ganesh is the remover of obstacles, the Yajman is begging Lord Ganesh to remove all obstacles that is preventing his prosperity from flowing freely. Next the offering of Saindhoor is made to Gowrie Mata (Mother). In this act, the Yajman is begging Mother to bless him with prosperity. Then the offering of Saindhoor is made to Pritivi Mata (Earth). In this act the Yajman is asking Mother Earth -the planet on which he currently lives - to give him that material prosperity. This goes on until the proper offerings are made to the respective Deities. Success is assured when the entire process is done accurately with great love and devotion.

On the other hand, failure will certainly result if a Pundit without the proper knowledge decides to cut corners and rush through the process. When certain steps are eliminated from the Puja process two things will immediately happen. The first is that the connection between the Yajman and the specific area in the Cosmic universe will not be made. This can happen when a mantra is left out or if the wrong mantra is used. However, even if the proper mantra is used and the connection is made but the correct offering is left out, then the second thing that will happen is that the Deity will not be pleased. I have seen this happen many times over. The Deity will not be inclined to reward the Yajman with whatever he is asking for. Thus the Puja will not be blessed with success. One of the more blatant cases happened when a high profile pundit decided to do what he calls a ‘fast Nav-Graha’ offering. He placed all the offerings for all nine Grahas on a single Paan leaf and placed it in front of the Nav-Graha murtis. Now we all know - or should know - that there are nine (nav) planets (grahas). According to Hindu philopsohy, these nine planets often do not all get along with each other. For instance, Rahu and Ketu are worshipped as Grahas only because the used deception. They are originally a Rakshas who disguised himself as a Devta in order to receive amrit or the nectar of life. As soon as Lord Vishnu found them out, he used his Sudarshan Charka to cut the rakashas in two pieces. However, since the Rakshas had swallowed some of the amrit, the two halves (named Rahu and Ketu) must now be treated with Devta status. Now if these planets are so different from each other, how can a Preceptor and Yajman ask them to share one plate of food? Will you be willing to share the same plate of food with a stray animal? Thus if this is the form of offering made to the Nav-Grahas, is it conceivable that they will be happy? Is it conceivable that they will bless the Puja? Obviously not.

Any Puja that is conducted by a knowledgeable Preceptor will yield successful results. A Shani Puja, for instance, can be performed to mitigate the circumstances surrounding the loss of  our  wealth. In other words, through the Puja, we are going to God with great humility and affection. We are making an affectionate plea for mercy while we do what God wants us to do for the well-being of the universe. He wants us all to live and act in the best interests of the planet and the universe. We must show God through the Puja that we have received His message with great clarity. And we must do it with heartfelt consideration, i.e: with great devotion. The Puja ritual is not mysticism or magic. It is only magical in the sense that it instils in the mind of the Performer (Yajman), that he must habituate himself to a different way of thinking, of speaking and of acting. The Puja ritual forces us to bow before God and humble ourselves before Him. And once we practice that level of humility with God, we begin to see God in our fellow Man as well. We begin to see God in everything around us. We reach a new state of equilibrium between us in this human body and the Cosmic or Universal consciousness. And when this happens, the universe allows us to enjoy wealth and prosperity again knowing that we have learnt our lesson - knowing that we are not likely to abuse that wealth all over again.

Most modern-day Brahmins have instilled an expectation in the minds of Hindus that a Puja is of the nature of a Satsang where a mass of people gather to pray, chant devotional bhajans and sing kirtans. This form of worship is simply a public display of community and togetherness. It has little to do with creating a change in someone’s life. It has little to do with connecting the Individual Self or ‘I-ness’ with the Universal Self. It has little to do with the true results that the Yajman is seeking. In summary then, the Puja process will yield positive results only when the Preceptor is knowledgeable, competent and possess divine qualities that will enable him to lead the Yajman and family along the correct path with the two aspects of Mantra and right Offerings to the Deities.
 
 

Sugrim John is a professor at Conestoga College.  He completed his graduate studies at OISE / University of Toronto and is a devotee of Sri Swami Ram Charran of the Hindu Learning Center and Jyotish Ashram.

Copyright © 2002 RamCharran