Chapter 14

Worshipping at Home

In This Chapter

Discovering Hindu ideas about worship

Conducting mealtime worship

Offering prayers morning and night

Focusing on deities

Hindus worship a variety of gods and goddesses in a variety of ways in a variety of settings and at different times during a day. While orthodox Hindus adhere to a strict schedule and pay attention to details prescribed by tradition, the majority of Hindus simply acknowledge a higher power and use a variety of gestures and salutations as they go through their daily routines. As they pass in front of temples or other worship centers, for example, they may pause momentarily and close their eyes in a few seconds’ meditation before they move on. But home is where most Hindus keep up the formal family tradition of worship.

In this chapter, I discuss the daily religious practices that devout Hindus perform at home. For information about worship at temples, head to Chapter 15. Chapter 16 covers the festivals and holydays.

My goal in this chapter is to give you an idea of the rituals and steps involved in Hindu worship at home. Whether each set of steps in this chapter is followed strictly or modified depends on individual preferences based on family tradition and the time available each day for such practices.

Components of Hindu Worship

For most Hindus, worship is a priority in life. That being the case, worship is not reserved for a particular day or week; it’s a daily routine, built into the mindset of Hindus and prescribed by family tradition and belief system. Hindu festivals, temples, rituals, observances, music, clothes, food, and social gatherings are principally the external expressions of this basic belief.

Faith is the critical element in all rituals and Hindu religious practices. Without faith, these rituals and practices are meaningless. In the Bhagavad Gita (see Chapter 13), Lord Krishna makes this very point to Arjuna:

Whatever is sacrificed, offered or performed and whatever austerity is practiced without faith, it is falsehood, O Arjuna. And, further, it is of no value either here or in the hereafter.

In the following sections, I provide basic information about Hindu prayers, altars, and rituals for home worship.

The prayers

Prayers may have different objectives. Some Hindus pray for enhancement of their faith and commitment. Some may pray for specific reasons such as for a loved one’s recovery from illness, the smooth delivery of a baby, or a family member’s safe journey. The Hindu calendar (called Panchangam in Sanskrit) provides auspicious times and dates for certain prayers based on the year, month, position of the sun, phase of the moon, and season and correlates the same with respect to festivals and rituals. Here are just a few examples:

On a New Moon day, you offer your respects and oblations (offerings) to your family’s departed ancestors.

On the Full Moon day, called Poornima, you worship Lord Satyanarayana, a popular deity who is believed to be a combination of the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva).

A particular date may commemorate the birthday of a deity, such as Rama or Krishna.

The bottom line is that prayer is an integral part of Hindus’ daily lives.

Two important steps or procedures are basic to all prayer rituals and are often repeated. One uses water and the other air. I explain them next.

Procedures using water: Achamana

Hindu prayer rituals include using water to purify the immediate space and performing what is called achamana, which involves these steps:

1. Using a ceremonial spoon known as uddharana and your left hand, scoop water from a ceremonial cup and dispense it into your right hand, which is cupped by drawing the index finger in and holding it by the thumb.

2. Chant achyutaaya namaha (I salute god Achyuta) and take one sip of water.

3. Scoop more water from the ceremonial cup into your cupped hand, chant anantaaya namaha (I salute god Anantha), and take a second sip of water.

4. Scoop more water from the ceremonial cup into your cupped hand, chant govindaaya namaha (I salute god Govinda), and take a third sip of water.

Note that the names of gods used here are different names of Vishnu.

Procedures using air: Pranayama

A sacred mantra (chant) known as Gayatri is meditated upon during different times in prayer rituals using a controlled breathing technique known as pranayama. The mantra is translated as follows:

Om. That which pervades earth, sky, and heaven, which is worthy of worship, that has no beginning; that which is the light of wisdom and truth; Let us meditate on the radiance of that divinity. May that brilliance help inspire and illuminate our minds. That One which represents water, light and is the quintessence in all things; May that almighty spirit pervading the earth, atmosphere, and heaven bless us with enlightenment.

While meditating on this mantra (saying the words in your mind), you follow these steps:

1. Close your right nostril with your right thumb (with the fingers naturally bent slightly inward except for the middle finger, which is drawn completely in toward the palm).

2. Draw air through the left nostril as long as you can.

3. Then block the left nostril with the ring finger as you release the air through the right nostril.

4. With the left nostril still blocked, draw air through the right nostril.

5. Now block the right nostril with the right thumb, unblock the left nostril, and release the air through it. After you release the air thus through the left nostril, you’ve just completed one pranayama.

I offer these steps so you can visualize what prayanama involves, but if you want to practice this technique, you should refer to a Yoga book or a teacher.

The arrangement of an altar

Most Hindu households set up an altar (or shrine) at a special place in the home dedicated to offer prayers. This area can be elaborate or simple. For example, some households may reserve a shelf in the bedroom or the kitchen for daily worship. Large households may set aside a separate room with a tier of shelves or a mantap: a four-pillared wooden gazebo-like structure, within which a statue of a deity stands. If an altar is not permanently set up inside the home, Hindus put one up for special occasions when they perform a puja (worship) and invite friends and extended family members to participate.

Regardless of the size of the altar, this shrine is always in the inner part of the house that is less exposed to noise and traffic than other living quarters. Such a location provides a sense of privacy and sacredness. The altar also generally faces the eastern direction.

You find the following objects on a Hindu altar in most homes of devout Hindus (see Figure 14-1):

A clean cloth to drape over the altar

A picture of the main god or goddess to be worshipped, as well as pictures or statues of the family godhead and guru

Two stainless steel or silver vessels for water and a metal spoon called an uddharana

A cloth piece to symbolize clothing

Kumkum (the red powder that Hindu women use on their foreheads) and haldi (turmeric) in small cups

Jewelry, to serve as the symbolic offering

Akshata (a dry mixture of turmeric-tinted uncooked rice) in a cup

Sandal paste, incense sticks, and camphor

Fresh flowers, fruits, coconut, and leaves on plates, as well as fruit juice in a cup

Lamps with wicks soaked in oil or ghee (clarified butter)

An arati plate (a metallic plate containing in it a small cup or spoon-like receptacle into which a small lamp with wick and oil or a few crystals of camphor are placed and lit at the conclusion of a puja)

The rituals

Worship ceremonies may be simple or elaborate and take from just a few minutes to an hour or two. A simple ceremony may involve no more than the devotee (and his family) standing in front of an altar, lighting and placing an incense stick at the altar, and uttering a couple of prayer mantras before leaving home in the morning. An elaborate ceremony, on the other hand, can last longer, use many objects of symbolic importance, and follow a lengthy series of prescribed steps. The remaining sections of this chapter describe such ceremonies.

Figure 14-1: A typical home altar.

Pray, Eat, and Pray! Mealtime Worship

In the Hindu epic called the Mahabharata (see Chapter 12), prince Yudhishthira is quizzed by the Yaksha (a forest spirit) with this riddle: “Who is happy?” Yudhishthira answers this way: “That person who is free of debt, not in constant travel, and who eats a frugal, satisfying hot meal in his own home every evening.” In this section, I explain Hindu mealtime rituals and the rituals associated with the monthly fast day.

Following mealtime procedures

Orthodox Hindus, especially males in the brahmin (priestly) caste, are brought up to regard eating as a ritual. For the two major meals of the day — lunch and supper — they begin with the ritual known as parishechanam. This ritual follows these steps:

1. Pour a couple spoons of sanctified water into your cupped right hand.

2. Sprinkle this water over the entire set of food items served (on a banana leaf or perhaps a plate), circling the items three times clockwise and chanting and addressing the food itself: You are the Truth. I circle you with dharma.

The intent of this mantra is to create a boundary around the food with sanctified water to ward off any bad vibrations.

3. Sip the remaining drops after chanting Let this be the nectar spreading through the food inside.

Amrita (nectar) is considered to be the preferred drink of the gods. The intent of this chant is to pray for infusing nectar throughout this food.

4. Take no more than a grain of rice (or other staple) from the banana leaf (or plate) and swallow it without chewing. Do this five times, one after another, as offerings to each of the wind elements inside the body that control various bodily functions: prana (main breath), samana (digestive system), vyana (circulatory system ), udana (respiratory system), and apana (eliminatory system).

5. Now it’s time to eat!

6. Indicate the end of the meal by sipping a few drops of water and chanting, Let this protective nectar infuse the food eaten.

A night to fast: Ekadashi

Some days, Hindus just don’t eat, at least not a full meal. The eleventh day on the Hindu lunar calendar is known as Ekadashi. Each month, that day is set aside for contemplation and fasting. (Note: Fasting doesn’t mean what you probably think. Hindus, at the end of that day, can look forward to a light meal of delicious snack items, warm milk, and sweet drinks.)

Typically, when a wife or mother serves only a light meal on the evening of Ekadashi, she cooks up a feast the next day (Dwadashi). An orthodox Hindu family, after fasting on Ekadashi, will enjoy that sumptuous meal on Dwadashi after completing morning ablutions (washing, bathing), getting dressed, and worshipping at home.

All meals that are eaten as part of worship contain only vegetarian items. In a typical South Indian home, the dishes include items like seasonal and seasoned curried vegetables; sambar (a thick soup prepared with spices, lentils, and a vegetable); and a milk-, fruit-, or cereal-based sweet dish. The dishes do vary from region to region in India, but when they’re part of worship, they remain vegetarian.

Praying Morning, Noon, and Night

Devout Hindus begin and end the day with prayers. Here, I explain the mantras they use upon waking and through the rest of the day until bedtime.

A simple morning prayer

Upon waking, most Hindus ask forgiveness for stepping on Mother Earth by chanting a mantra that translates this way: I offer my salutations to the Consort of Vishnu, Mother Earth, asking her to forgive me for stepping on her, whose body is clothed with oceans and mountain ranges.

Next, Hindus open and look at the palms of their hands, chanting the following: At the tip of my fingers resides Lakshmi, Saraswati in the center of my palms, and Govinda at the wrist. Thus I view my hands with reverence in the morning.

Now the day can begin. After a bath and before breakfast, many Hindus offer a simple puja (worship) by standing in front of the altar, lighting an incense stick, and chanting a mantra or two. An example of such a mantra is this: May Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva along with the planets Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu grant this to be a good day for me.

(Rahu, the eclipse, is represented as a mouth that threatens to swallow the sun and moon. His image in temples, a head with no tail, never faces that of the sun or the moon. Ketu, the comet, is the unlucky trailing tail with no head attached. These are malign influences that need to be appeased by invocation and prayer, along with the benign “planets.”)

At this point, many Hindus are ready to be on their way. But the orthodox need to do more, as the next section explains.

Sandhya vandanam: Worship for orthodox Hindus

Sandhya refers to that particular period of time when the day breaks and the sun rises. The same word is used to identify the time when the sun sets. Vandanam means “salutations.” Thus, sandhya vandanam is a celebration saluting the sun god. Orthodox Hindus perform this celebration three times every day: at sunrise, noon, and sunset.

The ceremony is based in the Vedas and involves no physical form of a deity. No altar is required, and it can be performed in the open as long the environment is conducive to worship (it’s quiet and clean). All that is needed is a cup of water and a spoon. The ceremony requires the worshipper to stand, sit, and turn toward the four directions during different parts of the puja.

Before the ceremony

Before beginning the worship, orthodox Hindus follow specific instructions that include minute details, such as the following:

Washing hands and nails 12 times

Rinsing the mouth 12 times and brushing their teeth

Immediately after doing an achamana (refer to the earlier section “Procedures using water: Achamana”), taking a bath while chanting a declaration that the bath is being taken under the orders of the Almighty and to please the good Lord Narayana (another name for Vishnu) in order to absolve all sins

Invoking and saluting the river Ganges while pouring water on their bodies and completing the bath

The worshipper then dons clean clothes and applies denominational marks on his forehead and other parts of his upper body, as I explain in Chapter 4.

Meanwhile, the lady of the house prepares herself and the family to get ready for the morning puja and cleans the areas around and inside the prayer room by lighting an incense stick or two along with a lamp and setting up the altar with puja materials and flowers for offerings. The housewife also typically decorates either the front steps of the house or the entrance to the puja room with what is called a rangoli pattern drawn with chalk or rice flour; you can see a typical rangoli pattern in Figure 14-2.

Figure 14-2: A rangoli pattern.

The principal steps

The worshipper starts with achamana (explained in the section “Procedures using water: Achamana”). Then he follows these steps (note that each chant involves the names of gods who are all forms of Vishnu):

1. Using the right thumb, touch the right and left cheeks while chanting Keshavaaya namaha and Narayanaaya namaha respectively. The translation of this chant is “I salute Keshava and Narayana.” (The other chants in this list have the same meaning addressed to the other names of Vishnu.) This is a typical salutation to a godhead.

2. Using the ring finger and chanting Maadhavaaya namaha, Govindaaya namaha, touch the right and left eyes, one at a time, with eyes closed.

3. Touch the right and left nostrils with the index finger while chanting Vishnave namaha and Madhusudanaaya namaha.

4. Touch the right and left ears with the little finger while chanting Trivikramaaya namaha and Vaamanaaya namaha, respectively.

5. Touch the right and left shoulders with the middle finger while chanting Sreedharaaya namaha and Hrisheekeshaaya namaha.

6. Finally, using all fingertips, touch the navel and head while chanting Padmanaabhaaya namaha and Daamodaraaya namaha.

The belief is that these contacts with the right-hand fingers energize the seats of energy in the upper body.

7. Say this prayer to remove all obstacles in the way of this ceremony: I meditate on Vishnu clothed in white, the color of the moon, four-armed, of pleasant aspect, so that all obstacles may be lessened.

The worshipper then declares his intention through a chant to perform the ceremony by specifying the time (morning, noon, or evening). After doing so, the worshipper follows these steps:

1. Perform the pranayama three times (see the earlier section “Procedures using air: Pranayama.”)

2. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the head while uttering a chant in praise of water itself.

3. Do an achamana and sip water (see the earlier section “Procedures using water: Achamana”) while making prayers to banish any anger from yourself and asking for forgiveness for any sins committed the previous night.

4. Say a prayer to the Supreme Being.

5. Stand up and offer a palmful of water (facing east in the morning, north at noon, and west at sunset) while chanting the pranayama (Gayatri) mantra.

6. Sit down and declare that you, the worshipper, are indeed Brahman, followed by an achamana.

7. Salute, by chanting each name, each of the nine planets and the forms of Vishnu named in steps 1 through 6 of the preceding list. Dispense water, as you chant, by pouring it into the cupped right palm and offer it through the fingertips by emptying the slightly bent hand.

8. Chant the Gayatri mantra in a meditative pose (facing east in the morning, north at noon, and west at sunset).

9. Worship the very word Om by

• Touching the head and meditating on Brahman

• Touching the upper lip and meditating on Gayatri

• Touching the chest while meditating on the Supreme Soul

• Touching the head again to salute the Seven Sages (see Chapter 9)

• Touching the chest to show reverence to the fire god Agni, wind god Vayu, god of waters Varuna, and the chief of gods Indra

10. Perform three pranayamas.

11. Meditate on Gayatri.

12. Meditate on and chant salutation to the sun god.

13. Salute gods that protect each direction, spaces above and below, and the Hindu Trinity.

14. Salute Yama, the judge of the dead.

15. Conclude with a dedication offering everything that was done by your deeds, mind, and speech to the Almighty.

This completes the worship ceremony for an orthodox Hindu.

Ready to call it a day? Bedtime prayers

At bedtime, Hindus say another prayer to ward off bad dreams. Some Hindus chant a praise to several forms of Vishnu as follows and then go to sleep: I meditate on Achuta, Keshava, Vishnu, Hari, Soma, Hamsa, Janardhana, Narayana, and Krishna in order to rid myself of bad dreams and sleep at peace.

Formally Worshipping a Deity

Many families learn how to conduct a formal worship to their family god/goddess by watching their elders. These ceremonies use simple Sanskrit chants even though the family members may not be able to read or write Sanskrit. (It’s not uncommon to see worshippers use notes written in the worshippers’ own language.)

Pujas (forms of worship), such as the one that follows, may take place on birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions. Sometimes a priest may be invited to come and perform the puja. Some householders prefer to do a puja to their family godhead daily at the end of the day.

In the following section, I show the steps used to conduct a simple and typical worship ceremony by the family without assistance of a priest.

The worship begins by invoking the godhead, followed by a series of invitations, prayers, and offerings described by the Sanskrit word shodasha upacharas, meaning “16 offerings.” The following sections take you through the worship of goddess Lakshmi to show how Hindus perform a typical 16-step puja.

Prayers to Ganapati, guru, and the family godhead

Before starting the puja, you have to contemplate Ganapati (Ganesha), the lord of obstacles, to ensure that no obstacles interfere with a smooth performance of the puja rituals. Thus, with folded hands, you say the following: So that the ceremonies we are about to undertake proceed to completion without any obstacles, we contemplate on Mahaganapati. (Note: Hindus always chant the equivalent of these words in Sanskrit.)

You also invoke the grhadevata, the family godhead, who bestows protection to the family at all times, by saying I respectfully contemplate our family godhead.

Finally, you pay respect to the family guru (see Chapter 9) and offer prayer before beginning the ceremony by saying Salutations to the preceptor who is verily Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara (Shiva) and who personifies the Supreme Being.

Shuddhi (cleansing)

To be sure that any and all evil tendencies are removed from the worship room, start with a prayer to Shiva whose very invocation is believed to clear out any troubling vibrations. Say I salute the Lord of the Southern direction who is the very embodiment of the sacred symbol Om and of pure knowledge and eternal peace.

Next, invoke and invite the seven sacred rivers to fill the metallic vessel. (A typical vessel is a rounded, narrow-necked urn or bowl.) You use this water, now sanctified, to cleanse and offer throughout the worship. Start pouring water from one vessel into the smaller one as you say O Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, and Kaveri waters, please be present in this place.

After you receive the sacred waters, symbolically cleanse your hands by offering a spoonful of water into the hands of the other worshipers and by wiping the hands with reverence as you say May anything unholy become holy, may all lower tendencies depart, cleansing both inside and out as we remember the Lord.

Prayer of invocation to Goddess Lakshmi

Say this prayer to invoke the Goddess Lakshmi:

I worship Mahalakshmi, daughter of the king of the Milky Ocean, queen of the abode of Mahavishnu, who is served by the consorts of all the Gods, who is the one light and point of origin of the universe, through whose benign grace Brahma, Indra, and Shiva attained their exalted positions, who is Mother of the Three Worlds, who is called Kamala, and who is the beloved consort of Mukunda.

The 16 upacharas

Now you’re ready to invoke Mahalakshmi and offer upacharas — in other words, to receive the goddess and make offerings with reverence.

1. Avahana — Greeting and welcoming: With folded hands, focus on the picture of the deity as you say I offer my salutations to Goddess Mahalakshmi (you repeat this before each step). Then offer a few grains of akshata (turmeric-tinted uncooked rice) with your right hand such that the grains fall on the picture gently as you say I offer an invocation to you.

Be sure to make the offerings using your right hand only and with your palm facing upward.

2. Aasana — Offering a seat: Offer akshata as before such that the grains fall on the altar as you say I offer a seat for you.

3. Padyam — Washing the feet: Offer an uddharana-full of water at the feet of the deity or picture as you say I offer water at your feet.

4. Arghyam — Washing the hands: Offer an uddharana-full of water to the hands of the deity or picture as you say I offer water for your hands.

5. Aachamanam — Offering water to drink: Offer again an uddharana-full of water to the hands of the deity or picture as you say I offer water to quench thirst.

6. Madhuparkam — Offering a sweet drink: Offer fruit juice or honey-sweetened beverage as you say I offer some sweet drink.

7. Snaanam — Bathing: Symbolically offer water to bathe or pour water over the deity to bathe as you say I offer clean water to bathe.

8. Vastram — Offering clothing: Symbolically offer a clean piece of cloth to represent gifts of clothing, and say I offer clothing.

9. Aabharanam — Offering ornaments: Symbolically offer a jewel or two (a necklace or a bangle) to be placed around the neck of the statue or in front of the picture of the goddess while saying I offer jewels to you.

You use the Aabharanam only for goddesses. For male gods, you use the Yagnopaveetam (offering the sacred thread) and say I offer the sacred thread.

10. Gandham — Offering perfume (sandalwood paste): Apply to the forehead some sandal paste as you say, I offer sandal paste. Then apply some kumkum to the forehead as you say, I offer kumkum to you.

11. Pushpam — Offering flowers: Offer flowers or petals to the picture or the image of the deity, saying I offer flowers in worship. Then with folded hands say the several names of Lakshmi as follows: I salute Mahalakshmi who is known as Kamala (lotus lady), Ramaa (beautiful lady), who is Mother of the Universe, daughter of the Lord of the Milky Ocean, who sees everything, and who is sister of Chandra (Moon).

12. Dhoopam — Offering perfumed incense: Offer incense by motioning incense smoke with your right hand toward the altar, saying I offer fragrance in worship.

13. Deepam — Offering a lighted lamp: Lift the lamp and show it to the picture or deity such that it illuminates the face and say I offer sacred light.

14. Naivedyam — Offering food: Lift the plate of fruits, leaves, and flowers in reverence and offer them saying I offer a variety of flowers, leaves, and fruits. Then lift the cover off the prasadam (food offered to the god), such as a cooked dish of sweet rice, and offer it as you say I offer delicious food to you. Then sprinkle a few drops of water with the uddharana on the food as you hail the various wind elements in our bodies that promote digestion. The final hail is to the creator Brahma. Continue to offer water as you say I offer more water as you partake the foods.

15. Suvarna – Offering gold: Offer a coin as you say I offer gold to you.

16. Pradakshina — Circumambulation and salutation (prostration): Stand up and do a pradakshina (circumambulation) three times turning to your right, saying Whatever sins I have committed in all my lives may all of them be absolved as I circumambulate in worship.

The easiest way to understand these steps is to imagine that you’ve invited someone whom you love and deeply respect to your home. What would you do? You’d prepare your home to receive her, make special dishes to offer her, and perhaps buy a gift or two. In short, you’d think of ways to show her that you respect her and to offer her what you know she likes in order to make sure she’s happy. These are the same kinds of things that Hindus do in the rituals they follow to worship a god or goddess.

Conclusion

You complete the puja with an arati: a metallic plate containing a small cup or spoon-like receptacle into which a few crystals of camphor are placed and burned. Use your right hand to lift the arati with the burning flame and wave it up and down in an elliptical form clockwise to light up the deity’s face, while you ring a ceremonial bell with your left hand. When that is done, take the arati plate around so that the devotees can receive the blessing by reverentially cupping their hands downward and receiving the warmth of the flame and touching their eyes with the cupped hands inward.

As the arati is being performed, the devotees may sing devotional songs depending on the family practice. You conclude the puja ceremony by saying:

You alone are our mother and father
You alone are our sibling and friend
You alone are our knowledge and prosperity
You alone are everything to us my Lord my Lord

Whatever I have performed through my action,
speech, thought, knowledge, or my natural habit,
may all that be surrendered to Srimannarayana (another name for Vishnu).

The prasad (offered food) may now be distributed and enjoyed after chanting the Shanti Mantra:

May Brahman protect us
May we dine together
May we work together with great energy
Let us be illumined together
Let us live in harmony
Peace, Peace, Peace!