Why do we have a Puja Room ?

Chitvish · Jul 13, 2006

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Puja literally means to “ worship “, “ adore “, “ honour “, or “ pay respect”.
Puja room or a prayer room is an intrinsic part of every Hindu hosehold. Instead of a room, sometimes it is a cupboard or a corner, comparatively more quiet than other parts of the house. This is mainly because rituals such as puja are an integral part of Hindu worship .

In our houses, we have a drawing room, bed room, study and kitchen definitely. We dedicate each room to a specific function. The drawing room is used to receive guests, watch T V with the whole family etc. The kitchen is meant for cooking food. The study is so arranged that as soon as we enter there, we are inclined to do our work . It is the law of association of thoughts which plays a main part when we enter each room.

The prayer room is designed to facilitate in developing a prayerful attitude in us. In Hindu culture God is considered the owner of all creation and we consider the puja room as His room. This is a religiously pure room, in our mind. When we enter there, our thoughts centre around religious activities like prayer, chanting, puja and meditation.
We set aside a few minutes to be to be in that room everyday. It is not necessary to say anything. If we simply practise thinking about God, it makes us spiritually receptive.

Generally we avoid negative thoughts in prayer. We use only positive thoughts to get results. So, the room gets charged with positive energy, over a period of time. In that room, we generally keep pictures of Gods and Mahatmas. Eventhough we believe in one God, we keep the pictures of many deiities.

We light a lamp and worship the Lord. We burn incense in that room . Smelling incense while experiencing the calm silence of the puja room can be a powerful tool for the mind to experience peace of mind. All family members worship God in that room. Parayana ( reading the scriptures) and special pujas are always done in that room. We should make “ communing with God ” the specific purpose of the room.

Chanting casettes and CDs played in that room make that room more powerful. This is because sound vibrations pervade the room and influence our minds with sacred thoughts. The mantra’s vibrations gradually lead the mind out of its mundane thinking and into the silence that underlies “ thought “ per se.

All puja materials are meticulously arranged in this room. The room is best kept clean always and distraction must be completely avoided. In course of time, the room gets charged with spiritual thoughts and vibrations accumulated as a result of meditation, worship and chanting. A peaceful atmosphere pervades the room and we start feeling a sense of peace as soon as we enter the room.We feel rejuvenated and our spirit is uplifted. Complete devotion is what is needed.

Love & regards,
Chithra.

Vidya24 · Jul 13, 2006

sacred space

Dear Mrs Chithra,

Another informative and interesting article from you. It is nice to know about positive thoughts and good energy saturating the space. It is now clear why ladies plan their pooja room meticulously when building a new house. Looking forward to more.

warm regards
Vidya

purnima_2k · Jul 13, 2006

one doubt

hi mrs cv,

lovely article. i have a doubt.once i went to someone's house, they were brahmins too. that lady had a very small cupborad for pooja, in spite of having a very huge house. on questioning she told me that always pooja room should be as small as possible- the bigger the pooja room, the more will be the 'demands'of God!!! I was quite surprised with her answer.. is it true?

and also according to vasthu it is said that Swami room should be placed in the center of the house facin g east or west. What is the reasoning behnd it.

Thanks in advance,
Purnima

meenu · Jul 13, 2006

very neatly said

dear chitra,
You have beautifully brought out how we should keep the puja room divine. Iwas so happy to read the simple points,especilly that positiveness isf rom within.In fact I asked some children to read it immediately. Keep up the Divine service,
Regards,
Meenu

Chitvish · Jul 13, 2006

Dear Vidya, you are my trusted lieutinant, as ever !

Within an hour of posting, to get a feedback is the encouragement which only you can give me !
I asked God to send me a friend ....He sent you.
Thankyou for the nice words.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Chitvish · Jul 13, 2006

I have a small advice for you, Purnima !

When you go out, listen to what others say, but do not believe that it is the unwritten law, which you were mot aware of, all these days !
When God has given you the very life & existence in this world, how can you ever think he will have a list of demands ? God bless the lady who uttered these funny statements to you, is all that I can say !
I have no knowledge of vasthu & hence not competent to comment on the second part of your mail.
Please believe all rules are man made & just as one makes them, one can break them also !
Attitude, only attitude and nothing but attitude counts.
Just relax & do what puts your mind in the " comfort zone". Ultimately that is most important.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Chitvish · Jul 13, 2006

Thankyou, Meenu !

I am very happy that a senior member, well versed in " sat sang" is with me and appreciates me.
Love & regards,
Chithra.

Kamla · Jul 13, 2006

The peaceful pujaroom

Just reading about what you wrote regarding the puja room brings peace to my mind!
Another beautifully written and well explained article Chitra. Thanks for it. Last Thursday was a little vacant without your write up in this forum.
Not only your write up, also your answer especially to Purnima, was very impressive. I feel so satisfied and in full agreement when I read your advices about religious practices and beliefs.
When you live abroad, the houses here often are not congenial to allot a puja room. But most of us overcome and manage a small corner or a cupboard. Believe you me, it did not matter and still gave me the necessary solace and peace.
Goes without saying that I look forward to more such gems.

Love and thanks,
Kamla

sudhavnarasimhan · Jul 13, 2006

Dear Chitra,
I was also waiting to see your post this thursday....after we are all die hard fans of you!
Well said....about the seperate room or place and the positive energies...i fully agree 200 percent and i have been doing this also, so can vouch for thsis Peace of Mind theory.....ha ha...thanks once again....

Chitvish · Jul 13, 2006

A combined thanks-mail to Kamla & Sudha !

Please believe every alphabet of what I say - but for friends like you who follow me in every thread I start with a prompt F B, I would not be writing this thursday column at all. To each one of you, I repeat my words to Vidya
I asked God to send me a friend....He sent you.
Since you both live abroad, you must have learnt by experience, what important part ATTITUDE plays in our day to day life.
Thanks for continuing with me, on this enjoyable Cultural Journey.
Love & regards,
Chithra.