Editor’s Note: Love is not only between humans. There is another kind of very pure and ethereal love. The one that man feels towards the Lord. Our member Chitvish tells us the need for a puja room for this love to manifest. Tell us what you think here.
Puja literally means to “ worship “, “ adore “, “ honour “, or “ pay respect”.
Puja room or a prayer room is an intrinsic part of every Hindu household. 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 practice 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 cassettes 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.
