Why Do We Do Puja?
The
English equivalents of ‘Puja’ are homage, reverence, worship, respect,
etc. The system of Puja relates to religions, deities and God. In some
religions there is an elaborate system of rituals for Puja while in
some religions there is a simple method of prayer.
All the major religions of the world originated in
This
system is visible in today’s world. Almost all the religions except
Hinduism evolved during the last 2,600 years. Hinduism is the oldest
religion of the world and its history is about 4,000 years long but
Hinduism also developed after the 1st agricultural revolution which
took place about 10,000 years ago and the intervening period was Vedic
period in
In
order to understand the purpose of Puja we will have to go back in the
early stages of human civilizations when man was a jungle dweller and
without shelter, because, the system of reverence to some unknown power
started emerging in that period. This will define the causes also which
drive human beings to perform Puja.
a)
The Puja system emerged to get protection of unknown powers, from
natural calamities, hazards and disasters in the early period:-
In
the initial stages man was a food gatherer, hunter, fisher and
shelter-less living in jungle in small groups. There was no concept of
God in that period. The small groups of people lived in isolation.
However, they saw the impact of natural calamity on their lives. They
experienced the impact of wild fires, thunderbolts, storms, heavy
rains, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and they began fearing
such phenomenon.
In
order to protect themselves from such events, they must have visualized
the role of an unknown superpower and started showing reverence to such
powers. This culminated in the Vedic period in ancient India when
elaborate system of worship of Fire God (Agni Dev), Wind God (Vayu
Dev), Water God (Varun Dev), Sun God (Surya Dev), Thunderbolt God
(Indra dev) began.
In
addition to such deities a system of reverence was also invented to get
protection from every element of the environment of the earth. Trees,
soil, rivers, hills, animals, reptiles, birds, all became objects of
reverence in the Vedic period. We may call it “Animism” which was the
system of Puja up to the Vedic period.
b) The rise of Sakam Puja (worship with expectation of reward):-
Since
Hinduism developed from Vedic religion, there is a multiplicity of
God’s and Goddesses in the Hindu religion. There are 100’s of Puja
systems associated with deities. There is a multiplicity of religious
books. The concept of “Tridev” (Trinity namely Bramha, Vishnu and
Mahesh) developed in the early stages of Hinduism.
The
system of worship was designed to please a particular deity for
obtaining some blessings and rewards. This Puja is for fulfillment of
human desires, wants, freedom from sufferings, for off-springs, for
marriage, rise in status and position, for health, wealth, and other
desires.
The
ancient kings organized “Aswa-medha Yagya” for enlarging their kingdoms
and empires. According to Ramayana even Raja Ram took recourse to this
yagya and the horse of the yagya was caught by his children Lav and
However,
this type of Puja is medium quality Puja, because it is done for
material rewards. Lord Krishna in Shrimad Bhagwat Gita said as follows:-
“Antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa medhasam
devan deva yajo yanti mad bhakta yanti mam api”
(Chapter VII, Verse 23)
Translation:
Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are
limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets
of the demigods, but my devotees ultimately reach my supreme planet.
c) System of Nishkam Puja (worship without attachment to expectations):-
The
Hinduism continued to transform through the ages and became more
scientific. It came to be regarded as a religion associated with
fundamental doctrine of Karma. This thought emerged during the battle
of Mahabharata when Lord Krishna began counseling Arjun. The same
preaching is found in Shrimad Bhagwat Gita.
According
to Hindu doctrine, all beings have souls and there is a process of
reincarnation after death. These souls are arranged in a hierarchy. The
fundamental point is to move upward in the hierarchy and then escape
from the eternal cycle of birth and death through union with the
Brahma. The principle of reincarnation of soul is the cornerstone of
Hinduism and every soul should try to attain salvation (Nirvana, Mukti,
Moksha) through spiritual practises. This should be the supreme purpose
behind Puja.
For
this Lord Krishna showed the paths of “Karma Yoga” (adherence to duty
while remaining detached from reward), “Gyan Yoga” (knowledge of the
absolute) and “Bhakti Yoga” (spiritual practise of fostering loving
devotion to God). Lord Krishna said in Bhagwat Gita:-
“a-brahma bhuvanal lokah punar avartino rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate”
(Chapter VIII, Verse 16)
Translation:
From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all
are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But
one, who attains to my abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.
d) Rise of Sadguru Puja (worship of ascendant masters):-
Sadgurus
(ascendant masters) are incarnations of God himself who live amidst us
to guide us in our endeavor to reach to God. Lord Krishna in Bhagwat
said that “Saints are incarnations of God”. Sadgurus are known by
different names in different religions. Hindus call them “Paramhansa”
Muslims call them “Qutub” and Christians call them “the ascendant
masters”. They have incarnated in almost all religions. Some prominent
names are “Jesus Christ”, “Moses”, “Gautum Buddha”, “Lord Mahavir”,
“Aadi Sankracharya”, and “Prophet Mohammad”. The most recent
incarnations of Sadgurus go by the name of “Ram Krishna Paramhansa”,
Shri Sai Nath of Shirdi”, “Guru Nanak” etc.
The
Sadguru guides his disciple to attain God for which Guru Bhakti
(devotion to Guru) is the most important requirement. Therefore, the
disciples are duty bound to keep their Guru in high reverence.
The
life of the modern man has become very complex. He cannot follow the
elaborate Puja systems and rituals followed by his ancestors. There is
shortage of time and in these difficult moments; the only recourse left
to human beings is to keep faith in Sadguru who guides them to
spiritual betterment. Hence, worship of Sadguru is the most important
Puja in today’s world.
Written By: Anand Sagar Pathak
Astrologer
Dated: 3rd August 2009
|