Puja is a practice of devotion and reverence. The word comes from Sanskrit and is commonly translated as offering or honour. It derives from pu (“supreme merit”) and ja (“to give birth”), symbolising respect, gratitude and devotion.
Traditionally, a puja may include murti (sacred images or statues), bhajan (devotional songs), kirtan (chants of praise) and arati (the ritual offering of light). It can be dedicated to any divine form and typically involves offering flowers, food, candles and incense. Puja may also serve as a welcoming ritual, as the Vedic tradition regards every guest as a manifestation of the Divine.
A puja usually concludes with an arati, symbolising the five elements of nature: flowers (ether), incense (air), light (fire), food (water) and sandalwood (earth). In recent years, puja has often been practised in a less formal way as an expression of respect for a guru or the Yoga tradition, a practice that has occasionally drawn criticism from more traditional perspectives.
Ultimately, what matters most in a puja is not the ritual itself, but the attitude of reverence. Offering something is a gift, an act of love.
✴︎ Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to the Divine. Trusting in something greater than ourselves and accepting that there is a deeper purpose to life.
As the Yoga Vasistha teaches:
“The Eternal is not attained through rites or rituals, nor by pilgrimage or wealth. It is attained only through mastery of the mind and the cultivation of wisdom. Therefore, whether gods, demons, demi-gods or human beings, all should constantly strive — whether walking, falling or sitting — to conquer the mind and attain the self-mastery that is the fruit of wisdom.“
In this way, all beings—gods, demons, demi-gods and human beings alike—should constantly strive, whether walking, falling or sitting, to master the mind and cultivate the self-discipline that is the fruit of wisdom.
Silvia