Festival of Diwali with Steps of Puja. Origin and How to Celebrate in Northern India, Diwali Commemorates the End of Rama’S 14-Year Exile and His Eventual Coronation
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Festival of Diwali with Steps of Puja. Origin And How To Celebrate In northern India, Diwali commemorates the end of Rama’s 14-year exile and his eventual coronation. In Gujarat, the focus shifts to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Then further north in Nepal, Diwali participants honour Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon king Narakaasura, and in Bengal Diwali is associated with the Hindu goddess Kali. Prior to Diwali, the whole house should be thoroughly cleaned. Entrances should be clear of shoes and junk, allowing Lakshmi free entrance into the home. Rangoli patterns can be created and small footprints of Lakshmi drawn (Remember that traditions vary by region and not every Hindu does every ritual on this list. Day One: Dhanteras November 1st, 2013 It is auspicious on this day to purchase gold or silver items (metal based on your income status), particularly utensils. This is a good day for making investments. It is also the time to buy Diwali gifts*. Also decorate any businesses (source of income) and clean and pray out all the business supplies. Some people do a puja to the God of medicine Dhanvantari. There are two different stories associated with this day. In some regions the story is of a young king who was cursed to die by a snake bite four days after his wedding. His new wife, knowing this, made a pile of silver and gold coins and her own jewelry and lit lamps all around the room. She kept her husband awake telling stories and singing songs. Yama, the God of death, came in the form of a snake, but he was dazzled by the bright metals and stayed the night on the pile of gold and silver listening to the stories. In the morning he left and the young wife saved her husband’s life. (so buy metals and shiny things to ward of death/pain/negativities) The other story is that of the churning of the ocean. Some believe that Dhanvantari, the God of medicine, came out of the ocean with the jar of elixir (Amrit of life- immortality) on this day. Cows are decorated and shown particular reverence on this day as representations of Lakshmi and as sources of income. Reita Agarwal Page 1 Day Two: Chhoti Diwali / Narak Chaturdasi November 2nd, 2013 “Choti Diwali” means “small Diwali” and basically means Diwali Eve. The legend for this day is about the demon king Narakasur, who had imprisoned 16,000 young women, daughters of Gods and saints. A woman named Satyabhama was horrified by the treatment of the women and asked for Krishna’s help to take down the demon. (Narakasur was cursed that he would be killed by a woman). Krishna empowered Satyabhama to fight Narakasur and drove her chariot. After the demon king was defeated, Krishna symbolically married all 16,000 of the captives to save their virtue. When Krishna returned home he was covered in dirt and demon blood and was bathed. Before sunrise on this day a ritual bath is taken in some regions. In Maharashtra it is called Abhyanga Snan. 1. Scented oil 2. Utane: This is a powder mainly containing 5 ingredients. (Can be purchased at Indian grocery stores) 3. Fragrant perfumed soap (some people use only the utane and do not use soap at all) You can use sandalwood or rose-scented soap 1. Apply the scented oil and let the skin absorb the oil for about 15-20 minutes 2. Apply the utane 3. Rinse off with water 4. Bathe with a perfumed soap 5. Dry off 6. Dress in new clothes In South India people mix kumkum with oil to create a paste that looks like blood and break a bitter fruit. They apply these to their foreheads and then bathe in oil and sandalwood paste. In the evening Lakshmi and also Rama are celebrated. Day Three (Diwali Proper): Lakshmi Puja November 3rd, 2013: See the steps on this Youtube site below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIZmgsTbvQA&list=TLjdBoTr0hMR_MS24gS7BNcKP23Kg86 Kdk How to Perform Lakshmi Pooja on Diwali First of all, make sure that your home is completely clean. (Some people sprinkle gomutra, which is cow’s urine. 1) Light a lamp outside your home and open the door to the house, leaving it open. Rangoli are made too 2) Prepare the puja space: Reita Agarwal Page 2 . Have a raised platform . Cover it with a red cloth . Put a handful of grains in the center . Place the kalash (pot/vase) in the middle (fill it with 75% water, one marigold flower, one supari [betal nut], a coin, and some rice grains). Put five mango leaves around the neck of the kalash . Put a small puja thali (plate) over the kalash and make a small flat mound of grains . Draw a lotus with turmeric and place the Lakshmi image or idol in the center . Place coins in front of it . On the right side of the kalash, place Sri Ganesha. Apply a tilak mark of turmeric and kumkum and put some rice grains on the image. Do a simple puja to Ganesha with . Fill a small lota (brass pot) with water and gather bel leaves, dhoop, and a garland of cotton beads . Place books, check balance sheets, and anything related to your business in front . Draw simple rangoli patterns in front of the platform 3) Prepare a panchamitra (mixture of 5 things:milk, curd/yogurt, ghee, sugar/honey, cardamom/spice/saffron) 4) Light five clay diyas and some incense sticks. 5) Light another diya and put it on a thali along with turmeric (haldi), kumkum, and rice grains (optional: sandalwood paste, saffron paste, abeer and gulal), some flowers, and some sweets 6) Apply a tilak to the kalash and place flowers around its base. Apply a tilak to the lota of water (some use ganaga jal) 7) Take some flowers and rice into your hands and fold them into a prayer pose then recite a Lakshmi mantra (or just chant her name) Offer the flowers and rice grain to the goddess after the prayer 8) Bathe Lakshmi by placing her in a separate thali and pouring the panchamitra over her. Then rinse with the water from the lota. Wipe the murti and replace her. 9) Apply turmeric and kumkum to the idol. Burn dhoop and offer marigold flowers and bel leaves. 10) Offer sweets, fruits, money or gold ornaments in front of the murtis. (This money is not spent, but will be gathered later and offered to the nearest temple’s collection box) 11) Perform aarti to finish the puja Reita Agarwal Page 3 12) Distribute prasadam and give teaspoon of the panchamitra into everyone’s right hand to be drunk. Some people also do a Chopdi Puja, which is specifically for success in business. If you have put account books down in front of the Goddess, add flowers and mango leaves on top during the puja to get Lakshmi’s blessing. On the inside of the book draw a swastika and write ”Shubh Labh” on either side (“Good benefit”) Traditionally account books are created especially for this ritual and are to be picked up early in the morning at an auspicious time and the first notations in the book are made with a pen given or sold by a young girl (representing the Goddess). Day Four: Kartik Shuddh Padwa (New Year) November 4th, 2013 and Govardhan Pooja (worship of Lord Govardhan Parvat). Sometimes also called just Padwa, there are different types of celebrations in different parts of India. In the North, cow dung hills are created and decorated with flowers to represent Mount Govardhan, which young Krishna lifted with his finger to provide shelter for everyone in his village. This is a day when brothers used to go and fetch their married sisters to come home for the occasion. Another tradition is “annakoot” which is “mountain of food.” People stay up all night cooking 56 or 108 different kinds of food to be piled together and then pieces are lifted to the Gods. Later people can take the food as prasadam. Day Five: Bhau Bheej November 5th, 2013 This is a day celebrating brothers and sisters. Brothers visit their sisters and are given aarti in thanks for their protection (very similar to Raksha Bandhan). The sisters prepare their favorite sweets. If a lady has no brother, she can perform aarti to Chandra/Darpanagayesha, God of the moon. The story to go with this day is that Yama, the God of death, visited his sister Yami and she was so delighted to see him that she put tilak on his forehead and prepared his favorite foods. Yama was so pleased that he decreed that every anniversary of this day if a sister put a tilak on her brother, he would come to no harm. In Maharashtra Shrikhand Poori is made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIZmgsTbvQA&list=TLjdBoTr0hMR_MS24gS7BNcKP23Kg86Kdk Reita Agarwal Page 4 How to Perform Lakshmi Pooja on Diwali Edited by Amittmore, Kalyx, William James Mason Jr, Teresa and 3 others Lakshmi puja is one of the important rituals performed during the festival of Diwali. This ritual is performed to invite Goddess Lakshmi at home. Prayers are offered to the Goddess, so that the New Year (Hindu New Year) is filled with peace, wealth and prosperity. How to do Diwali Puja describes step by step instructions to perform a simple Diwali puja process at home. Steps 1.Clean house 2. Platform red cloth+grains 3.Kalash with water+1 supari, 1 marigold flower a coin, some rice grains.