If you are offering prayers to God regularly, daily, it is better to devise a consistent method that suits your convenience.
Regular worship involves following a sequence of rituals systematically and, often, depends on your available time and energy. To accommodate your schedule and stamina, create your own method that doesn't miss the key parts of the ritual.
In my case, I am a 70-year-old, retired person. I am habituated to the ritual for decades, and with constantly changing circumstances, I kept evolving my progressive methods of performing the Daily Puja.
Presently, I am sitting with my God for one full hour in the morning from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM and for half an hour in the evening from 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
Regarding the dress for puja, I wear the silk dhoti and shawl for morning puja, and the normal pyjama-kurta during the evening worship.
This is How I Do My Puja
I am splitting the entire procedure into sections with suitable subheadings to make the presentation more easily accessible. It will make you grasp the idea of how to perform worship systematically. But you don't need to adopt this procedure. Devise your own method and sequence of rituals to suit your environment and culture.
Preparation for Puja
After having your morning bath, apply the tilak on your forehead with kumkuma or thiruchoornam. It is considered auspicious and brings purity to mind. Wear the silk dhoti or any clean clothes.
- Clean the oil lamp holders with a paper napkin and arrange the vattulu.
- Fill the oil up to 60% of the holder (maximum 80%) and place it on a plate to avert spills.
- You may use a single lamp or two lamps. Place them in front of the worship idol and light the diyas.
- Folding your hands, offer respects to God.
- Fill water into the puja vessel from the tap (better to keep two vessels, one for your achamanam and the other for services to God).
- Besides the water holders, you need a deep plate for dropping the water during the worship procedure.
Services to God While Starting Puja
- Placing your right palm on one vessel, welcome the seven rivers to purify the water. The sloka for this is "gangEcha yamunEchaiva gOdAvari Saraswati narmadA sindhu kAvEri ja;asmin sannidhim kuru".
- Offer arghyam to the Gods with the purified water. Draw some water with a spoon (this spoon, the vessel/s, and plates should be used exclusively for worship purposes and not to be mingled with your kitchen crockery). The water in the spoon should be shown to the hands of God and dropped into the deep plate.
- Then, I offer pAdyam. It is the act of washing God's feet. Show the water-filled spoon to their feet and drop that water into the plate.
- Now, I offer snAnam. Take a spoonful of water and circumambulate it around the Gods. Then, drop it into the plate.
- Next is aachamanam. Take water with the spoon and place it near the lips of the God, as if he is sipping the water, and drop it into the plate. Repeat this process three times.
- You can do the sandhyAvandanam at this stage, if you haven't done it earlier in the morning. My habit is to do it at this time of worship. Most people can find fault with me. But I believe my God does not find fault with me. Previously, I used to perform it much earlier, but not nowadays.
My Ritual of Worship
- After completing the above processes, I begin my puja by chanting the "Suklambaradharam Vishnum" slokam. Then, I sing a Telugu prayer for Ganesha "tondamu nEkadantamu dOrapu bojjayu vAmahastamun". Thereafter, I chant the "jnAnAnandamayam dEvam nirmala spatikAkrutim" and the Vishwaksena slokam. These are slokas for protection from hurdles and for granting wisdom (by removing the darkness).
- Next, I sit down and recite the 24 names of Vishnu. Thereafter, sing 3 stotrams for Vishnu and two for Lakshmi Devi.
- Then I chant "Om ganeshaaya namaha" eight times and the slokam "vakratunda mahAkAya...". Thereafter, I recite the Rama mantra, gifted by Lord Shiva, three times.
- Now, Hanuman dandakam that starts with "Sri Anjaneyam, prasanna Anjaneyam" (only two lines of it). Thereafter, Hanuman dwAdasha nAmAvaLi is recited by me.
- Then, I chant another slokam glorifying Goddess Lakshmi "vandE padma karAm..."
- Now, I close my eyes and contemplate the Supreme Being with my concentration centered on my inner self. This is done for 5 minutes.
- Thereafter, I recite some more prayers and bhajans.
Bhajan and Prayers
- I do "harE rAma harE krishna bhajan for some time.
- Thereafter, I recite Sri Krishna Ashtakam.
- Then, I chant Sri Venkateswara Swamy Stotram, PanchAyudha stotram, and Shiva Panchakshari.
- Now, I do the prayers for Goda Devi, Sri Krishna, Andal, and Ranganathaswamy. These contain the hymns of "neeLAtungastana...", "annavayal puduvai AndAlarngarku", "shitrum siru kAlE...", and "vangakkadal kadaintha mAdhavanai...". These are important in our Vaishnava tradition. They are the closing hymns expressing love and submission towards God.
Naivedyam and Mangala Aarati
- Before naivedyam, dhoop sticks are lit and shown to God, and the light from the diyas is offered to God.
- Then, offer achamanam three times.
- Now, naivedyam is offered. Generally, I offer two bananas and jaggery. On special occasions, we may cook some food for offerings.
- After naivedyam, God's hands and feet are washed. Then, I offer some water for drinking.
- I chant the mangala aarati lyrics now, while circumambulating the oil diyas around God. I do not light camphor nowadays.
- Now, pay obeisance to God and take the prasadam. Prasadam includes the water from the plate and the naivedyam items.
Weekly Prayers
Besides the daily routine of worship, I have some weekly rotational recitations. I pray to Lord Shiva on Mondays, to Hanuman and Goddess Gouri on Tuesdays, to Ganesha on Wednesdays, to the Teachers and Vaishnava Acharyas on Thursdays, to Goddess Lakshmi on Fridays, to Venkateswara Swamy on Saturdays, and the Sun God on Sundays.
- I chant "shivAya nama Om" bhajan for 2, 3 minutes on each Monday.
- On Tuesdays, I do Hanuman Chalisa and three hymns of Gouri.
- On Wednesdays, I sing "Om gam GaNapathayE namaha" 21 times or so.
- I pay respects to all Gurus (including my mother and father) and the Acharyas, including ALwars and Sri Krishna, on Thursdays.
- I recite the Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamam stotram on Fridays.
- On Saturdays, I do the entire Suprabhatam that contains four sections to Lord Venkateswara.
- I recite the Surya Ashtakam on Sundays.
Follow your own method and choose whatever slokams and hymns appeal to you. God does not force you to do them compulsorily. Whatever you do should come from your heart. You should enjoy the bliss and satisfaction.
