Hari Aum.
As yogis, we are well aware of the ancient yogic form of worshiping God in fire. This is known as "homam" or "havan" in India. Essentially this is a process of invoking the Omnipresent God in fire and then placing offerings such as ghee, rice and herbs into the fire. Similarly puja involves invoking God in a sacred sculpture and offering worship to Him/Her there.
Some people scoff at pujas and havans. They say, God is omnipresent, He/She is everywhere, He/She is formless- what then is the point in worshipping Him/Her in a sculpture or idol during puja, and in a fire during havan? They pose such questions.
My Guru Sivananda provides a fitting reply He says just like a person is pleased when you shake their hand, similarly the omnipresent God who is present in the idol and the fire as well, as everywhere else is pleased when He/She is worshiped in the idol and fire. Yes the idol and fire are only a tiny part of Him/Her, but God is pleased by our showing our love for Him/Her by giving attention to this small portion.
Just like a parent is pleased when a small child makes a painting and gives it to him/her as a present (even if the painting is a complete mess), God is pleased when we, His/Her children, take the trouble to do something like a puja or havan which is basically a way of spending some time remembering God with love.
And the yogis say, God' love for us is very deep and unconditional. He/She does not need our pujas/havans to love us. But we need our pujas/havans to help our mind remember Him and thus be able to experience His love and ever-present Grace. We can feel His Grace when our minds think of Him. One way this is achieved is through puja and havan.
As an aside, God is regarded as being both with and without form according to yogis. The sculptures made of God are not simply based on the fanciful imagination of a human mind. Yes creativity is employed when making sculptures of God, but there is a serious element of Truth in them. The forms of God represented in stone/metal and other physical sculptures are based on the forms seen by the rishis and advanced masters in meditation.
The form of Vishnu represented with four arms holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus is real in that it is eternal and has been seen by yogis in meditation. The same applies to the forms of Durga riding a lion, of Shiva holding the trident and Saraswati holding the veena. The pictures and sculptures help to form an image of the real forms of the Divine in the mind. One can then meditate on these forms with eyes closed visualising these in the space between the eyebrows (ajna chakra) or the centre of the chest (anahata chakra). In time, one begins to feel the presence of God in this space and an intimate connection is formed between God and us.
There is great meaning and value in these pictures and sculptures of God, they are an extremely valuable aid to meditation and remembrance of God. And a mind that remembers God attains God, so paintings and sculptures can become a means to liberation by leading to the remembrance of God. So only the ignorant, who do not really understand, scoff at these rituals. These rituals are a great science and a great art- the art and science of the worship of God. Those artists and sculptors who make beautiful paintings and sculptures of God are truly worthy of our salutations. They are helping humanity to remember God and attain the purpose of life.
Coming to homam, the sacred fire, is a very effective way of worshiping God. The traditional view held by orthodox people is that only Brahmin men are entitled to perform these.
This view is completely rejected by yogis and spiritual Masters. They say anyone (man/woman from any caste/race/background) can worship God, using these rituals, whether for material or spiritual purposes.
If the ritual is being done for spiritual purposes, simply to show love for God, in fact, one need not even worry about a perfect procedure with perfect mantras (though one should certainly try one's best to do it perfectly). If it is being done for material purposes, then it does need to be done as perfectly as possible to give results- whether by oneself or by an experienced priest. This is the advice I obtained after speaking to monks belonging to the Sivananda and Ramakrishna traditions.
I must say that I really enjoy the performance of homams. I perform a simple short one once in a while, and sometimes I call a priest home to perform an elaborate full ritual. I had one such homam with the Mahamrityunjaya mantra done by a priest last week at home for general health of the family particularly my parents, and also for world peace. This also involved a quick puja beforehand of Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Ganesh and the navagrahas as per the priest's style. At the end of the puja and havan, I felt just so satisfied. During the three hour ritual, we had worshiped God's manifestations as water, earth, fire, prayed for the peace and welfare of plants, animals, humans, celestials/demi-gods and all beings in the Cosmos. We had called God with love, offered Him/Her food, drink, a bath, new clothes (exactly as one would do for a beloved relative). We chanted mantras and offered ghee and rice into the fire. Although God gave us all that which we offer Him, He accepts our offering these back to Him and we feel His ever-present blessings in return.
The whole procedure was so beautiful, so immensely satisfying. The yogis say the demi-gods reside in our own body, that the human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm. It is also believed that the demi-gods are nourished by the offerings made into the sacred fire. I thought this might be the reason for my sensation of complete contentment and satisfaction afterwards (a bit like after eating a wonderful meal)!
Anyway I highly recommend pujas and havans to anyone who is interested. We may not feel able to do these daily due to our busy schedule. Japa is in my view the easiest and most direct way to connect to God as a daily sadhana/spiritual practice. But pujas and havans are beautiful to do when one has a bit more time. (Some people do a simple puja/havan daily which is wonderful).
There is an excellent resource of online havan/homam manuals provided here (see link below) for anyone interested in trying a homam at home. There are documents containing the proper procedure for worship of Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesh and some of the Navagrahas. Each manual contains two versions of the homam- a very simple one (called "super-short" homam) and a longer version. I highly recommend these manuals. I have used them repeatedly for doing "super-short" homams for Vishnu, Lakshmi, Durga and Shiva (Mahamrityunjaya). One must laud the efforts of Shri Narasimha Rao who wrote the manuals and his Guru for making this wonderful ritual of homam easily available to all via these online manuals.
http://www.vedicastrologer.org/homam/
I have mainly done havans for spiritual progress and world peace, but on occasion I have done some for health of my father and I feel they help greatly. The super-short homam takes about 20 minutes once you get used to the mantras, which are easy to pronounce. The author of the above manuals Shri Rao also once wrote in an online forum that one can perform a havan using the following bare minumum homam procedure (see link below). This is really really easy to do.
I have done this when I have really wanted to do a havan but had limited time- it is very satisfying especially as most of the time is dedicated to the main mantra of the havan. One doesn't spend much time at all in setting up/winding down, and one can really concentrate properly on one mantra alone for the main deity of the havan.
http://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1325193-bare-minimum-homam-procedure/
One final thing. One should feel completely at ease when doing a homam. Therefore choose a procedure you are comfortable with (whether a short or long version). And do it for that form of God that you feel completely at ease with, who you feel would not be strict/upset in any way even if you make an error.
I personally like to do havans for Vishnu/Krishna. As I see all other forms of God as manifestations of Vishnu, I also feel relaxed and happy when doing havans for Durga and Shiva (although they may be seen as fierce by some). Then I have no fear or worry. In fact, when I do a havan for Lord Vishnu, I sometimes feel it is my Mother Durga who is holding my hand with the spoon offering ghee into the fire, that She is supporting me in this sadhana. I also feel that when I worship the Mother, I have Hari's full support and participation in this, that He is providing the energy and will to do this practice.
My point is, I feel that a havan is not meant to be a stressful procedure, but rather, it is meant to make one feel relaxed and comfortable by spending time with one's favourite deity/beloved Divine Parents and drawing closer to them, and offering oneself as Their instrument/tool, i.e. saying Thy Will be done.
I recently purchased a new house and am planning to call a priest to do a proper Griha Pravesh puja and havan in a few weeks after some refurbishment works are done, prior to moving in. However I did a very simple homam for Lord Krishna/Shiva/Devi in the new house using a tiny copper havan kund (palm-sized, they come in various sizes). I followed the bare minimim procedure detailed in the link above, and offered ghee with uncooked rice into the fire. This lasted about 30 minutes and the whole house felt purified afterwards. It is so satisfying to be able to do these simple things oneself.
It is sad that orthodox people over the centuries deprived the majority of Hindus the opportunity to learn and perform these beautiful rituals that draw us closer to God, and provide relief for material and spiritual problems alike. Thankfully, many spiritual organisations are now firmly rejecting the orthodox view that these rituals can only be performed by a priest, and are teaching them to all. Of course, priests have great value as they are specialists in pujas and havan and have spent years studying these- so one should certainly go to them if one would like an elaborate homam/puja done- I feel one should support them anyway as they have preserved vital vedic mantras and knowledge which would otherwise have been lost. They provide a valuable service to society. (Some are noble, some are unfortunately rather money-obsessed).
However I agree with the spiritual Masters, that one certainly can perform havans and pujas oneself, no matter what one's gender/race/caste/background, for spiritual purposes, and also for simple material gains (probably better to both do the ritual oneself and also go to a priest if the material gain is a significant one- this depends on each one's personal preferences of course).
So friends, if interested, please try doing a homam or puja occasionally for world peace (use a book or the above manuals). I personally feel that homams for world peace are very powerful and feel we should all be doing them at least from time to time in addition to japa for world peace.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
As yogis, we are well aware of the ancient yogic form of worshiping God in fire. This is known as "homam" or "havan" in India. Essentially this is a process of invoking the Omnipresent God in fire and then placing offerings such as ghee, rice and herbs into the fire. Similarly puja involves invoking God in a sacred sculpture and offering worship to Him/Her there.
Some people scoff at pujas and havans. They say, God is omnipresent, He/She is everywhere, He/She is formless- what then is the point in worshipping Him/Her in a sculpture or idol during puja, and in a fire during havan? They pose such questions.
My Guru Sivananda provides a fitting reply He says just like a person is pleased when you shake their hand, similarly the omnipresent God who is present in the idol and the fire as well, as everywhere else is pleased when He/She is worshiped in the idol and fire. Yes the idol and fire are only a tiny part of Him/Her, but God is pleased by our showing our love for Him/Her by giving attention to this small portion.
Just like a parent is pleased when a small child makes a painting and gives it to him/her as a present (even if the painting is a complete mess), God is pleased when we, His/Her children, take the trouble to do something like a puja or havan which is basically a way of spending some time remembering God with love.
And the yogis say, God' love for us is very deep and unconditional. He/She does not need our pujas/havans to love us. But we need our pujas/havans to help our mind remember Him and thus be able to experience His love and ever-present Grace. We can feel His Grace when our minds think of Him. One way this is achieved is through puja and havan.
As an aside, God is regarded as being both with and without form according to yogis. The sculptures made of God are not simply based on the fanciful imagination of a human mind. Yes creativity is employed when making sculptures of God, but there is a serious element of Truth in them. The forms of God represented in stone/metal and other physical sculptures are based on the forms seen by the rishis and advanced masters in meditation.
The form of Vishnu represented with four arms holding the conch, discus, mace and lotus is real in that it is eternal and has been seen by yogis in meditation. The same applies to the forms of Durga riding a lion, of Shiva holding the trident and Saraswati holding the veena. The pictures and sculptures help to form an image of the real forms of the Divine in the mind. One can then meditate on these forms with eyes closed visualising these in the space between the eyebrows (ajna chakra) or the centre of the chest (anahata chakra). In time, one begins to feel the presence of God in this space and an intimate connection is formed between God and us.
There is great meaning and value in these pictures and sculptures of God, they are an extremely valuable aid to meditation and remembrance of God. And a mind that remembers God attains God, so paintings and sculptures can become a means to liberation by leading to the remembrance of God. So only the ignorant, who do not really understand, scoff at these rituals. These rituals are a great science and a great art- the art and science of the worship of God. Those artists and sculptors who make beautiful paintings and sculptures of God are truly worthy of our salutations. They are helping humanity to remember God and attain the purpose of life.
Coming to homam, the sacred fire, is a very effective way of worshiping God. The traditional view held by orthodox people is that only Brahmin men are entitled to perform these.
This view is completely rejected by yogis and spiritual Masters. They say anyone (man/woman from any caste/race/background) can worship God, using these rituals, whether for material or spiritual purposes.
If the ritual is being done for spiritual purposes, simply to show love for God, in fact, one need not even worry about a perfect procedure with perfect mantras (though one should certainly try one's best to do it perfectly). If it is being done for material purposes, then it does need to be done as perfectly as possible to give results- whether by oneself or by an experienced priest. This is the advice I obtained after speaking to monks belonging to the Sivananda and Ramakrishna traditions.
I must say that I really enjoy the performance of homams. I perform a simple short one once in a while, and sometimes I call a priest home to perform an elaborate full ritual. I had one such homam with the Mahamrityunjaya mantra done by a priest last week at home for general health of the family particularly my parents, and also for world peace. This also involved a quick puja beforehand of Shiva, Durga, Vishnu, Ganesh and the navagrahas as per the priest's style. At the end of the puja and havan, I felt just so satisfied. During the three hour ritual, we had worshiped God's manifestations as water, earth, fire, prayed for the peace and welfare of plants, animals, humans, celestials/demi-gods and all beings in the Cosmos. We had called God with love, offered Him/Her food, drink, a bath, new clothes (exactly as one would do for a beloved relative). We chanted mantras and offered ghee and rice into the fire. Although God gave us all that which we offer Him, He accepts our offering these back to Him and we feel His ever-present blessings in return.
The whole procedure was so beautiful, so immensely satisfying. The yogis say the demi-gods reside in our own body, that the human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm. It is also believed that the demi-gods are nourished by the offerings made into the sacred fire. I thought this might be the reason for my sensation of complete contentment and satisfaction afterwards (a bit like after eating a wonderful meal)!
Anyway I highly recommend pujas and havans to anyone who is interested. We may not feel able to do these daily due to our busy schedule. Japa is in my view the easiest and most direct way to connect to God as a daily sadhana/spiritual practice. But pujas and havans are beautiful to do when one has a bit more time. (Some people do a simple puja/havan daily which is wonderful).
There is an excellent resource of online havan/homam manuals provided here (see link below) for anyone interested in trying a homam at home. There are documents containing the proper procedure for worship of Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesh and some of the Navagrahas. Each manual contains two versions of the homam- a very simple one (called "super-short" homam) and a longer version. I highly recommend these manuals. I have used them repeatedly for doing "super-short" homams for Vishnu, Lakshmi, Durga and Shiva (Mahamrityunjaya). One must laud the efforts of Shri Narasimha Rao who wrote the manuals and his Guru for making this wonderful ritual of homam easily available to all via these online manuals.
http://www.vedicastrologer.org/homam/
I have mainly done havans for spiritual progress and world peace, but on occasion I have done some for health of my father and I feel they help greatly. The super-short homam takes about 20 minutes once you get used to the mantras, which are easy to pronounce. The author of the above manuals Shri Rao also once wrote in an online forum that one can perform a havan using the following bare minumum homam procedure (see link below). This is really really easy to do.
I have done this when I have really wanted to do a havan but had limited time- it is very satisfying especially as most of the time is dedicated to the main mantra of the havan. One doesn't spend much time at all in setting up/winding down, and one can really concentrate properly on one mantra alone for the main deity of the havan.
http://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1325193-bare-minimum-homam-procedure/
One final thing. One should feel completely at ease when doing a homam. Therefore choose a procedure you are comfortable with (whether a short or long version). And do it for that form of God that you feel completely at ease with, who you feel would not be strict/upset in any way even if you make an error.
I personally like to do havans for Vishnu/Krishna. As I see all other forms of God as manifestations of Vishnu, I also feel relaxed and happy when doing havans for Durga and Shiva (although they may be seen as fierce by some). Then I have no fear or worry. In fact, when I do a havan for Lord Vishnu, I sometimes feel it is my Mother Durga who is holding my hand with the spoon offering ghee into the fire, that She is supporting me in this sadhana. I also feel that when I worship the Mother, I have Hari's full support and participation in this, that He is providing the energy and will to do this practice.
My point is, I feel that a havan is not meant to be a stressful procedure, but rather, it is meant to make one feel relaxed and comfortable by spending time with one's favourite deity/beloved Divine Parents and drawing closer to them, and offering oneself as Their instrument/tool, i.e. saying Thy Will be done.
I recently purchased a new house and am planning to call a priest to do a proper Griha Pravesh puja and havan in a few weeks after some refurbishment works are done, prior to moving in. However I did a very simple homam for Lord Krishna/Shiva/Devi in the new house using a tiny copper havan kund (palm-sized, they come in various sizes). I followed the bare minimim procedure detailed in the link above, and offered ghee with uncooked rice into the fire. This lasted about 30 minutes and the whole house felt purified afterwards. It is so satisfying to be able to do these simple things oneself.
It is sad that orthodox people over the centuries deprived the majority of Hindus the opportunity to learn and perform these beautiful rituals that draw us closer to God, and provide relief for material and spiritual problems alike. Thankfully, many spiritual organisations are now firmly rejecting the orthodox view that these rituals can only be performed by a priest, and are teaching them to all. Of course, priests have great value as they are specialists in pujas and havan and have spent years studying these- so one should certainly go to them if one would like an elaborate homam/puja done- I feel one should support them anyway as they have preserved vital vedic mantras and knowledge which would otherwise have been lost. They provide a valuable service to society. (Some are noble, some are unfortunately rather money-obsessed).
However I agree with the spiritual Masters, that one certainly can perform havans and pujas oneself, no matter what one's gender/race/caste/background, for spiritual purposes, and also for simple material gains (probably better to both do the ritual oneself and also go to a priest if the material gain is a significant one- this depends on each one's personal preferences of course).
So friends, if interested, please try doing a homam or puja occasionally for world peace (use a book or the above manuals). I personally feel that homams for world peace are very powerful and feel we should all be doing them at least from time to time in addition to japa for world peace.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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