HOMAM

MEANING OF HOMAM

Homams are puja performed for a particular deity by invoking Agni – the God of Fire. Homam forms the essence of all the Karmas prescribed in the Vedams. The goal of Homam is to guide the man through the correct path.

It is said that when the Lord Brahma (the Creator among the Trinity) created man, he also created "Homam" for man's livelihood and his attainment of spiritual desires. The fundamental premise of Homam is derive from the Vedams, although according to "Pursha Sookhtam". Vedams and Homams are eternal truth having neither beginning nor end, and are "Apourusheyam" (divine, not the creation of humans). Karmam |(work or action) is an integral part of living.

According to ancient text on Homam, any offer to fire as a God, is actually an offer to Sun. The goal of all Homams is the prosperity of the people at large by energizing and protecting the environment.
How Homam Should Performed

Each Homam should perform strictly according to scriptures. These are conducted fully learned and experienced Vedic scholars. The ingredients required for these Homams are different for each Homam. After each Homam, the pundits are fed with Vedic prayers.

Mantra

Mantras are a complete set of words, which is attributed from the Vedas to the Deities or Devas. According to the Puranas, Shastras and Maharishis, Mantra is only way to attain ones desires provided it should be pronounced with complete faith and prescribed methods and rules. In older period, these were used by the Indian Saints in the divine language of Sanskrit. Mantras are considered to be divine rhymes and it protect human from different adverse effects of other evil elements.

Mantras are used in Tantrik Sadhna or rituals, whispered or chanted in different combinations and contexts, setting up patterns of vibrations. One must know its correct pronunciation as well as to understand their meaning. We belong to Hindu mythology and it is believed that God, good health, good fortune and victory over one's enemies can be attained by chanting the right mantra.

Mantra sadhna is very difficult. If during practice some drawbacks remain, it can inflict losses. Guidance of a competent guru is quite necessary to attain success.

Life is a complex combination of incidents and accidents and all our problems are self-created. Reasons of the problems can be checked out from the individual's horoscopes. One's subconscious mind can help to find the solution through meditation and the recitation of mantras.

Mantra must be recited as they are. Any additional alteration in the mantra must be avoided. If recited incorrectly, the power of the mantras is lost and it ceases to have the desired beneficial effect.

Puja

Puja is our dedication towards God. Act of puja always satisfy man's internal power. It's an act of showing reverence to a god. God is supreme power and man can have blessing of God by making spiritual connection with the God through puja, which can be, through invocations, prayers, songs and rituals. Its possible to reduce suffering due to unfavourable position of planets through sincere reliance on God, the one, who controls the planets.

Puja is a focal point for honouring and communicating with the God. An essential part of puja for the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual connection with divine. There are many kinds of puja, which people can do for specific events, such as 'Garah Pravesh', 'Starting of a business' or the beginning of a journey'. Puja has power to remove all the obstacles. Puja are performed on behalf of an individual on his request.

How Can The Benefits Be Taken From Puja
 According to our sacred texts, puja –

• It controls divine
• It gives energy to the worshiper
• It gives mental peace
• It is the remedy of all the problems

How The Puja Should Be Performed
Our holy book says man should be pure from body and mind. The Puranas lay more stress on the quality of devotion and good behaviour than on rigid puja procedures. Buddhist and Jain influence that preaches non-violence, consequently, the killing or sacrifice of animals was discontinued and with the development of iconography, idol worship and puja took the place of sacrifice.

Yagya

Magic of Yagya : This is the age of 'Kal Yug' (Darkness) where negative cosmic forces are more active causing much unrest and misery not only amongst living beings but even planets and the divine fraternity. With such negativity around man has lost his 'soul' leading to a downword flow of kundalini energy; posing a huge risk to man of falling back in evolution, to a lesser life or maybe even to the animal kingdom. Poverty, Pain, Calamities, Floods, Cyclones, Hurricanes have become a regular and permanent feature accross the globe. Global warming is changing the weather pattern signalling the trend of end of life on this planet. There is an urgent need for man to take control of himself and his planetary home.

Healing through divine 'energy' is the key to our future. Positive energy flowing within our domain will not only eradicate personal misery but also alter the 'minds' of humans who have become blind with ignorance.The negativity spread accross the environment will be countered making radical changes in the current patten. Ancient Vedic scriptures like Rig Veda, Yajur Veda have revealed the secrets of healing through manipulation of 'cosmic energy' by a process called 'YAGYA' , which implements the power of 'sound, thought, intent' (mantra), Nature (fire, water, air, earth) to fecilitate downpour of energy. The vibrations thus caused have the power to change situations, lives, destinies, and everything.

'The Himalayan Ashram of Vedic Astrologers' conduct regular Vedic Yagyas for people, companies and the planet. Every 'Yagya' performed on the surface of Earth is for 'US'.

Diwali New Year

Diwali New Year

Diwali or Deepawali, is not only festival of lights, but also marks the beginning of the Hindu new year. It is one of the most important Indian national celebrations as it is believed that the Hindu goddess of good luck visits homes that are brightly lit. Children make "deeps" which are small clay lamps to light and bring the good luck goddess to their home so they can receive new clothes and toys. The first day of Diwali is also a New Year of Business. All companies pay off debts and their cars are decorated with flowers and palm leaves to bless the vehicles to run well in the new year.

The customs of wearing new garments and exchanging gifts and greetings have come to be associated with Diwali, probably because of this New Year celebrations. Accordingly most of the traditions of a New Year celebration are all present. The occasion sees the spring-cleaning and white-washing of houses; decorative designs or rangolis are painted on floors and walls to greet the new year.

Fresh flowers, exchanges of gifts, new clothes, meeting with friends and family, and feasting are part of the colorful festival. Each region of India celebrates Diwali in its own way, but the lighting of many small earthenware oil lamps is common throughout the country, setting homes and gardens aglow with twinkling lights. The lamps are symbolic of the victory of the light of goodness and knowledge over the darkness of evil and ignorance. The lighting of the lamps is also a way for people to show thanks for the good things in their lives.

 

Diwali Ganesh Puja

Ganesh Puja

Ganeshji is a must for Diwali pooja as he is to be worshiped in all pujas before any other god or goddess. Traditionally on Diwali night, Ganesh shares the altar with Lakshmi. Shree Ganesh is the god of good beginnings and the fabled remover of obstacles. In the Hindu pantheon, the two are unrelated, Ganesh being the son of Shiva and Parvati. However, when placed side by side, Lakshmi Ganesh hold out promise of a year of fulfillment, free from wants.

During the Ganesh puja, the idol of goddess Lakshmi is placed on the left and Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed god is kept on the right. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and also personifies beauty, grace, and charm. She is normally depicted seated on a lotus with gold coins. Lord Ganesh has many functions in the Hindu pantheon. He is the Lord of Wisdom and the remover of obstacles.

Hindus believe that he must be kept happy to ensure smooth passage on the road to accomplishments. For this reason, he is worshiped together with Lakshmi during Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Then, Lakshmi is worshiped for wealth and prosperity, while Ganesh is worshiped first to ensure that any obstacles to obtaining wealth and prosperity are removed.

Shri Laxmi-Ganesh Puja takes place on Diwali by placing their idol on a platform, making various offerings of sandal paste, saffron paste, perfume(itr), haldi, kumkum, abeer, gulal, garland of cotton beads, flowers, especially the marigold flowers and leaves of Bel (wood apple tree). Incense stick and dhoop is lit and offering of sweets, coconut, fruits, and tambul are made. At the end of pooja, aarti dedicated to Lord Ganesh is sung by the devotees.

 

Lakshmi Pooja

Lakshmi Pooja

Lakshmi was the daughter of the sage Bhrigu and took refuge in the ocean of milk when the gods were sent into exile. Lakshmi was reborn during the Churning of the Ocean. As soon as the gods saw Lakshmi, they all fell in love with her beauty. Shiva claimed Lakshmi as his wife, but since he had already taken the Moon, her hand was given to Vishnu, whom Lakshmi herself preferred.

Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth. While Laxmi is generally worshiped to achieve success, she does not reside long with anyone who is lazy or desire her only as wealth.

Steps of Lakshmi Pooja
Spread a new cloth on a raised platform: Place a handful of grains in the center and, on this, place a kalash (pitcher) made of gold, silver, copper, or terracotta. Fill three-fourth of the kalash with water and place a betel nut, a flower, a coin, and some rice grains in it. Arrange five kinds of leaves or mango leaves in the kalash . Place a small dish on the kalash and fill it with rice grains. Draw a lotus with turmeric powder ( haldi ) over the rice grains and place the idol of goddess Lakshmi over it, along with coins.

Place the idol of Ganesha: In front of the kalash, on the right (South-West direction), place the idol of Ganesha. Also place ink and books related to your business or occupation on the platform. Light a lamp and begin the puja by offering haldi, kumkum, and flowers to the platform on which the kalash is placed. Then offer haldi, kumkum, and flowers to the water that is to be used for the puja. Invoke the river goddesses to be part of this water.

Invoke goddess: Lakshmi by reciting the Vedic mantras addressed to her. One can also recite the mantras mentioned in the Puranas or simply take some flowers in your hands, close your eyes, and think of goddess Lakshmi being showered with gold coins by two elephants standing on either side of Her and chant Her name. Then offer the flowers to the idol.

Place the idol of Lakshmi: Place the idol of Lakshmi in a plate and bathe it with water, panchamrit (a mixture of milk, curd, ghee or clarified butter, honey, and sugar) and then with water containing some gold ornament or a pearl. Wipe the idol clean and place it back on the kalash. Alternately, you can just sprinkle water and panchamrit on the idol with a flower.

Offerings: Offer sandal paste, saffron paste, perfume ( itr ), haldi, kumkum, abeer, and gulal to the goddess. Offer a garland of cotton beads to the goddess. Offer flowers, especially the marigold flowers and leaves of Bel (wood apple tree). Light an incense stick and dhoop. Make an offering of sweets, coconut, fruits, and tambul. Make an offering of puffed rice and batasha. Pour some puffed rice, batasha, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds over the idol. Safe where you keep money and jewelry; Worship this safe as a symbol of Lord Kuber.

Aarti: Finally, perform the aarti for goddess Lakshmi. Always remember that She abhors loud noise. So the aarti should be accompanied only by a small bell. Do not clap hands, as is the practice when performing aarti for other gods. A peaceful and sublime atmosphere should prevail during the pujan. Do not light crackers while the puja is on or immediately after it.