Puja Vidhanam Level 2

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (10.10): “To those who are constantly devoted and serve Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”  Puja offers one of the simplest and direct means to strengthen devotion for the beloved deity. 

Puja Vidhanam Level-1 and Level-2 Courses are a unique offering by Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) developed under the guidance and tutelage of the expert acharya Swami Sharadananda Sarasvati. Students will be trained in the method of performing pujas with the correct mudra gestures and chanting of mantras.

In the Level-2 Course, the philosophical foundations of these practices to develop the right ‘bhava’ (devotional aptitude), for each action while performing the puja, which the student learnt in Level-1 course, will be further strengthened and built upon.

The Level-2 course ensures that a student familiar with some basic elements of puja (explained in Level-1 course) can dive deeper into understanding and performing a comprehensive puja in more depth and scope. It contains pujas of few more devatas with more mantras, puja actions, and also provides step-by-step guidance on performing a puja elaborately. This course ensures that everyone can easily grasp and confidently perform these sacred rituals to evolve in their spiritual journey.

What you will learn

• The philosophical foundation of a puja-vidhi
• Elaborate and authentic puja-vidhi and mantras from the Vedic, Agama and other traditions
• Deeper understanding and ability to perform comprehensive pujas with more depth and scope than given in Level-1
• Detailed explanation of each step and mantras used in pujas/havanas
• Guidance on developing a proper ‘bhava’ – devotional aptitude essential while performing the puja

Why should I do this Course?

The purpose of doing a puja is multifaceted and can vary depending upon the specific tradition, deity, or individual’s intentions. The Level-2 course enhances the benefits one has gained after mastering the puja vidhis given in the Level-1 course: connection with divine, purity & concentration of mind, family and community bonding, preservation and continuation of tradition, etc. The course thus offers various benefits to a sadhaka who wants to practise puja to actualise the relationship with the Divine.

Course Facilitator:

Swami Sharadananda Sarasvati, is a polyglot with expertise in Sanskrit, Indian Philosophy (Yoga and Advaita Vedanta) with an in-depth understanding of ritualistic and cultural traditions. With a postgraduate degree in Advaita Vedanta, Swamiji combines the best of Gurukula learning with academic excellence. He had assisted Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda as the Sanskrit Acharya in the 13th Batch of the Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. A year after this batch, he became the Acharya for the Purohit Course (batch of 2010) at Chinmaya Gardens, Coimbatore. He was also appointed as Upa-acharya for the 15th Sandeepany Vedanta Course (Batch of 2013) where he gave the students an excellent grounding in Sanskrit and Vedic Chanting. Swamiji was the Acharya of the two-year residential Vedanta Course in Malayalam (2018 – 2020) at Kerala Sandeepany, Adi Sankara Nilayam.

Requirements

• Completion of Puja Vidhanam Level-1 Course is a prerequisite for this course.
• An interest to learn and practise puja and havana
• Ability or interest to learn to chant mantras in Sanskrit along with mudras
• Puja-havana equipment and materials 
• Good internet connection

Course Content

The course structure is as follows:

1. Lesson-1: Philosophy of Puja (Level-1 lecture and videos)
2. Lesson-2: Introduction to Puja equipment and materials (Level-1 lecture and videos)
3. Lesson-3: Preparatory and Purification steps in puja
4. Lessons-4 to 17: Puja of deities – Ganapati, Sarasvati, Guru, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi, Rama, Krishna, Suryanarayana, Hanuman, Subrahmanya, Dharmashasta, Nagadevata
5. Lesson-18: Pujas based on Suktams – Rudraprashna, Purushasuktam and Srisuktam
6. Lesson-19: Kalasha-sthapanam
7. Lesson-20: Havana
8. Lesson-21: Ganapati Homa
9. Conclusion
10. Q&A sessions

Access to Lessons

Video/Audio recordings for each lesson will be provided. Most of the lessons will have two lecture videos – one video for the explanation of the mantra and mudras; the other video is an actual demonstration of the entire puja (in two views – one close up and another further away).