Puja Vidhanam Level 1

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 paths for people to strengthen their devotion for their beloved deity. For ages, puja-vidhi (practice of worship) has been passed down through families, and daily worship has been an integral part of Sanatana Dharma. However, due to various factors, many families have lost the knowledge of why and the practice of how to do a puja. Consequently, a significant portion of the present generation find themselves lacking proper guidance on the correct puja vidhi. This course addresses this need  by providing step-by-step guidance on performing puja. Designed with beginners in mind and tailored for those with no prior experience, this course ensures that everyone can easily grasp and confidently perform these sacred rituals to evolve in their spiritual journey.

Puja Vidhanam course is 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. They will also be provided with the philosophical foundation of these practices to develop the right ‘bhava’ – devotional aptitude, for each action while performing the puja. The course ensures a delicate balance between the essential elements required to constitute a comprehensive puja while keeping it simple enough for students to learn.

What You will Learn

• Learn the philosophy behind the puja-vidhi
• Authentic puja-vidhi and mantras from the Vedic, Agama and other traditions
• Preparation and performance of pujas and havans for personal sadhana
• Explanation of each step and mantras used in pujas/havans
• 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 on the specific tradition, deity, or individual’s intentions. However, this course offers some common elements of doing a puja daily which can help a sadhaka as follows:

• Connection with the Divine: Bhava cultivated in puja establishes a personal connection with the Divine. 
• Purification and concentration of mind: The main idea of puja is to dedicate one’s body-mind-actions to the service of God, which purifies the mind and increases its capacity to concentrate.
• Peace of mind: True happiness is found when the mind is at peace. Puja possesses the transformative power to elevate one beyond the everyday worries and lead them to discover an inner sanctuary of stability, serenity, and profound bliss.
• Spiritual Evolution: Through puja, spiritual growth and transformation towards the goal of Self-realisation can be achieved.
• Family and Community Bonding: Puja can serve as a means of bringing various people of a family and community together, reinforcing cultural and religious bonds.
• Preservation of Tradition: The recitation of sacred texts and adherence to traditional customs during the puja(s) builds an auspicious atmosphere conducive for the right samskaras to be inculcated and passed on to the future generations.

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

• An interest to learn and practise puja and havana
• Ability or interest to learn to chant some basic mantras in Sanskrit along with mudras
• Basic puja-havana equipment and materials 
• Good internet connection

Course Content

The course structure is as follows:

1. Lesson-1: Philosophy of Puja

2. Lesson-2: Introduction to Puja equipment and materials

3. Lesson-3: Preparatory and Purification steps in puja

4. Lessons-4 to 14: Puja of deities – Ganapati, Durga, Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Anjaneya, Sarasvati, Lakshmi, Navagraha and Panchayatana

5. Lesson-15: Gayatri Havana Vidhi

6. Lesson-16: Laghu Havana Vidhi

Access to Lessons

Video/Audio recordings for each lesson will be provided. Each lesson 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).