Daily Home Pooja
Every day in the morning, after your bath. In the evening too, if you can.
Significance
This is a simple pooja you can do at home in ten minutes, with no big preparations. Elders say that doing it with a focused mind matters more than how many things you offer.
Things you need
- Lamp, oil or ghee, and a wick
- Flowers
- Incense sticks (oodhupathi)
- Camphor (karpooram)
- Turmeric, kumkumam and vibhuthi (holy ash)
- Milk, fruit or kalkandu (rock sugar) for the naivedhyam (food offering)
- Clean water in a small sembu (water pot)
How to do it
- Take a bath and wear clean clothes.
- Wipe the pooja space clean and remove the flowers from the day before.
- Place flowers on the pictures and idols, and put a pottu (dot of kumkumam) on them.
- Light the lamp. First think of Vinayagar (Ganesha) in your mind and pray to him.
- Wave the incense sticks before the deity.
- Say the names of your chosen deity, or sing songs to them, as your family usually does.
- Offer the milk, fruit or kalkandu as naivedhyam.
- Show the camphor aarathi (wave the flame before the deity). Everyone in the family then holds their hands over the flame and touches their eyes.
- Bow down, get up and give the prasadam (blessed food) to everyone.
Please note
- On a busy day, just lighting the lamp and praying is enough.
This is only a general guide. If your family custom is different, follow that. Ask your elders and your priest.