Part 14 - Pūjā (worshipping gods)

The Epics and the Purāṇas speak for the first time of pūjās a form of worshipping gods. Generally speaking, this form of worship seems to have been originally restricted only to the great gods, with the exception of Brahmā. The Sun god is sometimes identified with Śiva and sometimes with Viṣṇu; probably on account of this identification this god also is offered Pūjā. Thus the pañcāyatanapūjā, that is to say, the worship of the five gods Gaṇeśa, Sūrya, Viṣṇu, Śiva and Śakti has been widely prevalent all along. This pañcāyatanapūjā must be dated back to fire early times, for the god Śiva himself is said to have started it. In as much as the Śivapūjā itself is concerned, its popularity becomes quite evident from the many references to it occurring in the epics and the Purāṇas.

By and large, pūjā as reflected in the Epics and the Purāṇas may be equated with upāśanā, saparyā, āradhanā, or arcanā. This form of worship involves the employment of a variety of pujopakaraṇas and pūjāsaṃbhāras. These many kinds of utensils, flowers, sandalwood, dhupa, dīpa, and various articles of upacāra like darpaṇa, chatra, cāmara, vyajana, patāka and tālavṛnta. Śaṅkha and ghaṇṭā are also mentioned as accessories of the pūjā. Over time, the pūjā rituals came to be further elaborated. The idol of the divinity constitutes the essential basis of all pūjā rites. Vedic mantras were often recited to accompany these rites. For instance, Vedic Mantras were recited when the idol was bathed or when the naivedya was made and upacāras were offered to it. Thus, the same kind of connection was attempted to be maintained between the pūjā and the Vedic chanting.

The pūja form of worship which in its initial stages was pre-sum ably more or less simple became more and more elaborate, particularly in the case of Śaivism. The Āgamas seemed to have paved the way for such an elaborated system of worship.

Stating that Śiva could be conceived and worshipped in various ways. The main Āgamas, namely, Kāraṇa, Kāmika, Suprabheda, Raurava and Ajita, have described in detail the various images of Śiva. They also describe the rituals relating to the installation (pratiṣṭhā) of these images. These Āgamas concern themselves for the most part with the rituals relating to these images. Such rituals are of two kinds, those which are to be performed daily (nitya) and those which are to be performed on special occasions (naimittika). The process of elaborating upon the Śaiva pūjā ritual which seems to have been stated in the Purāṇas may be said to have reached its culmination in the Āgamic Śaiva rituals. In these works we only see the pūjā ritual in its early development and growth. As a matter of fact, the epics make but very curt references to this worship.

On the other hand, the importance of pūjā is fully realized and frequently proclaimed in the Purāṇas. In the following statement from the Liṅga purāṇa.

Viṣṇu is described to have worshipped Śiva with flowers to the accompaniment of the recital of the one thousand names of Śiva. The importance of upāsanā in general is pointed out in the Liṅga Purāṇa, but special emphasis has been placed there on the Śiva pūjā. The Skanda Puraṇa gives a detailed description of the Śiva pūjā. The advantages of worshipping Śiva and the disadvantage of not worshipping him are often recounted.

One should worship gods with his own mantras, with flowers, leaves and water, Brahmā Śaṅkara…”

Flowers, dhūpa, dīpa and naivedya are often specially mentioned as the requisites of the pūjā. Pujā with gandha, Puṣpa and akṣṭa is found in the Śiva Purāṇa. Various other aspects of the pūjā such as namaskāra, pradakṣiṇa and nyāsa are found in the Purāṇas^[1]. Bhūtaśuddhi and nāḍīśodhanā are among the rites mentioned in the Devībhāgavata-Purāṇa.

In this chapter, such as yajña, tapas, tīrthas, stotras, dhyāna and vrata, are harmoniously blended into the pūjā ritual, and we find a reflection of all with the fully developed form of that ritual, best recorded in the Āgamas. It is this fully developed form of pūjā which is prevalent in the temples of the South. As mentioned elsewhere, the Āgamas, regarded as the principal authoritative texts dealing with the pūjā ritual, are 28 in number. The Āgamas have given rise to several manuals or paddhatis which help the worshipers with many practical details in connection with these rituals.The worship of Śiva an indication of some of these has already been describe. A few more may be referred to at this stage. The bilva tree, for instance, is represented in the Purāṇas as being sacred to Śiva, the triploid leaves of the tree are therefore offered to the god in pūjā.

Similarly, bhasma (holy ash) is mentioned in the Purāṇas being of high significance to Śaivites.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

CF.MatsyaP., 54.8-23