An Indian's Puja area

Evening Ganga Aarti at
Varanasi Ghat

Hinduism is a much celebrated religion, given the diversity of our deities. The diversity does not end with sheer "number" of deities, but extends to the description of their appearance, likes and dislikes, their powers and related anecdotes. Further, our scriptures provide elaborate instructions on invoking and pleasing them to receive their blessing.

Popular perception states that there are 33 crore deities in Hinduism. Sadly, this is nothing but mistranslated. The number is actually one and infinity at the same time. Everytime the sage philosopher Yajnavalkya of the Vedic times asked about the number of Gods, he would get a different number as an answer.

Idols of deities on sale

How exactly then to worship an infinite number of Gods. Our parents before us, their parents before them, their parents before them and so on, have followed a much simplified approach - Invoking of Gods through worship of three invisible Vishnu, Shiva and Devi; and, worship of three visible Agni, Vayu and Surya. Specific powers of Lakshmi Ganesha, Hanuman, Kali, Dhanvantri and many others are also worshiped. So is conduct of Shri Ram and preaching of Sai Baba. All in all, a Hindu's Puja room is nothing more and nothing less than a reflection of her or his faith.

By creating a pious area of worship, we create a place to invoke the presence or vaas of Gods. Through this vaas, the area gets charged with positive vibrations. By establishing a routine of visiting that area and praying, be it morning, evening or night, we ensure the positive vibrations are maintained. The constant positivity will charge our environment, mind, body and soul. Our personal relations and work efficiency will improve and and so will progress, prosperity and peace. By praying, we gain the positive energy and become carriers of the charge.

Decoration at a home Puja area

While planning to build/rent/buy a property, due to the space constraints, many people tend to ignore a separate Puja area. However, we must not sideline the need to make a place for God. There is no other force in the world capable of as much positivity as this one.

While meditation and praying is the best method of generating positive charge in the Puja area, as per Vastu, the placement of this area will help maximize the charge:

• The Puja area should be situated in the North, East or the North-east part of the home
• One should face East or North while worshiping
• While worshipping, the placement of the deities, in whatever form should be above the sitting plane of the person worshiping. 
• If possible, the base of the deities should be at the chest level of the person worshipping depending on the position, whether standing or sitting
• A Puja area should never be inside a bedroom or on a wall adjacent to the bathroom wall

My further posts will discuss the deities and contents of the Puja area in greater detail. 

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Omnipresent God and the importance of Pooja area in contemporary homes

God is everywhere. It is an oft recited prose on the omnipresence of God : "हम में, तुम में, खर में, खल में", meaning "He is in me, he is in you, he is as much in a dried weak leaf of grass, as he is in a rock pestle."

Why then, many Hindus ask, do we have to give God form? Why should we worship idols? Why confine God in a form and an area of our evershrinking homes? The answer in itself is an unarguable definition of Hinduism: It's not superstition, it is faith.

Worshiping photos and idols in a Puja Room is not limiting God, it is liberating our minds by providing a singular visible point of devotion which is hard to come by in the hustle bustle of our daily urban lives. Faithful devotion to a physical form, even for a split second in our busy day, is our way of invoking God.


Faith is the reason we go to temples and bow before an idol. We have no hesitation standing in front of it and talking, even speaking or whispering to it as if we were talking to an individual, albeit a divine one. Rich, poor, seeking money, fame, forgiveness, nirvana, justice, revenge all driven by their omnipotent faith.They may be seeking something or they may be simply praying without any expectation, but their commitment to what they are doing at that point in time is unquestionable. That is faith.

Then comes the question if is all this in vain. After all, what different can be achieved by worshiping the idols which stand before us, that can't be done by meditating in a convenient place? Is the whispering to some mere replicas of ancient Raja Ravi Verma paintings just an illusion we create?

The idol or photograph is not just a symbol of faith. It is a form with which the mind connects and concentrates upon. Kaliyug unfortunately has changed the human mindset to seek proof rather than seek reality. Proof means cause and effect. If I have sought, have I received? However, the ultimate reality is beyond the senses, beyond the known field of illusion and maya where proof also resides. Only true knowledge can free us humans from seeking proof and the vicious cycle of cause and effect.

This true knowledge can only be achieved through devotion. If there is enough devotion in our hearts at that second when we bow down to that small idol placed in a pious corner of our house, God will respond. He has been known to. The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda did happen.

If God is omnipresent, visualizing Him in an idol or framed poster in a pious corner is our way of recognizing his omnipresence.

In my coming posts, I will guide you through this path of worship and the guidelines and methods i.e. vidhi and samagri of worship as described in our ancient scriptures, which can be implemented in our urban lifestyles with minimal effort.

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