ONLINE CLASS # 2, Session 2
TOPIC -- PUJA

srini_sadhu: Om Sang Saraswatyai Namaha!
Rich Jewett: Jai Ma
srini_sadhu: Welcome all!
srini_sadhu: Jai Maa!
Janitri Rybacki: Jai Maa
srini_sadhu: We have another 8 minutes. It would be nice if you all introduce yourselves
srini_sadhu: I am Srini and I live in Devi Mandir by Maa and Swamiji's grace
Ann Millet: Namaste!
Tara Boyce: Hello I am Tara and I am new to this yahoo messenger, so are you all seeing this? Namaste!
srini_sadhu: Namaste Ann!
Janitri Rybacki: Namaste, this devotee is from Maryland and visits California often on business with Mother's grace...so, hello every1!
Rich Jewett: My name is Rich, I live in Crestone Colorado. I first met Maa & Swamiji at an ashram in SE New York several years ago.
srini_sadhu: This is wonderful
Tara Boyce: This is Grace.
Janitri Rybacki: the joys of technology
Ann Millet: I am still in awe over this technology!...
srini_sadhu: Pahari Maa? Alphanso?
Alphansa DSouza: Hi...
srini_sadhu: Pahari Maa? Are you on?
paharimaa: Yes
srini_sadhu: Great!!!
srini_sadhu: Ok let me level with you
srini_sadhu: I love to do Puja. I want to share what I have learned
srini_sadhu: from Maa and Swamiji
srini_sadhu: I would also love to hear from you about Puja
srini_sadhu: Please ask questions I am here to share and learn
srini_sadhu: We will discuss three topics
srini_sadhu: What is Puja?
srini_sadhu: Why Puja?
srini_sadhu: Steps in Puja
srini_sadhu: We will then have along discussion on the Yahoo club next week on these topics
srini_sadhu: Questions anybody?
Ann Millet: not yet...
srini_sadhu: Anyone else?
Rich Jewett: Not yet
paharimaa: Are we here to share the joy of puja?
srini_sadhu: Yes ! yes!
paharimaa: Good deal!!
Tara Boyce: I love puja and want to hear more about it-all the things you all have to share.
paharimaa: it is quite an experience to do puja for the first time.
srini_sadhu: Puja is a guided meditation that takes us step by step away from our worldly concerns into the presence of God
srini_sadhu: First thing it is a guided Meditation
srini_sadhu: Second it takes us away from the world
srini_sadhu: Third it takes us into the presence of God
srini_sadhu: It is all about Devotion and Love for God
paharimaa: As Swamiji says... a Love Affair.
srini_sadhu: Could you share your experiences with Puja
Alphansa DSouza: To me Puja is the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals;
making a spiritual connection with the divine.
srini_sadhu: Very Nice!
Janitri Rybacki: the pujas that i perforrm now with the Khagda Mala or the Sampita Sri Suktam...i take a
Janitri Rybacki: Sri Chakra or a crystal Ganesha and recite the Stotras with milk.
Janitri Rybacki: looking to learn more from all of you...
paharimaa: My first puja blew me away. My ishta was so present. The love affair began.
srini_sadhu: Puja helps cultivate love for your Ishta
srini_sadhu: It develops qualities of attention and concentration
paharimaa: What a honor and joy to worship God.
srini_sadhu: And the attitude that you bring to the Puja can be taken to the rest of your life, work, karma
srini_sadhu: The longer you sit, the deeper is your experience
paharimaa: Swamiji has given us so many pujas.
paharimaa: There is a lot of room to grow.
srini_sadhu: One important concept is Siddhantachar
srini_sadhu: Any one knows what that is?
Ann Millet: no
Tara Boyce: no
srini_sadhu: Siddhantachar means behavior according to the scriptures
Rich Jewett: Siddhi we understand, what's the rest?.
paharimaa: I know that he spoke of it in the little film.
srini_sadhu: Swamiji says there are 7 types of siddhantachar
srini_sadhu: They are Puja, Path, Homa, Nrit, Geet, Pravachan, and Arpan
srini_sadhu: I will explain some of these later
paharimaa: He seemed to enjoy explaining them.
srini_sadhu: Main thing is when we do Siddhantachar - any of these 7, we are absorbed in God and so the world does not affect us so much
Rich Jewett: I've heard Swamiji speak of this
Ramya: "achara" means Behavior
srini_sadhu: These 7 are also called Nitya Karma or Eternal Karma
srini_sadhu: Its like this.
srini_sadhu: We have Prarabdha or karma that we engaged in before
srini_sadhu: We are going to face the consequences of Prarabdha for sure
srini_sadhu: When we engage in Nitya Karma the effect of Prarabdha is mollified
srini_sadhu: Does that make sense?
Rich Jewett: absolutely
Alphansa DSouza: yes
paharimaa: Yes. It makes me hopeful.
Janitri Rybacki: yes, understanding the whys are helpful
srini_sadhu: So its like this
srini_sadhu: We want to do more nitya karma, so we organize our life accordingly – this comes back to our discussion from last week on goals and sankalpa.
srini_sadhu: How can we do more Nitya Karma and the less of the rest?
srini_sadhu: Because if we do Puja we are protected.
srini_sadhu: When we do other karma there is a good chance that we create new karma to deal with
Rich Jewett: So, our puja creates Nitya karma, which overrides our Prarabda karma.
srini_sadhu: Prarabdha is the arrow that is going to land. When we do Puja, the arrow lands but we dont feel the pain so much. Because we are busy doing the Puja
srini_sadhu: Discussion?

Alphansa DSouza: Is there a difference to order a puja to be done on your behalf and to do it yourself?
Ramya: Yes - Alphanso - i think the intensity of devotion is different
srini_sadhu: When you ask some one to pray for you or do for a puja for you the benefit is that it gives you faith and hope
srini_sadhu: Swamiji said this about this very question: If the person who has asked for the puja has done good karma then the puja will definitely benefit them
srini_sadhu: I would like to talk about the steps in a Puja - the fun stuff!
Ramya: Also the sacrifice we make when we ask someone to do puja for us (the offering) we make shows the intensity of our desire and that also affects the outcome, in some way.
srini_sadhu: The five steps are preparation, purification, invitation, union, and offering
srini_sadhu: The first step in doing a Puja is Preparation
srini_sadhu: How do you all prepare for a Puja
srini_sadhu: ??
paharimaa: Clean, clean, clean.
paharimaa: Get fresh flowers.
Rich Jewett: still mind, pure mind
srini_sadhu: Swamiji says the Mantra Kleem (clean) is very important
Janitri Rybacki: a bath or shower in the morning before puja and try to find white to wear...and,get the flowers and milk. also, recite mantras beforehand.
srini_sadhu: Nice!
Ann Millet: reverence
srini_sadhu: Please share everyone!
paharimaa: Make the altar beautiful to invite your Beloved.
srini_sadhu: Beautiful!
paharimaa: Create a time for puja where you will not be distracted.
Ramya: Maa said that you can get devotion by shining utensils. She said we don’t like to eat in dirty utensils. How can we think of feeding God in those? It is a very beautiful sadhana to shine utensils at night remembering that tomorrow morning my beloved diety will come to visit!
Tara Boyce: Light candles and ask for divine presence and offer mine
Janitri Rybacki: sweet
srini_sadhu: The one thing I have learned from Swamiji is that it is very important to keep all the items of worship in the correct place so that it is easy to reach for them when you do the Puja
paharimaa: Every action is for God/Goddess.
srini_sadhu: For example, I was doing Hanuman Puja once and the flowers were to my left
paharimaa: You want to be able to maintain your asan.
srini_sadhu: I was twisting each time to reach for them.
srini_sadhu: Swamiji then told me to keep the flowers on my right
paharimaa: It is a learning process.
srini_sadhu: At Devi Mandir, we clean all the utensils in the night so that the Pujaris can quickly begin their Puja the next day
srini_sadhu: Asan is also very important. That means not moving so that we can be still
paharimaa: The gurus help us step by step.
srini_sadhu: What are some of the ingredients you use in your Puja?
Ramya: So seems like we need to prepare items outside: utensils, flowers
Ramya: As well as ourselves - as Rich said (our mind) and Shakti_ann said -- attitude of reverence.
paharimaa: water, milk, ghee, honey, sugar, flowers, incense, light
srini_sadhu: Nice
Ramya: at least for me outside activity - like taking a shower help to create inner attitude
paharimaa: rudraksh, mala, flower mala
paharimaa: cloth, cooked food
paharimaa: LOVE

srini_sadhu: After Preparation the next step is purification
paharimaa: phat, phat, phat
srini_sadhu: What are some of things that we purify in a Puja
paharimaa: water, flowers
srini_sadhu: More?
Ann Millet: ourselves?
Alphansa DSouza: the mind
srini_sadhu: excellent
Janitri Rybacki: ourself?
Ann Millet: the room?
srini_sadhu: There are specific mantras and mudras that we use in a puja to purify. These are fun to learn
Tara Boyce: our karmas?
paharimaa: the atmosphere
srini_sadhu: The first thing we purify is our lips, because we want to speak pure words
srini_sadhu: We do this by sipping water called Achaman and chanting some Mantras along with it
paharimaa: our hands
Alphansa DSouza: any special mantras?
srini_sadhu: After we sip water, we wipe our hands so that our hands remain pure
srini_sadhu: Swamiji's books have them
Alphansa DSouza: ok
srini_sadhu: The simplest is to say Om Vishnu three times as you sip the water
srini_sadhu: After this we purify the water, the flowers, the objects to be offered, the seat, your hands, the flowers
srini_sadhu: We purify our breath with Pranayama
srini_sadhu: We also purify our inside by something called Bhuta Suddhi
Ramya: We put mantras in our fingers and purify them -- We pray our actions will be pure
srini_sadhu: Shree Maa says that it is important to do Bhuta Suddhi everyday as part of your puja
paharimaa: Even the Beginner Pujas?
srini_sadhu: Pujas are modular.
srini_sadhu: Each module is called a Viddhi
Ramya: You can add any aspect to any puja -- as you feel inspired
srini_sadhu: You can add as many viddhis as you like to the beginner puja
Ramya: The Beginner Pujas are how we can begin and as God leads us we can add more modules
Alphansa DSouza: What if one does the puja wrongly? any adverse outcome?
srini_sadhu: So if you are doing the Beginner Siva Puja, you can add the Bhuta Suddhi to it
Ramya: There are no rules - it is about our love for God!
paharimaa: Where?
srini_sadhu: Good question Alphansa. In our tradition, you cannot do Puja wrong. Its your love affair with God
Ramya: No - Alphanso - If we are praying to Divine Father - whether we say "daddy" or "dadda" - He knows!
Ramya: It is our intention - God sees our heart! I have heard Maa say this multiple times.
Alphansa DSouza: Sounds encouraging!
paharimaa: It is encouraging!
srini_sadhu: Pahari Maa, I can answer the question later. In general you do all the purificatory mantras before you do the invitation.
Ramya: It is - it is about our relationship with our very, very own God. No rules. Only our attitude of love and surrender. It is beautiful and simple!
srini_sadhu: Main thing Swamiji says that you pray for pure devotion
paharimaa: Is Bhuta Shuddi considered part of invitation?
Ramya: No - Buta Sudhi is part of purification
srini_sadhu: No its purification of the six chakras
paharimaa: Thanks
srini_sadhu: We pronounce a sound which is associated with each chakra 16 times going up
Ramya: Welcome Marsha!
srini_sadhu: Any questions - discussion about Purification
Ann Millet: no- thank you.

srini_sadhu: The next step is invitation.
srini_sadhu: This is really nice
srini_sadhu: If you have Swamiji's video Meaning and Method of Worship he demonstrates these very beautifully
srini_sadhu: What we do in invitation is we invite our Ishta to come into our Heart
Ramya: Marsha -- You are part of the class - we are discussing steps in a Puja -- Preparation Purification, Invitation!
srini_sadhu: We have purified ourself and so She can come and sit inside our pure Heart
srini_sadhu: Invitation itself has five mantras
srini_sadhu: We start by saying, Divine Mother Please come!
srini_sadhu: Then we offer Her a seat in our Heart and say "I establish You within"
srini_sadhu: Then You ask Her to remain there!
srini_sadhu: Even though millions of Her children are calling to Her at the same time
srini_sadhu: Then you say sorry for any inconvenience
srini_sadhu: Last you say, "I surrender my soul to you"
srini_sadhu: The Sanskrit Mantras and Mudras for these are in some of Swamiji's books
srini_sadhu: Discussion?
Alphansa DSouza: Have the mantras to be recited only in Sanskrit; or can there be said in English?
srini_sadhu: Sanskrit or English is fine
Ramya: In the beginning we can say in English - She knows our heart!
srini_sadhu: The feeling is important!
Ramya: We say it in Sanskrit because they have been perceived by Rishis and the sounds and mudras themselves create a beautiful space - within us - ready for God to come!
Janitri Rybacki: Does "invitation" have a Sanskrit word?
srini_sadhu: Many times when I am doing Puja, I am chanting for some time and I stop and read the English aloud
Ramya: Avahanam
srini_sadhu: Avahanam = Invitation
Janitri Rybacki: thank you
Alphansa DSouza: ok
srini_sadhu: So that I know what I am reading
srini_sadhu: After Invitation is Union
paharimaa: I like to chant in Sanskrit and glance at the English.
Ramya: The attitude or bhava is what is most important - the mantras and mudras help to feel that attitude until it becomes instinctive
marsha lange: Hello Srini - I do the same thing when I do my morning worship of repeating the sloka/mantras in English. It does help with mental understanding.
Ann Millet: what about offering?
srini_sadhu: Swamiji says understanding the meaning of what you are chanting is what will give you devotion
srini_sadhu: Union and then offering
srini_sadhu: In Union you are one with Her
Ramya: what is union?
Ramya: Welcom Gabilu!
srini_sadhu: In Cosmic Puja, we do the invitation and the Goddess is in the throne of your heart and we then do japa to Her
srini_sadhu: In the process of doing japa you become one with Her
srini_sadhu: Union is the point in the Puja where you become absorbed in your Ishta
srini_sadhu: Swamiji does 10 malas of japa minimum
Gabriela Blocker: how many malas do you do?
srini_sadhu: I do 1 mala, because I am me 
Ramya: After the japa -- you take a flower and put it outside – you say, from within I am taking you out, so I can see you and make offerings to you.
Ramya: So in the union - we are one with God, inside us -- But to the offering, we want to see Her!
Ramya: We want to see Her and dress Her and feed Her and play with Her!
srini_sadhu: You take a flower and touch your heart. The Goddess is still inside you. But a portion of Her rides on the flower and is placed in front of you
Gabriela Blocker: and keep Her in sight so She doesn't leave!
srini_sadhu: Like Sri Ramakrishna said its nice to be different from your ishta because there is a joy in saying "I love You"
Gabriela Blocker: Or actually keep us in sight so we don't leave (OUR MINDS STRAY)
srini_sadhu: Is this going OK?
Gabriela Blocker: Fab
Alphansa DSouza: yes
Rich Jewett: Sure! Taking it all in.
paharimaa: Wonderful!
Janitri Rybacki: yes!
srini_sadhu: Preparation, Purification, Invitation, Union
Ann Millet: yes
srini_sadhu: And then Offering
srini_sadhu: Offering means two things
marsha lange: yes
paharimaa: The fun part.
srini_sadhu: It is the sweet pudding and Hershey Kisses you offer Her
srini_sadhu: That you can eat later and share with others
paharimaa: It is the playful part.
srini_sadhu: It is also the bhava that you get from the Puja that you can carry to the rest of your life
Gabriela Blocker: and it always feels soooo good to feed Her
Gabriela Blocker: to wash her feet
marsha lange: It is also how we internalize the blessing from the divine?
paharimaa: to give her Her bath
Alphansa DSouza: bhava ?
srini_sadhu: Bhava means attitude
Rich Jewett: The bhava we carry to the rest of life - the more we do that, the more it's with us.
Ramya: Yes Marsha. this blessing we want to take with us through out the day and share this mode of perception and establish it in every individual we see
Gabriela Blocker: that feeling of elation and love and floating
srini_sadhu: Everyone feels different after you finshed your Puja
srini_sadhu: Peace, Calmness, Love, Joy
srini_sadhu: Main thing is take that feeling and infuse it in the rest of your life
paharimaa: The "i" goes away for awhile.
srini_sadhu: Yes!
Ramya: Swamiji said that our goal is to make our entire life a puja.
paharimaa: Jai Maa
srini_sadhu: When I finish the Comic Puja I love to see the flowers on the altar
paharimaa: i love to see them with the webcam!
srini_sadhu: For me it would be nice if I can bring the same beauty to my work
paharimaa: May you do so!
marsha lange: I always try to offer my job to the divine as an offering/puja act also.
srini_sadhu: My computer work, my cleaning work, everything else
srini_sadhu: Wonderful!
paharimaa: and to our relationships!
paharimaa: let Mother show us the way to live
Gabriela Blocker: Maa says that Puja is art...creATING BEAUTIFUL ART WE REACH INFINITE CONSCIOUSNESS...satyam Sivam Sundaram
srini_sadhu: Imagine how it would be if we can carry the holy sacred moments in our Puja to the rest of your lives!
paharimaa: Paradise on earth
srini_sadhu: Swamiji said something very significant to me a few days ago
Alphansa DSouza:
I have seen the blessings of puja when ordered; ... I guess if I do it myself, the intensity could be magnified!!!
srini_sadhu: He said that if you keep doing Puja everyday. After some time, your work will also become worship
marsha lange: yes definitely
srini_sadhu: And the need to do formal puja becomes less. You would do it if you had the opportunity
paharimaa: Swamiji is the example of that truth.
srini_sadhu: Discussion/questions?
paharimaa: He does puja for all of us.
Alphansa DSouza: hopefully lesson learnt !!!... needs to be obeyed now!
Ramya: Alphanso - not only the effects but the process of doing puja on your own is very sublime and beautiful.
paharimaa: yes, the process.
Gabriela Blocker: It is a personal relationship with God
srini_sadhu: Alphanso, just start small and build up. It is really nice thing to do with so many tangible benefits
srini_sadhu: Swamiji's Beginner Pujas are very good to get started
Alphansa DSouza: For some reason there is a fear!!! ...doing it wrongly and getting adverse results!
srini_sadhu: Nothing to fear!!!
Alphansa DSouza: ok..
paharimaa: I still love the Beginner Pujas... after 14 years.
Gabriela Blocker: the adverse results only come if the intention is adverse
srini_sadhu: Last comments?
Ann Millet: Where to get supplies?
Alphansa DSouza: Does fasting help?
srini_sadhu: We can discuss this on the club. Please send me email'
paharimaa: The pujas are an opportunity to grow in Divine Love... not a test.
srini_sadhu: Fasting is beneficial but is an independent practice
paharimaa: Thank you for a wonderful class, Srini.
Tara Boyce: will we automatically be included on the club?
srini_sadhu: No Tara, send me an email and I will tell you how to join
Janitri Rybacki: Thank you for sharing so much Love.
paharimaa: Thank you to everyone.
Ann Millet: Thank you - namaste!
Rich Jewett: thank you so much
Tara Boyce: Thank you all so much.
srini_sadhu: I pray for our continued friendship and love
marsha lange: Thank you sorry and for dropping in late
Alphansa DSouza: Thanks
Ramya: To join the club please go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Devi_Mandir/
Gabriela Blocker: Jaaaaaaaai Maa!
paharimaa: We are all very blessed.
Ramya: Hope to meet again next time!! Please stay in touch in the yahoo forum and we can discuss more!
Ramya: Jai Maa!
srini_sadhu: Jai Maa! Take Care and have a great week!
paharimaa: Blessings to all.
Janitri Rybacki: Jai Maa