669. Mindfulness Most Required while Performing Puja to a Deity…!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/god-and-i/mindfulness-most-required-while-performing-puja-to-a-deity

While performing puja just close your eyes and imagine that the deity is sitting right in front of you. This imagination is very powerful as it takes you close to the Absolute you are worshiping. Puja is not a duty or a routine ritual but it is yoga, the exercise to unite with the Divinity. With that union the unwanted thoughts are vanquished. It is an easy means to control the mind from projecting too many thoughts.

The motive behind getting involved in puja or bhajans is to engage our self to reach that transcendental realm. Once there lived a miser who wished to perform puja but would not like to spend much on the articles required for puja. One day he approached a Sadhu and requested him to preside over the puja. But the Sadhu requested him to at least arrange for some milk and sugar to be offered as prasad to the Lord. The miser did not agree.

Sadhu Maharaj told him at least if he was aware of the puja being performed it would be more than sufficient and asked him to close his eyes and imagine that he is sitting on the banks of River Ganga with a beautiful idol of Sri Krishna in front of him. He is washing His feet and offering a decorated throne to Him. He asked him to imagine he is offering the Lord milk with sugar. In his imagination the miser put more sugar into milk. He being a miser wanted to take out extra sugar he had put in the milk. Suddenly someone stopped him and he was startled. He saw it was Sri Krishna Himself standing in front of him. The miser had the darshan of the Lord even though in a negative means. This is just to show how powerful it would be if one engages mind while doing puja. That is called Manas Puja and the ultimate goal in it is to realize the Absolute. Without engaging mind this is not at all possible.

There is another story in Mahabharata which depicts the necessity of be conscious while doing puja. Arjuna was an ardent devote of Lord Shiva. He used to perform puja to the Linga regularly pooja with Bilva leaves, but none of his other four brothers were seen doing puja. He felt very proud that he was doing puja daily and he was close to the Lord than his other brothers. Sri Krishna who came to know about this wanted Arjuna to know what the truth was. 

One day He took him to Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. On the way Arjuna saw large number of baskets of flowers being carried by the Bhutaganas (attendents) to Kailash. Arjuna asked Sri Krishna about it and Sri Krishna as usual asked Arjuna to checkout about it from those who were carrying the baskets of flowers. Arjuna stopped one of them asked about it. One Gana replied that the baskets of flowers were from Bhima, his brother.

Arjuna was astonished as he had never seen Bhima sit in front of Linga and pray as he did daily. At the same time he was overwhelmed that if someone who had never sat to pray could send so much of flowers what about him who was doing puja daily. Hence Arjuna asked the Bhutagana to show him his portion of the flowers offered to the Lord. They showed a small mound of flowers lying in one corner. Arjuna was surprised and he asked Sri Krishna to explain this disparity. Sri Krishna then explained him that even though Bhima did not step into any temple he was thinking of Lord Shiva at all times. If he were to sees a flowers that had freshly blossomed in the garden he would mentally offer those flowers to Lord Siva. Thus offered flowers were loads in baskets that were reaching the Lord on mount Kailash the very next moment. Thus, Sri Krishna explains Arjuna to be aware and conscious of the Divine while doing puja.

Spending money on the flowers, fruits, and decoration will not be of any use if mind is wandering elsewhere while doing puja, if done so it is sheer waste of time…….Do you agree??????