Puja room
Let’s consider our puja room similar to the temple Garbhagirha (Sanctum Sanctorum). Our puja room must be maintained properly, it should be always be kept clean and hygienic, and we must compulsorily lit either oil or ghee lamps both in the morning as well as in the evening. It is also believed that those who cleanly maintain their puja room would get the grace of Ma Mahalakshmi, the goddess of purity, prosperity and wealth, and she would permanently dwell in our homes.
But some of us are not maintaining our puja rooms in a neat manner, and we also sometimes enter into our puja room even without taking bath. Lamps are also not being properly lighted even in the homes of the some so-called orthodox Hindus. As per a famous spiritual proverb, “Whenever lamps are properly lighted in our puja room, evil spirits would not dwell there, and our homes also would shine brightly, with full of divine energy”.
If we take the life history of the Nayanmar Saints, the entire 63 Nayanmars saints have properly worshipped Lord Shiva by chanting the Shiva Mantra, “OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”, and in their homes, lamps were being properly lighted, during the time of performance of Shiva Puja. In his Bhagavat Gita Teachings, Lord Krishna says, “Oh my dear Arjuna, I would dwell in the homes of those, who sincerely worships me, and those who have got the habit of lighting the lamps in their puja rooms, are to be considered as my true devotees”.
If we see the Garbhagriha (Sanctum Sanctorum) of any temples, sufficient number of lamps would be properly lighted, and the entire place of the Garbhagriha itself would glitters brightly with full of divine radiance. Females those who are in their mensuration period are not advised to enter into the puja rooms, since it is believed that it would affect the purity and sanctity of the puja rooms. Likewise, newly married couples are not advised to enter into the puja rooms in the mornings, without taking bath, since it would create lot of health related issues to them. They should also remember the proverb, “CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS”, and they must follow it practically. Last but not the least, puja rooms are to be considered as holy worship places, and they are not to be considered just like our ordinary bedrooms or bathrooms!
“OM NAMAH SHIVAYA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR