Yagna
Why do people perform yagnas?
To thank the devtas, Food, wealth, knowledge, happiness
Kings performed Ashwamedha Yagnas to celebrate prosperity
How long does a mahapuja last?
Approximately 1 hour
What is nitya puja?
Daily personal worship is performed by devotees.
What is a grahan?
Solar and lunar eclipse
What is a vrat?
A vrat is any vow taken to maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health
Which book stresses the tradition of nonviolent yagnas? (Not in the Swaminarayan Sampraday)
Mahabharata
After which arti is Mahapuja commonly performed in shikharbaddha mandirs?
Mangala aarti
What is Bhumi Puja?
Pujan performed on the land before construction. Land needs to be purified and cleansed.
The effect of land on people is tremendous. For example, when Shravan was taking his parents on the pilgrimage, he suddenly stopped at a place and refused to go further on the pilgrimage. His father requested him to carry them a bit further. Shravan finally came to his senses after he left that area
Why do we perform rituals during the grahan?
During these eclipses, it is said that the environment becomes unholy and there is a detrimental effect on our state of being.
What are examples of vrat (give 2)
jagran (staying awake all night listening to katha/bhajans), maun vrat (vow of silence), upvas (Chandrayan, Ekadashi, Nirjala, Jala, Farar)
Where did Shriji Maharaj hold 2 famous nonviolent yagnas?
Maharudra Yagna - Jetalpur (18 days)
Dabhan (Gave Mulji Sharma diksha)
When was the first Mahapuja performed in the Swaminarayan sampraday?
Bonus points if you know who it was done by.
Gopalanand Swami did the first performance of the mahapuja in the Swaminarayan sampraday after Shriji Maharaj passed away. It was done to console Dada Khachar.
Then, Gopalanand Swami did mahapuja in Junagadh
Shastriji Maharaj continued the ritual in Akshar Deri
Mahant Swami Maharaj wished that Bhadresh Swami write a new mahapuja based on the Akshar Purushottam Upasana
Why do we do shilanyas pujan?
Shila means stone. Shilanyas refers to the laying of stones in the foundation. A part of this ritual includes a tribute to Mother Earth, seeking her permission to build on her
What instructions has Shriji Maharaj given us in the Shikshapatri to follow to combat the negative consequences of eclipses? (give 2)
* Do not eat anything during the grahan
* Engage yourself in Bhakti (Katha, bhajans)
* Bathe with our clothes on after it is done
What is the significance behind Ekadashi according to hinduism?
Lord Narayan was resting. A demon by the name of Murdanav arrived and challenged him to a duel. Suddenly, Ekadashi, a damsel, appeared out of the Lord. Murdanav was so attracted to this damsel that he asked her to marry him. The lady agreed, but only if he were to beat her in a duel. So, as they fought, Murdanav was defeated and killed. Lord Narayan was very happy and told her to ask for any boon. She replied, “I desire that people should observe a vrat on this day and control their indriyas.”
How did yagnas evolve into animal sacrifices?
Puran Yagnas originally emphasized nonviolence and were meant to be performed with seeds (aja). However, over time, the words of the Vedas were manipulated and misinterpreted. In one story, Indra argued that “aja” meant goat instead of barley, and Vasu Raja sided with him, leading to the justification of meat consumption. In another story, after Durvasa Rishi cursed the devtas, famine spread across the Earth and people began eating animals to survive. Later generations of pundits twisted the meaning of the shastras and proclaimed animal sacrifice to be permissible in yagnas.
What is the difference between dialy puja and mahapuja?
In the mahapuja, bhagwa along with his devotees are worshipped through the 16 upchaars (methods of worship)
What is Prana (Murti) Pratishtha?
What is the significance of doing bhajan-bhakti during a grahan?
It is said that the punya we get by doing bhajan-bhakti on grahan is greater than the punya received by staying in a holy place for 8.6 billion years, performing 10,000 yagnas, and donating gold the size of a mountain
What does Maharaj say in Vachnamrut Gadhada I - 38 about Ekadashi?
“What are the characteristics of observing a fast on the day of Ekādashi? Well, the ten indriyas and the mind, the eleventh, should be withdrawn from their respective vishays and attached to God. That is considered as having observed Ekādashi. In fact, devotees of God should engage in this observance continuously.”
What symbols hold significant meaning within these Hindu rituals? (Name 2)
Fire - represents purity and acts as a messager carrying offerings to the devtas
water - symbolizes purification
Swastik - symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune
Aum - sound of the universe
What is the true meaning of Ekadashi?
To control ALL of our senses and dedicate them to God