Daily Puja
A short home worship with five offerings, for any day and any deity
Common to all of India
Morning, after a bath, before eating. Many also do it at dusk when the lamp is lit.
15 to 20 minutes
This is the panchopachara puja — worship with five offerings: sandal paste, flowers, incense, a lamp and food. It is the everyday form of the full sixteen-step puja and the base every festival puja builds on. Wherever this guide says "your deity", use the name of the god or goddess you are worshipping — for example, in place of इष्टदेवतायै say गणपतये for Ganesha or लक्ष्म्यै for Lakshmi. If you do not know a mantra, saying the offering in your own words with a full heart is enough.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Om Jai Jagdish Hare ›Karpura Gauram ›Shanti Mantra ›
Get ready
The night before
- Clean the place of worship and wipe the picture or idol.
- Wash the lamp, the plate and the small water vessel.
- Keep fresh oil or ghee and a new cotton wick ready.
In the morning
- Bathe and wear clean clothes.
- Pick or buy fresh flowers. Do not smell them first; they are for the deity.
- Keep the food offering ready — fruit or a little sugar is enough.
What you need
For the altar
- 1Picture or idol of your deity
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Settle in
Sit facing east or north before the deity on a mat or folded cloth. Keep the plate on your right. Take a breath and let the day wait for a few minutes.
Achamana — sip water three times
Pour a little water into your right palm and sip it three times, saying the first three names, one with each sip. Then wash your right hand with a little water while saying the fourth.
ōm kēśavāya namaḥ. ōm nārāyaṇāya namaḥ. ōm mādhavāya namaḥ. ōm gōvindāya namaḥ.Salutations to Keshava, Narayana and Madhava; salutations to Govinda.Purify yourself and the place
Hold a flower dipped in water and sprinkle a few drops on yourself, the plate and the altar while saying this verse.
ōm apavitraḥ pavitrō vā sarvāvasthāṁ gatō'pi vā. yaḥ smarēt puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ.Whether pure or impure, in whatever state, one who remembers the lotus-eyed Lord is pure within and without.Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Dhyana — invite the deity
Close your eyes and picture the deity before you. Offer a pinch of akshat as you invite them to be present.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. dhyāyāmi, āvāhayāmi.Gandha — sandal paste
Apply a dot of chandan or kumkum to the deity with your ring finger.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. gandhaṁ samarpayāmi.Pushpa — flowers
Offer the flowers at the deity's feet, one or a few at a time.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi.Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Naivedya — food
Place the food before the deity. Sprinkle a little water around it, and offer it with folded hands. Wait a moment, as if it is being received.
ōm śrī iṣṭadēvatāyai namaḥ. naivēdyaṁ nivēdayāmi.Aarti
Light the camphor or take the lamp and sing an aarti — Om Jai Jagdish Hare suits any deity, or sing the aarti of your own deity. Circle the flame clockwise before the deity, then take its warmth to your eyes with both palms.
Pradakshina — circle in reverence
Turn around clockwise in your place three times (or walk around the altar if there is room), saying this verse.
yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntarakr̥tāni ca. tāni tāni vinaśyanti pradakṣiṇapadē padē.Whatever wrongs were done in past lives are destroyed with every step taken around the Lord.Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Prasad
Bow down. Take a little of the offered food as prasad and share it with the family. Let the lamp burn out on its own.
Good to do
- Keep the place and the vessels clean.
- Use fresh flowers and fresh water each day.
- Do the puja at about the same time every day if you can — the regularity matters more than the length.
Tradition avoids
- Do not offer flowers that have fallen on the ground or been smelled.
- Do not blow out the lamp with your mouth; let it burn out or fan it with your hand.
- Do not turn your back on the altar while the lamp is lit.
There is no wrong way to begin. On a busy day, lighting the lamp, saying one mantra and folding your hands is a puja too.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.