The Satyanarayanã Puja is a religious ritual worship of the Hindu god

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

. The puja is described in the ''

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest ''Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mukyapurana'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumaram, Kaumara literature, titled after Kartikeya ...

'', a medieval era

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

text. According to Madhuri Yadlapati, the Satyanarayana Puja is an archetypal example of how "the Hindu puja facilitates the intimacy of devotional worship while enabling a humble sense of participating gratefully in a larger sacred world".

The Puja

The puja narrates the Satyanarayana Katha (story), which dictates the various worldly and spiritual benefits the puja brings to performers. The Katha states how the deity

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

vows to aid his devotees during

Kali Yuga ''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which is ...

, the last of the four ages in Hindu cosmology, in particular the performers and attendees of the Satyanarayana Puja. The Katha narrates that the performance of the puja is in itself a promise to

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

, and recounts the plights of characters who either fail to complete the puja or forget their promises.

Items needed for puja

The following is a list of items needed for the puja. *

Haldi Haldi may refer to: * Ḫaldi, an Urartian god * ''Haldi'', Hindi/Punjabi/Bengali/Urdu/Gujarati name for the spice turmeric * Haldi, Estonia, village in Estonia * Haldi, Baltistan, a village in Pakistan * Haldi River Haldi River is a tributary o ...

(turmeric powder) *

Kumkum Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In Indi ...

(red, vermillion or sindoor) * Navadhanya (nine types of

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

s each representing one of the

navagraha Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...

, nine planets) *

Naivedhya 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most ...

(food which we offer to God) *

Incense sticks Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also be ...

(agarbattis) * Camphor *

Sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

paste * A picture of Lord Satyanarayana * A small idol (or coin) of Lord Satyanarayana (optional) * Wheat or Jawar (not rice) *

Durva ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...

Or Dhoop grass (sacred grass according to Sanatana Dharma) * Betelnut leaves (100) *

Betel nuts The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel p ...

(50) * Coins (40) * Dry Dates/Almonds (50) * Coconut (8) * Flowers,

Tulasi ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...

leaves * Garland and floral garlands * Two jars (Silver, Copper, Brass, or even earthen) – one for Kalash and another for the ritual * Two flat plates * A bell * Low

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

table (for use as Altar) * A large yellow cloth (to cover the Altar), yellow is the favorite color of Satnarayan. * A piece of yellow or red cloth (for the Kalash) * A ghee lamp (with at least three wicks) * An oil lamp * Cotton wicks * Panchamrita (uncooked mixture of milk, yogurt, honey, sugar, and ghee) Optional items * Conch shell * One thousand Tulasi (Indian Basil) leaves. * Tulasi manjari (flower of tulasi) * Banana tree/leaves as a canopy * White

sesame seeds Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

tila two tablespoons (White tila or white sesame seeds is favorite of Lord Satnarayan. Rose is his preferred flower)

References

External links

Annavaram Devasthanam
Official site for Annavaram Devastanam {{Worship in Hinduism Puja types in Hinduism Vaishnavism Hindu mantras

The Puja

Items needed for puja

See also

References

Further reading

External links