Jain Puja symbolizes
various aspects of our religion. One should reflect on such aspect while performing the
puja rituals. There are different types of puja being performed for various religious and
social ceremonies. The following eight types of materials is generally used for pujas.
1. Jala Puja:
(Water)
Water
symbolizes the ocean. Every living being continuously travels through Life Ocean
of birth, life, death, and misery. This puja reminds that one should live the
life with honesty, truthfulness, love and compassion towards all living beings.
This way one will be able to cross the Life Ocean and attain Moksha or liberation.
The path of liberation is Samyak Darshan, Samyak Jnan and Samyak Charitra
in Jain religion.
2. Chandan Puja:
(Sandal wood)
Chandan symbolizes Knowledge (Jnan). During this puja one should reflect on Right
Knowledge. Right knowledge means proper understanding of reality which includes Soul,
Karma, and their relationship. Jainism believes that the Path of Knowledge is the main
path to attain liberation. Bhakti or Devotion helps in the early stages of one's effort
for liberation.
3. Pushpa Puja:
(Flower)
Flower symbolizes conduct. Our conduct should be like a flower, which provides fragrance
and beauty to all living beings without discrimination. We should live our life like
flowers with full of love and compassion towards all living beings.
4. Dhup Puja:
(Incense)
Dhup symbolizes ascetic life. While burning itself, Dhup provides fragrance to others.
Similarly true monks and nuns spend their entire life selflessly for the benefit of all
living beings. This puja reminds that one should thrive for a ascetic life which
ultimately leads to liberation.
5. Deepak Puja:
(Candle)
The flame of Deepak represents a Pure Consciousness or a Soul without any bondage or a
Liberated Soul. In Jainism such a Soul is called Siddha or God. The ultimate goal of every
living being is to become liberated from karma. By doing this puja one should thrive to
follow Five great Vows: Non violence, Truthfulness, Non stealing, Chastity and Non
possession. Ultimately these proper conducts coupled with right faith and knowledge will
lead to liberation.
6. Akshat Puja:
(Rice)
The household rice is the kind of grain seeds, which are non-fertile. One cannot grow rice
plants by seeding the household rice. Symbolically it means that rice is the last birth.
By doing this puja one should thrive to put all the efforts in the life in such a way that
this life becomes one's last life and after the end of this life one will be liberated and
will not be reborn again.
7. Naivedya Puja:
(Sweet)
Naivedya sym bolizes a tasty food. By doing this puja, one should thrive to reduce or
eliminate the attachment to tasty food. Healthy food is essential for survival, however
one should not live for to eat a tasty food. Ultimate aim in one's life is to attain a
life where no food is essential for our existence and that is the life of a liberated
Soul, who lives in Moksha forever in ultimate bliss.
8. Fal Puja: (Fruit)
Fruit symbolizes Moksha or Liberation. If we live our life without any attachment to
worldly affair, continue to perform our duty without any expectation and reward, be
witnessed to all the incidents that occurred surrounding to and within us, truly follow
ascetic life, and have a love and compassion to all living beings, we will attain the
fruit of Moksha or liberation. This is the last Puja symbolizing the ultimate achievement
of our life.
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Information Courtesy :
Mr. Pravin K. Shah
Chairperson JAINA Education Committee
Federation of Jain Associations in North America
509 Carriage Woods Circle Raleigh, NC 27607-3969 USA
Email - Pkshah1@attglobal.net
Telephone and fax 919-859-4994
Websites - www.jaina.org and www.jainism.org
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