An important ritual on Ayudha Puja is consecrating tools and objects that assist in work. Today, people also do puja to private vehicles like car, scooter, bike etc. The Ayudha puja dates vary from region to region some people perform it on Ashtami and some on Navami. The tools and objects are not put into use on the Ayudha Puja day. People also sanctify their offices and huge machineries on the day. Children and people associated with art and literature perform the Saraswati Puja on the day. Here is simple step by step method on how to perform Ayudha Puja.
Some people perform Ayudha Puja on the previous day evening and will only touch the tools and other objects on the Vijayadasami day. A large section of people perform the puja on the morning of the Ayudha Puja day.
Getting Ready
- Decide the place to perform Ayudha Puja. It is always better to keep tools and objects in a place where you won’t touch it accidentally.
- Decide which tools you want to keep for puja.
- Clean all the tools.
Requirements
- Decorations for Puja – mango leaves, banana saplings (small banana plant), garlands, flowers.
- Turmeric
- Kumkum
- Betel leaves
- Betel nuts
- White pumpkin or Lime
- Puffed rice
- Powdered jaggery
- Small coconut pieces
- Unbroken coconut
- Bunch of Bananas
- Fruits
- Sugarcane pieces
- Agarbathis
- Camphor
- Banana leaves
- If you are making prasadam – the ingredients for the naivedya that you intent to make.
Ayudha Puja Method
- Anoint the tools, objects, machinery and vehicles with turmeric paste and Kumkuma. A small dot with turmeric and kumkuma will do. Be careful while applying turmeric as stains are hard to remove.
- Tie one or two banana sapling on the doors or on vehicles or near the puja area. (Not compulsory, you can skip this)
- Sprinkle flowers on the tools, vehicles etc.
- Decorate them with garlands.
- Place a banana leaf on the floor.
- Place betel leaves and nuts on the leaf.
- Place fruits, sugarcane bits, bunch of bananas on the leaf.
- Mix puffed rice and powdered jaggery and keep it on the banana leaf.
- Break a coconut and keep it on the leaf.
- Light agarbathis.
- You can now perform an Aarti with Camphor on the objects and tools.
- All participating can take the blessings from the flames.
- You can also mediate for few minutes.
Removing Drishti
If you are removing drishti – evil eyes. Then take a white pumpkin. Anoint it with kumkum and turmeric. Take the pumpkin and rotate it above your head thrice and then thrice in an anti-clockwise manner before the tools and objects and smash it out of sight.
If you are removing drishti – evil eyes. Then take a white pumpkin. Anoint it with kumkum and turmeric. Take the pumpkin and rotate it above your head thrice and then thrice in an anti-clockwise manner before the tools and objects and smash it out of sight.
Removing drishti can also be performed using lime. Rotate it before the tools and then smash it. Some people run vehicles over the lime.
- Fruits, Prasad, betel leaves, bananas are distributed among the participants and neighbors.
The tools and objects are put into use on the Vijayadasami day with new hope and renewed vigor.
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