Worshipping the Adityas, the solar deities in Hinduism, is considered highly auspicious, as they represent various aspects of the Sun's life-giving energy. Here is a comprehensive guide to worshipping the Adityas with an emphasis on eco-friendly practices, minimal environmental impact, and traditional values. Worshipping them not only brings vitality and energy but also spiritual enlightenment, good health, and prosperity.
Benefits of Worshipping Adityas
- Good Health and Vitality: The Sun's energy, symbolized by the Adityas, represents life force and health. Worshipping them strengthens vitality and immune system.
- Prosperity and Success: The Sun symbolizes abundance and growth. Worshipping the Adityas attracts prosperity and opens pathways for success.
- Spiritual Upliftment: Worshipping the Adityas aligns the devotee with higher energy, aiding spiritual growth, wisdom, and clarity of thought.
- Protection and Positivity: Adityas are said to ward off negative energies and bring positivity into the devotee’s life.
Preparation and Cleanliness
- Clean the Puja Area: Use water mixed with turmeric or sandalwood paste for purification. Avoid chemical cleaners; instead, use natural alternatives like neem or tulsi water.
- Personal Cleanliness: Bathe before the puja and wear clean, fresh clothes. Physical purity helps focus the mind.
- Clothing: Traditionally, wearing white, yellow, or saffron-colored clothes is recommended as they signify purity and harmony with solar energies.
Puja Items Required (Eco-Friendly Options)
- Brass or Copper Kalash (Water Pot): Symbolizes purity and can be reused.
- Eco-friendly Clay Diya (Oil Lamp): Light a diya with ghee or sesame oil. Clay diyas are biodegradable and non-toxic.
- Fresh Flowers: Use locally grown flowers like marigold or jasmine. Avoid synthetic decorations.
- Tulsi, Bel, and Mango Leaves: For decorating the kalash and altar.
- Sandalwood Paste or Turmeric: As offerings to represent purity.
- Akshat (Unbroken Rice Grains): Represents wholeness and abundance.
- Eco-Friendly Incense Sticks: Made from natural resins and essential oils.
- Fruits and Fresh Coconut: For offering to the deities.
Time for Worship
The ideal time to worship the Adityas is at dawn. The morning sun symbolizes new beginnings and has a gentle energy that is conducive to meditation and prayer.
Simple Steps for Worship of the Adityas
Prepare the Altar: Place an image or yantra (sacred diagram) of the Adityas or the Sun God on a clean surface. Set up all puja items in an organized way.
Lighting the Diya: Light the clay diya using sesame oil or ghee, symbolizing the light of knowledge dispelling darkness.
Offering Water (Arghya): Pour water from the kalash or a copper vessel towards the Sun (facing east), while reciting the Aditya mantra.
Applying Sandalwood or Turmeric Paste: Mark the image or yantra of the Adityas with turmeric or sandalwood paste as an offering.
Offering Flowers and Fruits: Present the flowers and fruits to the deity, praying for blessings.
Reciting Mantras and Prayers: Recite the following mantra:
Another prayer to recite:
This prayer praises the Sun as the remover of darkness and destroyer of sins.
Offering Prasad: Offer a simple prasad of fruits, especially jaggery, or a homemade sweet like kheer, which can be made with minimal ingredients and served in reusable or biodegradable containers.
Prasad Suggestions (Eco-Friendly Options)
- Jaggery and Sesame Seeds: A simple, natural sweet offered to the Adityas, symbolizing strength and purity.
- Kheer (Rice Pudding): Made with milk, rice, and jaggery.
- Seasonal Fruits: Mango, guava, or bananas are auspicious and biodegradable.
How to Conclude the Puja
- Aarti: Conclude with an aarti by waving the diya in a circular motion in front of the deity. This step symbolizes absorbing the energy of the Adityas and filling the surrounding environment with divine light.
- Final Prayer: Offer a closing prayer expressing gratitude and asking for blessings.
What to Do with Puja Leftover Items
- Flowers: Use dried flowers in a compost or dry them for making incense or potpourri. Avoid discarding them in rivers.
- Water Offerings: Pour leftover water into plants or a garden.
- Prasad: Share the prasad with family members or offer it to birds and animals, reinforcing the values of kindness and respect for nature.
- Ash and Diyas: Use the ash from incense and lamps as a natural fertilizer. Clay diyas can be broken down and used in soil or pots.
Importance of Worshipping Adityas
Worshipping the Adityas helps connect with the universal source of energy, the Sun, enhancing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It serves as a daily reminder to respect and harmonize with nature, renews gratitude for life-giving energies, and reinforces traditional, sustainable values that are at the core of Hindu worship.
By following this eco-friendly approach, we not only honor the deities but also fulfill our duty towards preserving and nurturing the environment.