What preparation is made during Hindu worship?
HINDU WORSHIP – There are certainly several rituals for religious worship. But these rituals vary in detail from region to region, from tradition to tradition and from time to time. The pUjA (ritual worship) begins with such an invocation. The pUjA itself consists of sixteen formalities. These include, besides the invocation, the offering of a seat, offering water for various purposes, offering water honey and milk for bath, offering cloth for dressing, offering flowers as obeisance, offering eatables, waving flaming camphor, and finally doing prostrations. The ceremonial waving of lighted camphor is called Arti. The prostration indicates a total surrender to the deity of the pUjA. The very invocation, which is the first formality, contains the essence of the Hindu teaching. It says: Oh God! I know you are omnipresent. But, for the purpose of my concentration and worship Please condescend to make your presence felt here In this idol (image, picture or stone or whatever) For the period
