The Ritualist’s Guide to Lakshmi Puja on Diwali

Diwali the festival of lights for every Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist in India, never misses the auspicious of Diwali. This is a festival where Darkness is won over by the aspect of lights. Thus, Diwali has many reasons to celebrate, approximately 12 different versions are mentioned for the celebration of Diwali. One of the popular reasons for celebrating Diwali is as below:

Popular belief of celebrating Diwali:

Diwali is celebrated as the victory of Lord Ram over Demon king Ravana. After slaying Ravana, the King of Lanka, and completing his 14 years of exile, Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya along with his wife, Sita, and brother, Lakshmana. The day when Lord Ram entered Ayodhya was the new moon day in the month of Kartik. The People of Ayodhya welcomed Lord Ram by bursting firecrackers and lighting diyas and lamps. From then onwards, fireworks and diyas have come to symbolize the festival.

Also Read: 5 Places where you have to light a lamp in Diwali Festival

Now When is Diwali celebrated?

Usually Diwali is celebrated in the Hindu Month of Kartik which is around October-November as per English Calendar. Thus, it is observed on the 15th day of Kartik, the holiest month in the Hindu lunar calendar. Accordingly, in 2018, Diwali would be celebrated on 7th November 2018.

Now let us see the rituals which are to be followed during the celebration of Diwali:

• Purification of the house – Before the puja, one must ensure that their home is properly cleaned. Ritual dictates that you sprinkle gangajal to ensure that the house is cleansed for the Goddess to enter.
• Arrange the platform – Set a platform for the Goddess and place a red cloth on top of it. Then sprinkle some grains of rice on the cloth as is tradition.
• Arrange the kalash – Place the kalash on the cloth. Fill it with water and place a coin, a marigold flower, a supari and some rice grains on top of it. Arrange 5 mango leaves in a circle on the top of the kalash to complete the setup.
• Arrange the idol of Goddess Lakshmi – On some grains of rice, use turmeric and water to draw a lotus and place the idol in the centre.
• Place the idol of Lord Ganesha – On the right of the kalash, in the south west direction, place the idol of Lord Ganesha and apply turmeric and Kumkum on it. Light a Diya or Lamp next to the idol.
• Place a symbol of wealth on the arrangement – Place a book or symbol of wealth from your business-related items near the arrangement. This symbolizes success in activities to attract wealth.
• Bath the idol of the Goddess – In a thali, bathe the idol of Goddess Lakshmi with panchamrit (made of 4 items: Curd, Milk, Sugar, Honey and Ghee) and rinse it with clean water. Then, wipe the idol and place it back on the red cloth.
• Offer sweets as prasad – In a puja thali, offer sweets and coconut to the Goddess as prasad. You may place currency or jewellery in the thali as well.
• Light the Diya – Light the candle and perform Lakshmi puja aarti while slowly ringing a bell. Offer some flowers to the Goddess after the aarti. Some devotees get garlands to place on their idols.
• Recite Diwali puja mantra – Finally, recite the Diwali puja mantra to invite Goddess Lakshmi to your house with her blessings.

Thus, when we follow these rituals with complete rigor, we ae assured of its positive results. Therefore, do make the best of it and follow the prescribed steps mentioned above.

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