Of all the remedies available in Jyotish (Vedic astrology), puja is perhaps the most puzzling and mysterious – particularly for Westerners.
So what the heck is puja?
"Puja" is a Sanskrit term that refers to a ritualistic worship or ceremony performed to honor and invoke the divine presence of a deity or deities. It is a central aspect of Hindu religious practices and is conducted with the aim of fostering spiritual connection, seeking blessings, and expressing devotion.
In the context of Vedic astrology, puja is often recommended as a remedial measure to mitigate the adverse effects of planetary positions or to enhance the positive influences of favorable planets.
Ok, but I still don’t get it.
If you’re reading this post in Denmark or Detroit and not, say, Delhi, then I’m not that surprised. Rituals of this kind are – sadly – not usually part of our lives in the West.
I suppose the closest thing we have to this would be in Catholicism.
A catholic lighting a candle and praying on the rosary to the Virgin Mary or a priest ringing the bell during the Eucharist to transform the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ are both examples of ritualistic worship.
Similarly, puja involves the use of various symbolic items, such as incense, lamps, flowers, and food, as offerings to the deity (I’ll probably write a separate post about this at another time). In its simpler forms, it can be performed privately at home or in a temple. Puja is a way for individuals to express devotion, seek blessings, and maintain a spiritual connection.
However, when it comes to providing remedies for burdened planets or other flaws in the natal charts, Vedic astrologers usually recommend seeking out the services of a pujari.
What is a pujari?
In a nutshell, a pujari is a priest or religious officiant trained in Vedic rituals, hymns and traditions who is responsible for performing puja ceremonies. In terms of Vedic astrology, they can perform pujas to bring about positive change in your life.
If, for example, you have a cursed Venus in your chart that is causing problems with relationships, a pujari could perform a Graha Shanti (planet pacifying) puja to help clear the energy that’s blocking their ability to find a healthy, lasting relationship.
For this to be truly effective, however, you need to do more than mutter a few mantras make an offering or two.
On the website of Vedic Yagya Center, for example, they state that a Sukra (Venus) Graha Shanti puja is performed by two pujaris and takes place over eight days. It includes around 23,000 mantra repetitions, a homa (fire ceremony), tarpana (water/grain offering) and dana (planetary charity offering). Your average Joe or Sanjay would have neither the time or the skills to do such a ritual, which is why it is left to the pros in this case.
I’m still not sure I get it.
No worries. As someone who grew up in a family, country and culture where ritualistic worship is not really much of a thing, it’s taken me a while to wrap my head around puja.
However, when I was in Varanasi, I had the privilege to attend two powerful pujas performed by top pujaris. Being there in person was truly mind-blowing. Here are some videos of one of the pujas, both of which took around five hours to perform.
A Graha Shanti pujas would not involve as many pujaris as this one did (it was a Mahamrityunjaya puja for health and removal of fear, and one of this size would cost several thousand dollars if ordered for a private individual). However, it does feel powerful to imagine purjaris chanting somewhere far off in India, just to clear my karma.
So, you don’t have to be present for the puja?
In some very specific cases, you do need to be present for a puja because you will be required to participate. However, for most pujas used for remediation purposes in Jyotish, a distance puja works perfectly well and will bring results.
If you know what day or time the puja will be performed, it’s best to do a small action to connect you to the ritual, such as lighting a candle or oil lamp or doing a round of relevant mantra recitation. But even if you don’t do this, the puja will have an effect.
The problem with puja as a remedy in Vedic astrology
Ok, so this is a bit of a trick heading.
In fact, along with donation, puja is the safest remedy you can do. Mantra recitation can sometimes backfire, or even be dangerous. A popular remedy choice among new age Vedic astrologers, gemstones can actually cause more harm than good and should be prescribed with far more caution and precision than they usually are (a post will be coming up soon about this).
But puja?
Puja always brings positive change into your life. It might not always be the change you were hoping for, but it will still be beneficial. For example, that Venus puja you ordered might end up easing the issues you’ve been having with Venus-related health issues instead of bringing a relationship into your life like you’d hoped, but it will still deliver something that does you good.
So why did I write “the problem with puja”? Let’s expand on another sentence to make this point clear: Puja always brings positive change into your life if the puja is done right.
Like any profession, there are some pujaris who are extremely gifted and well-trained whose work delivers powerful results. Still others may be well-trained, but not particularly gifted or dedicated, or be dedicated but lacking an adequate education that would give them the skills they need. Pujaris also tend to specialize, which means they can’t necessarily do any ritual a client might be seeking.
There is also the issue of crooked pujaris.
Let’s face it: puja is big business, and this can be abused. In some cases, this may be pujaris fooling people into paying for extremely expensive pujas they don’t actually need. In other cases, particularly with clueless Westerners who can’t just go to the local temple to get a puja done, it could be outright fraud.
A rule of thumb in general for protecting yourself from fraud: don’t fall for extreme scare tactics or too-good-to-be-true guarantees.
That said, even reputable pujaris may sometimes try to “upsell” you on a ritual. In this case, just politely say no and all will be ok.
My own experience ordering pujas
My teacher often recommends two organizations for remote puja: Amrita Puja and Vedic Yagya Center. Both are reputable and deliver good work.
However, there is a significant difference in price.
For example, a Jupiter Shanti puja from Amrita Puja costs $35 while it costs $451 from the Vedic Yagya Center.
The reason, I’m assuming, is that the puja at the Vedic Yagya Center is much longer and more involved (done for eight days by two pujaris for three hours today). Amrita Puja does not list what the puja involves, but considering the price, it much be a much simpler ritual.
So far, I’ve only ever ordered pujas from Amrita Puja. It’s not that I don’t trust Vedic Yagya Center - I witnessed the work of one of its head pujaris when I was in Varanasi, and his work was amazing – I just don’t have a lot of money. $451 would a significant sum for me to pay, which is why I’ve been reluctant to do so, even though my Jupiter would definitely benefit from a Graha Shanti puja of this caliber.
Someday, maybe.
Tips when you order a puja
If you do order a remote puja, it’s best to choose an auspicious day according to your chart (more on this later). On the day the puja starts, light a candle and state your intentions to better tie you to the ritual. Pay attention to any omens, either positive or negative, that are tied to what your puja should be addressing the day after it starts.
For example, I ordered a Mercury puja to address money issues in my chart. The day after the puja, I discovered I was paying for a subscription to a service twice. I was able to fix the situation and therefore save money. A good omen that the puja would be delivering positive results related to my intention.
Another significant puja experience
A few weeks after attending the live Mahamrityunjaya puja in Varanasi, I remembered a set of exercises I had once heard about and felt compelled to give them a try. When I did, they almost immediately took care of issues I’ve had with overactive bladder syndrome.
This has been a chronic health problem for over 20 years. I’ve gone to many doctors about it, with no real results or advice beyond “this is a typical issue for women, so just deal with it.”
One live puja and I get guided in a direction that helps me solve an irritating health condition I’d basically decided I was just going to have to learn to live with? Yes, please.
I’m still not convinced
No problem.
Puja is beneficial for everyone and it can bring quick results. However, it is only one of many remedial measures you can take to improve your life.
My suggestion?
If an astrologer suggests one as a remedy for your chart, keep an open mind and consider it. But if it’s too out of your comfort zone, that’s also perfectly fine. It’s always possible to go another route on the path towards healing that resonates more with you and your background.