9 Things to keep in mind before you bring mandir at home !!!

1. What is a mandir?

• A mandir is a structure in which people place their respective religious gods and worship them. Mandir is considered auspicious as it is the symbol of Hinduism. The speciality of temples is to create a sacred one to one spiritual connection between you and your god and to get an experience of eternal peace. Mandir is also called devasthana, which means God’s place as it is considered a source through which knowledge about Hindu cultures and traditions is spread in the whole world. Temples are the place around which today’s generation get a chance to experience the divine rituals, practices, and cultures of ancient times. It is said that a house without a temple is just like a human being without values.

2)  What is the importance of the mandir?

• The importance of the mandir lies in the history of the Hindu religion, it means to have a darshan of God. In ancient times it was a compulsion to wake up early, have a bath and worship God, it was considered a prosperous way to start the day. People even did ucharans of slokas and mantras to worship God and learn important meaning from them. Mandir is not only a sacred place to worship God but is also a place to explore oneself through eyes of spirituality, and devotion. People worship god in the morning, to imbibe positive energy and to gain strength to fight against all odds. A mandir is a place that connects one being to another through values.

3) What is the ideal place to keep the mandir?

• According to the Hindu Vastu Shastra, the ideal place to keep the mandir is in the northeastern direction, or the ‘Ishan corner’ and eastern corner is also advisable. In mandir gods, the face must face in the west direction, so that devotees back face west direction at the time of puja archna.

4) When to bring mandir at home?

• Mandirs should be brought home, on any festive occasion or any applicable auspicious day. And it should be kept on the sthapana sthal in the first half of the day. Mandir should be brought home heartily, with positive thoughts in mind and heart. One should check the perfect mahurat before placing the mandir in an appropriate place.

5) What is the next step after placing the mandir at sthapana sthal?

• After placing the mandir at sthapana sthal one should take the mixture of kumkum and water and draw a swastika in the centre of the mandir platform, using a ring finger or ‘Anamika’s only. Then arpana some akshat (rice) on the swastika. This ritual is performed because the red colour of kumkum is considered religious and is also a symbol of the devotee. Even akshat (rice) is a symbol of the goddess Laxmi. When someone places a small kumkum dot, with akshat in the centre of the forehead, of people attending the puja it is considered that Lord Brahma will write everyone’s fate on their forehead. Then after a clean pooja cloth is folded and kept in the centre on the mandir, on which Lord Ganesha is placed because Ganesha is called Vighnaharta which means he is the Lord who keeps all vigna (problems) away, from you and your family so Ganesh sthapna is necessary for every auspicious, religious occasion in Hinduism. After Vighnaharta Ganesha other Gods and Goddesses idols should be kept according to convenience.  

6) How to decorate your mandir.

• You can decorate your beautiful mandir with floral strings, bells, and colourful fairy lights. Also, you can just beautify your pooja place with the alluring fragrance of incense sticks.  

7) Importance of supporting elements used in pooja.

• Diya is an oil lamp made from clay, in which a cotton strand is placed with ghee and then lit. It is lit in every Hindu home, as it is a symbol of energy, and is known for spreading positivity and eliminating darkness from our lives. Diya is lit 2 times a day, one during the time of Sarvodaya, and another diya at the time of suryasta according to Hindu religion. Deep Jyoti mantra

“ॐ शुभं करोति कल्याणं आरोग्यं धनसंपदः ।

शत्रुबुद्धिविनाशाय दीपज्योतिनमोऽस्तु ते ॥”

• Which means, ”I fold my hands before the light that brings prosperity, auspiciousness, good health, an abundance of wealth and destruction of the enemy’s intellect”

• Incense sticks are the symbol of giving selflessly because an incense stick burns itself and gives a beautiful aroma to us. To work without the expectations of getting anything in return is what incense sticks teach us. Flowers are an eternal part of Hinduism because it believed that if devotees offer flowers to God, they grant their wishes, good health and abundance of wealth. Bells have special importance in mandir as it signifies welcoming divinity, as it clears all your bad thoughts and directs your mind towards peace.

• Kapoor (camphor) is known for clearing all the negativity and spreading positive energy through its aroma. As 108 is considered the most sacred no in Hinduism, mala is a string with 108 beads embedded in it, which is used in prayers and remembering god, it also helps to keep the count of the number of times a person has said the mantr.                     
•                                                                              ——- श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता ——-

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥४-७॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥४-८॥

• Bhagwat Gita is considered the holiest book of Hinduism, as it gives lessons about divine qualities in a spiritual way, if we concentrate on the values obtained from Bhagwat Gita by being a sincere student like arjuna, we can get the most out of it and see a drastic change in our lives, our behaviour, and our attitude. Bhagwat Gita teaches us to be practical in life, and fight with courage against every wrong, every discouraging situation. 

8) How to do aarti?

• Aarti is the rhythmic, synchronic way of preaching god with true bhava (feelings). The whole family sits together and worships a god. An aarti is a colourful metal plate, decorated with beads, flowers, and nadachadi (colourful religious strings). Aarti shows our devotees gratitude and faith towards that power almighty.   

9) Importance of prasad in puja.

• Prasad is just not food that we normally eat, it is kept in front of god during pooja, which is said to be eaten by god and left for their devotees to eat. That’s the pure blessing of God that he showers on his worshipers.