It is possible to reduce the suffering due to
the unfavorable position of planets through sincere reliance on
God, the One who controls the planets. Puja is the act of showing
reverence to a god or another aspect of the divine through
invocations, prayers and rituals. An essential part of puja for
the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual connection with the
divine.One of India’s most sacred rivers, the Ganga (or
the Ganges) originates in the Himalayas at Gaumukh. Legend has it
that the Ganga originated from the mythical Mountain Meru believed
to be located at the core of the universe, and also considered to
be the abode of gods. A few drops of Ganga jal (water) on a dying Hindu’s lips are
said to earn the latter a permanent abode in heaven. Furthermore,
Hindus believe that if the ashes of the dead are immersed in the
Ganga, their souls break free from the cycle of birth and rebirth
and attain nirvana. The three most revered towns situated on the
banks of the Ganga are Haridwar, Allahabad and the Varanasi. We can
enhance the benefit of the puja by doing spiritual practices or by
taking certain vows. Some of the commonly observed practices
include meditation, fasting, silence, prayer, mantra japa or
repeating God's name, charity. These vows can be done for one day,
one week or as long as you wish. The result of these actions is to
help purify us and to enable us to imbibe more deeply the
spiritual energy invoked by the puja.
