P is for Puja

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In my house, the morning is a time for offering respects to God, and to those masters that help us understand how we can develop our relationship with him. These daily practices are known in Sanskrit as puja – worship.

Every morning my father worships his deity, blowing a conchshell at the beginning and the end of the ceremony. I love to hear this sound, and the ringing of the bell as he offers flowers other items. Every sense feels purified by seeing, touching, smelling and hearing these things. After some puja where food is offered, taste is purified too, as we accept the prasad (mercy) afterward.

I came across a charming painting this morning, by artist, Kalyani (http://surfkye.com/) that made me miss those mornings in India, where it feels as if the whole country is awake in the early hours, sincerely making offerings of devotion.

Here’s what Kalyani had to say about her painting:

Having lived in South Bangalore for a long time, on several occasions I would encounter little boys going for their morning prayers, in little groups, rehearsing their chanting, some with offerings. I painted what I thought was a magical morning through a little girl’s eyes.

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