Tantra-

“Tantra” is a word derived from 2 Sanskrit words- Tanoti, meaning to expand, & Trayate, meaning to liberate. It is the Hindu science of expanding and liberating the soul. It encloses almost all the religious and divine practices of the Hindus – like Pooja, Mantra, Stotra, Yantra, Meditation, Yoga, etc. and helps us to attain our desired objectives in all the four aspects of life – Artha, Kama, Dharma, & Moksha. Tantrik Puja is one of the most important rituals in Hinduism.

Tantrik Puja-

Tantrik Puja is a ritualistic worship of a Hindu deity through a series of steps to glorify one’s individual power and practices. It contains a combination of texts, techniques, rituals, monastic practices, meditation, yoga, and ideology.

Benefits of performing Tantrik puja-

• Tantrik puja helps one to become more disciplined in life.
• It increases one’s control over his/her body.
• The puja helps in reducing the intensity of obstacles that may come in the path of a person’s success.
• It helps in making one’s house free from evil souls.

11 Steps of the Tantrik Puja Ritual-

1. The worshipper should take a bath and wear clean clothes before starting the puja since external cleanliness is conducive to internal purity.

2. Then the Puja room and the surrounding area should be cleaned thoroughly.

3. The materials required for the puja should be arranged thoroughly. Then the worshipper should sit on the puja seat in such a way that he  faces the deity. Generally, one should face East or North. Facing the South is forbidden.

4. The puja should begin with acamana or ceremonial sipping of water with certain mantras.

5. This is followed by the chanting of sankalpa mantra or the religious resolve.

6. Then a purification process is done such as asanasuddhi or ritual sanctification of the seat; bhutapasarana or driving away the evil spirits; pushpasuddhi or ritual cleansing of flowers, bilva (wood apple leaves), and tulsi (holy basil leaves); and agniprakarachinta or erecting a wall of fire through imagination.

7. The next steps are pranayama or breath-control to calm the nerves, concentrate and bring in peace; and bhuta shuddhi or creating a spiritual body in place of the physical one.

8. These steps are followed by pran pratistha or filling the spiritual body with the presence of the deity; nyasas or ritual purification of limbs; and mudras or postures of fingers and hands.

9. Next is dhyana or meditation on the deity in one’s heart and transferring the same into the image or symbol.

10. This is followed by Upacharas or modes of direct service. Then lighting of dhupa (incense sticks) and dipa (oil lamps) is done.

11. The next step is pushpanjali or offering of a handful of flowers which is laid at the feet of the deity, indicating the conclusion of the whole ritual.

About Dev Darshan

Now, due to the present state of the pandemic, most of the temple houses have shifted to conducting online Tantrik Puja for the convenience of the devotees. However, it becomes a bit of a hassle to connect to the Mandir priests to get the puja conducted. Dev Darshan can come to your rescue at that moment. Dev Darshan is a platform which provides a smooth interaction between the temple houses and the devotees without much worry and hassle. It also conducts online Pujas such as online Tantrik Puja. Check out the online services provided by Dev Darshan here and get your bookings done in one click.