Puja Insights

Day two of the Navaratri program and all the ghee lamps are ready to go. In Pune, where the Navaratri program is being performed, the traditions are a little different...

The preparations are complete and the Navaratri program is about to start. Goddess pujas are always especially elaborate. All the items used in the pujas are purified with mantras and...

Because of the generosity of all our sponsors, we were able to go all out on the decorations for the Shivaratri morning yagya celebrations. These are all fresh flowers, literally...

As we gather this morning, everyone is aware that this is our last regular day of the yagya series.  Tomorrow is Shivaratri and the routine that we have all settled...

Every evening during the yagya program the priests have come to chant Rudram for two hours. Last night, Seetharam arranged for young brahmin priests-in-training to come and join us. Their...

She walks every day quite a distance with that huge pot of ghee and another one of yogurt on her head. She’s only about 5 ft. tall, but strong as...

As I was sitting watching the havan being performed, there was a big commotion outside. When the priests saw what it was, they were quite pleased. We’ve had cows visit,...

The last offering of ghee at the end of a yagya is called poornadhuti. It is a moment of some drama as the fire leaps up because of all the...

It say in the Bhagavad Gita that the fruit of yagya is rain. It has rained intermittently throughout the yagyas this past week. Today it is starting to look like...