(“homage”) In
contemporary Hinduism, the most prevalent term for worship is
"prayer." Although the word's etymology connotes reverence or respect,
puja is largely concerned with deeds, notably offerings to the god, who is
regarded as a distinguished guest.
Although there are sixteen such offerings (upacharas)
according to one list, the worship conducted in any given location varies
greatly—depending on regional or local tradition, individual preference, and
the person's social status and learning.
However, at the core of puja is a sequence of exchanges
between the god and the devotee (bhakta).
Darshan, the exchange of looks between an image of the god
and a devotee that starts the connection between the two, is one such
transaction.
The other interactions stem from the devotee's gifts, to
which the god replies by bestowing prasad purified by divine touch, which is
usually food or drink for the devotee to enjoy.
Aside from the transactions, the stress on cleanliness, both
of the worshiper and of the setting, is a common aspect of most pujas.
The lone exception is some kinds of tantra, a secret,
ritual-based religious practice in which the performer purposefully inverts
standard conceptions of purity and impurity (ashaucha) in order to symbolically
erase all duality.
Purity of the location and the items used in worship must
either be established (in the case of a place or things not often used for
worship) or maintained (in the event of a place or things not widely used for
worship) (as in the case of a temple or other regularly estab lished place).
The temple is, at its most basic level, a deity's dwelling,
a ritually clean space.
Most temples include at least two "purity zones,"
an outside zone open to worshippers and an inner zone confined to temple priests.
Deities' purity needs are as diverse as the human
community's, and a greater concern for purity denotes higher rank, just as it
does for humans.
Unlike the lower deities, who are sometimes served by
non-Brahmin priests and receive meat, blood, and wine offerings, the higher
deities are always served by Brahmin priests and the food provided to them is
always vegetarian.
The brahmin priest, as the ritually purest of all human
beings, works as a conduit between the high deities and other worldly creatures,
protecting the god from any contaminating touch.
The brahmin's great ceremonial cleanliness also makes him a
universal donor, allowing anybody to receive prasad without fear of
contamination.
C. J. Fuller, "Hindu Temple Priests," in T. N. Madan
(ed. ), Religion in India, 1991, for further information.
