About Satyanaraya Puja
Satyanarayana is one of the Lord Vishnu names. The Sanskrit word 'Satya' means 'truth' and 'Narayana' means the Supreme or the Highest form of being. Accordingly Satyanarayana is considered as an embodiment of truth. It is believed that performing Satyanarayana Puja at home or Samuhika puja i.e mass puja in temples is very effective. The performers are blessed with a happy and prosperous life .Most of the Hindu families perform the puja for the fulfillment of desires. It is performed either before or after the fulfillment of the desire. In general most of the Hindu families perform this pooja every year for the well being of their families. It is also compulsorily performed by the newly wed Hindu bride and groom.
Auspicious day to do Satyanarayan Puja
There is no hard and fast rule for performing the puja. It can be performed on any day, at any time and by anyone irrespective of caste, creed, marital status etc. Generally any full moon day i.e. Purnima day and Ekadasi days (11th day after Amavasya and Pournami) of any month are good for performing the puja.It is also good to perform the puja on special occasions like birthdays, marriage day etc. It is very easy and simple to perform the puja and one can do it even without a priest at home.
A detailed version of performing the pooja is mentioned in Reva Kanda of Skanda Puranam. Suta Mahamuni narrated it to the rishis in the Naimisharanya which is mentioned in the Satyanarayana Pooja Katha i.e. the story read at the end of the puja.
Preparations
Decide the day for performing the puja and make make necessary arrangements. Approach a local priest to perform the puja at home on a specific day. After engaging a priest, make an item list for puja and purchase of necessary items.List of items
- Turmeric powder - 100 gm
- Vermilion / Kumkuma - 100 gm
- Chandan powder - 50 gm
- Betel leaves - 100
- Betel nuts (vakkalu) - 150 gm
- Dry dates - 250 gm
- Currency coins (Re.1) - 75
- Mango leaves
- Turmeric pods (pasupu kommulu) - 200 gm
- Sugandha Dravyalu (powdered cardamom / elaichi, cloves, nutmeg / jajikai, pachcha karpooram / camphor)
- New Panchala chapu (dhoti set) - 9 x 5 size.
- Silver / copper Kalasam - 1
- Blouse pieces (preferably yellow, green or red) - 1
- Silver or gold pratima (impression) of Satyanarayana Swamy
- Rice - 3 Kg
- Coconuts - 10
- Banana - 1 dozen
- Panchamrutam made of cow's milk and curd, honey, sugar and cow's ghee i.e. melted butter)
- Camphor - 100 gm
- Agarbathi - 1 packet
- Sambrani - 50 gm
- Sooji prasadam made of sooji, sugar, ghee, cashew and raisins (kishmish)
- Loose flowers - 500 gm
- Jasmine or lily garlands - 5
- Pancha patra and udharini (i.e small tumbler and spoon preferably silver or copper one)
- Harathi plate - 1
- Pooja bell - 1
- Thread roll - 1
- Pooja mats - 5
- Pooja wicks
- Silver lamps - 2
- Pooja oil
- Any other fruits of your choice like oranges.
- Satyanarayana photo
- A small brass plate full of rice for Ganapati pooja.
Satyanarayan Pooja Vidhi
- Make necessary arrangements a day before the puja like tying mango leaves toran to the main entrance doors etc.
- Place everything ready in the puja room or in the North East corner of the house.
- Place the items in separate bowls and keep these handy.
- Clean the place where you keep the mandapam, draw traditional muggulu / floor designs and place the mandapam.
- Smear turmeric paste on the mandapam and draw muggu with rice flour.
- On the day of puja, get up early in the morning and finish your daily chores.
- Have a hair wash on this day, smear turmeric paste to your feet and dress up in traditional attire.
- Place the dhoti set / panchala chapu on the mandapam and spread rice on it.
- Apply chandan and kumkuma to the Kalasam, place one copper coin in it, fill it with three fourths water and add powdered sugandha dravyalu to it.
- Place the Kalasam at the center of the mandapam.
- Apply chandan and kumkuma to the photo of Satyanarayana and place one flower garland to it.
- Place it behind the Kalasam, keep a clean mango twig containing 3-5 leaves i.e dalam in the Kalasam and place a coconut upside down on the Kalasam.
- Fold one blouse piece into a cone shape and place it on the coir tip of the coconut.
- Apply chandan and kumkuma to the cone shaped blouse piece.
- Place one flower on top of the cone and place one flower garland round the Kalasam.
- If you have Satyanarayana pratima, apply chandan and kumkuma to it, place it on a betel leaf or in a small silver bowl and keep it in front of the Kalasam.
- Place two silver lamps or brass lamps on either side of the mandapam and use either cow's ghee or pooja oil for lighting the lamps.
- When you sit for performing the pooja in front of the mandapam, wife should sit to the left of husband.
- Once you are ready for performing the pooja, ensure that you sit till the end of the pooja.
- Begin the pooja with lighting the lamps, then Ganapati pooja which is followed by pooja to Dikpalakas and Nava Grahas / nine planets.
- Then the main pooja to Satyanarayana begins followed by the recitation of 5 stories.
- Reading / listening stories is the important part of pooja as the stories describe the procedure for pooja and its importance.
At the end of each story, you have to break one coconut and keep it aside to offer it to the Lord at the time of Maha Naivedyam. Not only performing the vratam but taking prasad of Satyanarayana vratam is equally important. Though the performers forget to offer you prasadam, you should not hesitate to ask and take the prasadam as it marks the completion of the pooja / vratam.
Recipe for Sooji prasadam
The method of preparation of prasadam for the vratam is too simple. Fry cashew nuts and raisins (kishmish) in pure ghee and keep it aside. Fry sooji in little ghee and keep it aside. Boil equal measure of sugar in a mixture of milk and water (together 3 measures for 1 measure of sooji), add elaichi (cardamom) powder and then sooji to the boiling solution. Keep in simmer and stirring till it thickens. Take it in a serving bowl and decorate with fried dry fruits. Prasadam is ready.Offering prasadam depends on one's family custom. In some families, a mixture of dry sooji and sugar with cashew nuts, without making it into halwa, is offered as naivedyam.
Satyanarayana Puja is one of the most important poojas performed by the people of all categories on a regular basis for all occasions. It is believed that wishes will be fulfilled on performing the pooja.