The most auspicious time for the puja isdecided when “amavasya tithi” prevails during“pradosh kaal” or the evening time.
This is because Goddess Lakshmi, who is theGoddess of wealth and prosperity, is worshipped on this day. Themuhurat or auspicious timing for conducting Lakshmi Pujanthis year is between 5.57 pm and 7.53 pm on October 27th,2019.
Steps
- Purify your house. Clean your house properly.
- Set up the platform. Spread the red cloth on a raised platformand keep a handful of grains in the center.
- Place the kalash. Place the kalash in the middle.
- Place Goddess Lakshmi.
- Place Lord Ganesha's idol.
- Place books/wealth related items.
- Light diya.
- Start the puja/aarti.
Always place them in such a way that theworshipper is facing North East direction or North orEast while praying. Keep Lord Ganesha on the left and GoddessLakshmi on his right. Place Lord Indira and Kuber in frontof them or on the left side.
The idol of Lord Ganesha should be placed on theleft side of Goddess Lakshmi, while Goddess Saraswati shouldbe placed on the right side. All these idols should be inthe sitting position. Keep them in the north-east directionand a picture of water or kalash should be there in north oreast side of the idols.
Badi Diwali is one of the chief festivals ofHindus which is falling on 07th Novenmber, 2018. Every year, itcomes in Kartik month on the day of new moon. On this propitiousday, devotees celebrate the festival of Bhagvati Maha Lakshmi withgreat enthusiasm. They decorate their houses with lamps andlights.
The five days of Diwali
- Day OneDhanteras (Day of fortune)
- Day TwoNaraka Chaturdasi (Day of knowledge)
- Day ThreeDiwali (Day of light)
- Day FourAnnakut (New Year)
- Day FiveBhai Duj (Day of love between siblings)
Diwali/Deepavali 2020
Diwali is also known as Deepavali, Dipavali,Dewali, Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights. It is celebrated inOctober or November each year. Diwali celebrations can lastfor about five days.A broom is considered a sacred utility in Indianhouseholds. In rural India, it is the first thing that a lady ofthe house picks up at the break of the dawn, to clean the courtyardand the porch. Called by names like 'Jhadu', 'Bhuari' etc,it is regarded as feminine and often associated with the 'Goddessof wealth'.
Saraswati Was A River
According to Vedanta, she is considered to be thefeminine energy with high knowledge and a consort of Brahma. She isalso considered as the Shakti of Brahma. According to SkandaPurana, Saraswati is the sister of LordShiva.The relationship between goddess Lakshmiand Lord Ganesha is a mother-son relationship.According to Hindu tradition, the husband should always stand atthe right side of wife. Since Lord Ganesha is the adoptedson of goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganesha's actualposition is at the left side of GoddessLakshmi.
Those worshipping Lakshmi for wealth would firsthave to worship Ganesha to seek Her blessings. Those whowill worship Lakshmi without Ganesha will not blessed by theGoddess. Hence, Lakshmi is always worshipped along withGanesha on Diwali.
Gifts: It is considered wise to buy and send/givegifts a day before Dhanteras, but not on Dhanteras.The reason could possibly be that since gifts couldoften be gold or money, it is considered inauspicious tosend it out of the house on Dhanteras.
Lord Ganesha should be kept on the right side ofthe Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswati should beplaced on the right side of Goddess Lakshmi. Idols ofall of these God and Goddess should be in sittingform.
For Diwali puja, the temple area should havegood flow of energy and hence, should be clean. “Asthe sun rises from the east, one gets maximum energy in thisdirection. Keep all idols on the east wall of your house andface east, while worshiping.
The festival is celebrated as "Lakshmi Puja" isperformed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lit todrive away the shadows of evil spirits. On the night ofDhanteras, diyas (lamps) are ritually kept burning allthrough the nights in honor of Lakshmi andDhanvantari.
Lakshmi, wealth and prosperity
For many Indians the festival honours Lakshmi,the goddess of wealth. People start the new business year atDiwali, and some Hindus will say prayers to the goddess fora successful year. This because images of Lakshmitraditionally show her either holding a lotus or sitting onone.Coincidentally, the Hindu festival of lightscelebrated every year in autumn, Diwali is celebratedjust 21 days after Dussehra because this was the day whenLord Rama arrived in Ayodhya after killing Asur“Ravan”.
Lord Krishna also killed Mura, Narakasura'sgeneral. Thus Krishna is called 'Murāri' (the killer of Mura).Thus this day is celebrated as 'Naraka Chaturdashi' - theday before Diwali. Krishna's and Satyabhama's victory onNarakasura translated into freedom for all his prisoners andhonoring of Aditi.
One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwalisymbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, goodover evil and knowledge over ignorance."
In some parts of the country, Diwali iscelebrated a day before as Naraka Chaturdashi. It is tocommemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demonNarakasura.
In fact, Diwali, called Deepavali inKerala, is a public holiday in kerala and iscelebrated by many people. However, in many parts ofKerala, it is not as big a celebration as in the restof India. Some Keralites celebrate Diwali bigtime.
Kali Puja in India in 2019. Kali Puja iscelebrated on the new moon day of the Hindu month Kartik. It iscelebrated on the same day as Diwali, when otherregions worship the godess Lakshmi.
In the north, Diwali is celebrated to markthe day of return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after fulfillinghis time of exile. People celebrated his return bydecorating their houses and the streets. They lit lamps so that thepath where Rama would walk would be lighted.
Those worshipping Lakshmi for wealth would firsthave to worship Ganesha to seek Her blessings. Those whowill worship Lakshmi without Ganesha will not blessedby the Goddess. Hence, Lakshmi is always worshippedalong with Ganesha on Diwali. Therefore, Lakshmi andGanesha are worshipped together.
Diwali is one of the biggest religious festivalsin India. Hindus celebrate by bursting firecrackers,lighting diyas or lamps, cleaning and decorating their homes,buying new clothes, and by making hand-painted rangoli designs intheir living rooms and courtyards. Prayers are offered to GoddessLakshmi for prosperity.
If northeast corner is unavailable, place Ganeshaidol in the direction so that idols face west or north. Ifpossible, select north, as it is the abode of Lord Shiva, father ofGanesha. That said, you should never place Ganeshaidol or locate pooja rooms in the south or southeastdirections.
- Mandir or altar is the king of all Vastu rules— place it in the North-East and everything will startfalling in place. Also, face the East whilepraying.
The deity should face West, Southwest or South soyour face is toward the auspicious direction, ieEast, Northeast or North. While worshipping thesegods, face east and they will make you theintiator, the leaders and the glorious one.
The Ganesha idol with its trunk turned to theleft is also known as Vastu Ganesha as it is consideredbest for solving Vastu-related problems. Talking about theidol of Lord with the trunk curved towards the rightside, she said, "This idol is called Dakshin Murti orDakshinaabimukhi Murti, the idol facing south.
If you have any silver Ganesh idol in yourcollection, place it in the Southeast, West or Northwest direction.According to vastu, never place these silver idols in Southor Southwest direction. Copper Ganesha- Installing copper Ganeshidol in home is believed to be good for thosewho desire descendants.
Ganesha will be on the Right and Laxmi will be onthe Left. Means Laxmi will be on the Right Hand Sideof Ganesha. In Hinduism or I prefer to call “SanatanDharma” culture a wife sits on the leftside.
Steps
- Purify your house. Clean your house properly.
- Set up the platform. Spread the red cloth on a raised platformand keep a handful of grains in the center.
- Place the kalash. Place the kalash in the middle.
- Place Goddess Lakshmi.
- Place Lord Ganesha's idol.
- Place books/wealth related items.
- Light diya.
- Start the puja/aarti.
Pooja Room next to diningroom
Ideally, as per Vastu, it is best to avoid placingidols in the pooja room. Therefore, the pooja room inwest facing houses should have the idol placed against thenorth or east wall, ensuring that there is no toilet or kitchenbehind the wall.
