Pujas

How to choose the right puja

The puja index on this page is a catalogue, not a recommendation. It lists the ceremonies most families ask about, from the samskaras that mark a birth or a wedding to the homas, paths and vrat udyapans kept through the year. The right starting point is the occasion itself — a naming, a housewarming, a shraddh, a graha shanti — and then the form of worship your family tradition already keeps.

Read the entries as a family, not as an individual. Where a puja is listed for a particular dosh or graha, treat it as descriptive of what the ceremony is, not as a forecast about anyone's chart. For questions that turn on a personal horoscope, consult a qualified jyotishi rather than choosing from a list.

Traditions differ. North and South Indian households, Smarta and Vaishnava families, and those who follow amanta or purnimanta months may name, order or time the same rite differently. The catalogue notes the common name; your pandit will adapt the detail.

Samskaras, homas and paths: the difference

The entries fall into a few broad kinds. Samskaras are the life-cycle rites — Garbhadhan, Pumsavan, Godh Bharai (Simantonnayan), Jatakarma, Namkaran, Nishkraman, Annaprashan, Mundan, Karnavedh, Vidyarambh, Upanayan, Vivah, Antyeshti and the rites that follow. Homas and havan are fire offerings, such as Ganapati Homa, Ayushya Homam or Sudarshan Homa. Paths and jaaps are recitations — Sundarkand, Vishnu Sahasranama, Durga Saptashati, Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap. Vrat udyapans, like Ekadashi or Solah Somvar, close a vow already kept.

Annual and festival pujas — Diwali Lakshmi Puja, Navratri Ghatasthapana, Maha Shivratri — sit alongside these. Knowing which kind you need shapes the time, the samagri and the pandit's role.

Booking a pandit and preparing samagri

• Tell the pandit the occasion, the family members attending, and your regional tradition.
• Ask what samagri the vidhi requires, and what the family should arrange.
• Confirm the outline of the vidhi, the language of the mantras, and the expected duration.
• Ask whether a homa, path or vrat udyapan is included, so nothing is assumed.

What to expect: the pandit leads the sankalp, the invocation, the main rite and the closing. Families are usually asked to sit, offer, and repeat. Details vary by region and sampradaya; follow your pandit's guidance.