page_title: Satyanarayan Puja
section_title: Procedure
hierarchical_section_title: Satyanarayan Puja / Procedure
caption_attribution_description: English: Satyanarayan Pooja
context_page_description: The Satyanarayan Puja is a religious worship of the Hindu god Vishnu. Satya means “truth” and narayana means, “The highest being” so Satyanarayan means “The highest being who is an embodiment of Truth”. Vrat or Puja means a religious vow, religious observance, or obligation.
  Hindus throughout perform Sri Satyanarayan Vrat for the divine blessings of health, wealth, prosperity, opulence, education; relief from troubles and sickness. It can also be performed because of success in business or career growth; during social functions like marriages, house-warming ceremonies, naming of the children and so on.
context_section_description: The following procedure is as prescribed by and performed in Andhra Pradesh. Several regional and traditional variations occur as mentioned in the following section.
  The devotee begins by purifying oneself (achamniyam) and sankalpam (a vow that the named devotee is performing the puja on such time and era, to attain such cause).
  The puja starts with a prayer to Gaṇesha, to remove all obstacles that may occur as a result of incorrectly performing the puja. This is done by the sixteen upacharas, chanting the names of Lord Gaṇesha and offering prasada (offering usually consisting of banana, coconut, modak, a sugar and coconut mixture, or laddu) and the showering of flowers. Subsequently, Varuna puja (kalash puja) is performed.
  A uniqueness of this puja is the invoking of pancha lokapalaka, navagrahas along with their companion and co-companions, and the eight dikpalakas. This totals to 40 (5+9+(9*2)+8). Each God has a vedic symbol of a unique metal. Since these are difficult to obtain by the common means, and since the modern currency coins by minted with multiple metals, each Guest God is represented by a coin. They are placed on a betel leaf. The betel nut, akshit and dry dates are the offerings. Thus, the requirement of 40 coins, betel leaves and dry dates.
  The main puja commences with the worship to Lord Satyanarayana. The idol (or coin) of Lord Satyanarayana is bathed and cleaned with panchamritam. After placing the deity in the correct position, 1008 names of Sri Satyanarayana are chanted.
  This is followed by offering of Prasada and flowers (Mantra Pushpam).
  Another requirement of the puja is that the story be heard among all those observing and partaking in the puja.
  The five-part story involves the origin of the puja, benefits of the puja, the potential mishaps that may occur with the forgetting performance of the puja, the magnitude of the Lord's benevolence and the importance of the Prasad, and consequences of snubbing the ritual.
  The puja concludes with an Aarti , which consists of lighting camphor in the vicinity of an image of the Lord.
  After the puja is over, participants and observers of the puja are required to partake the prasad that was offered and blessed by the Lord.
caption: Satya Nārāṇaya Pooja
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