YJA Convention 1996 07 San Francisco CA

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

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For Digambars, Dev Shastra Guru Puja plays a significant role in Digambar rituals. This puja is always performed before the initiation of any puja. (For this reason, it has been analogized to Namokar Mantra, a mantra that is always recited before the execution of most rituals. It is apparent from its very name that this puja seeks to honor three things: (1) Dev - directly translated, this word means "God" but here it refers to the Arihant or Siddha; (2) Shastra - refers to the holy scriptures from which we receive our spiritual guidance i.e. Gyanas; (3) Guru - a rough translation of this word is "Teacher” but its closest equivalent is Sachyaguru i.e. one who possesses "real" knowledge of salvation.
PREPARATION OF DEV SHASTRA GURU PUJA
Because it is believed that the purity of the surroundings inevitably affects one's purity of thought, purity of the puja ceremony is integral to the proper completion of puja.
Puja Clothes. For Digambars, the clothes must be handwashed clean. (Unlike Swetambar Jains, Digambars de-emphasize the importance of wearing new clothes to puja.) One must not have eaten or gone to the bathroom in those clothes.
Body Cleanliness. After wearing puja clothes, take Kesar (saffron paste) on your right ring finger and place it on various parts of the body to symbolize that you are clean and ready to start the puja. In this order, you anoint the forehead, left and right earlobe, the neck, and near the belly button. Clean your fingers after this and do not use the same Kesar for puja.
Abhishekh: Directly translating into "coronation", this section concerns the preparation of the altar and the murti. Abhishekh signifies the cleansing of the mind and body as a way to begin puja. Abhishekh is performed by the pujari (men who are prepared for doing the Kalash); the rest of the members participate in reading the puja. The following are the steps for the Abhishekh:
1. Clean the altar area: Clean the floor, clean the deity (the platform upon which the murti rests) by first
moving the idols to a location where the Abhishekh will be done. After cleaning, put a swastika using saffron at the original idol places. As one cleans the body with saffron, clean the altar by sprinkling saffron water in the eight directions. Clean the idol and then take a dry cloth and wipe the idol dry.
Abhishekh Ceremony: Several kalashes (pots) of pure water are prepared. Abhishekh starts with one person ringing the bell and Pujaris bathing the idol with the kalash and chanting preferably the Abhishekh path or Namokar Mantra. The rest of the participants are reading or chanting the Abhishekh Path. Usually, the kalash should be a continuous stream of water until the Abhishekh Path is complete.
The Pujaris commence to wipe the idol with a wet cloth and then with a dry cloth. The idol must be placed in its original place. The idol must be handle with great care and respect by holding it only from the base.
Sthapana: This part of the preparation involves the proper placement of the idol and the invocation for Dev Shastra Guru Puja.
1.
Take three full cloves and hold one clove at a time between the two ring fingers. While keeping the clove head pointing forward and while chanting the sthapana, place the cloves in an elevated place
2.
The cloves represent:
a First Clove: Maya Dev, Shostra Guru come into my thoughts b. Second Clove: Maya Dev, Shostra Guru stay in my thoughts c. Third Clove: Maya Dev, Shostra Guru be near me.
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