PANCHOPACHARA POOJA

Q: What is Panchopachara?
A: It is the simplest pooja; a pooja requiring nothing – it's all mudras only. The other
poojas are but elaboration of this.
Q: How is it performed?
A: There are two versions of this pooja. I will teach you the one called jalaadi jalaantam
– "starting and ending with water." Though the materials are five, the steps are six (in the
other version, it is five materials and just five steps). The principle in this version is that
everything arises from water and ends in water; which is in consonance with the Vaidik
concept of deluge – that everything starts after a deluge and ends in a deluge.
Q: And these are mental offerings accompanied by mudras – are they the same offerings
symbolized by various materials in gross pooja?
A: Yes, exactly. In gross pooja, jalam is water; gandham is sandal paste; pushpam is
flowers; dhoopam is scented smoke; deepam is the lamp. Okay?
Q: Okay.
A: Good, then we will proceed.
1. So the first step is saying vaM apaathmanaa jalam kalpayaami – saying this, one shall
rub the ring finger with the thumb from the base to the tip, both hands. My aunt's father-
in-law used to say, "When you rub the ring finger with the thumb as part of pooja
and say 'vam' then water should flow from the tip of your ring finger." I said, "It is not
possible." He said, "It is!" and he showed me. That shows the concentration needed. As
you rub, imagine all the pure and offerable waters of the world as being offered to the
deity.
2. The next step is rubbing the little finger with thumb base to tip, reciting laM
prithivyaathmanaa gandham kalpayaami. Here we offer the deity all that is sweet-
smelling in the gross world. When you do that you must feel the sweetest otherworldly
smell.
3. Next you rub the thumb from the base up with the index finger, reciting haM
aakaashaathmanaa pushpam kalpayami. Thus we offer to the diety the best most
beautiful and sweet smelling flowers. You must visualize all of these flowers –
innumerable in number – manifesting out of the tip of your thumb at the feet of the deity.
4. Next is the index finger, and you say yaM vaaywaathmanaa dhoopam kalpayaami, "all
the best incenses are offered here in form of sweet-smelling smoke" – and you must
manifest the smoke.
5. Then the middle finger: raM vahnyaathmanaa deepam kalpayami. The primordial light
that first came is offered to Her and you visualize the darkness of ignorance being
removed by this Divine Light.
6. Then, again, the ring finger, but this time with vaM amritaatmanaa naivedyam
kalpayaami. With that you offer all that is exquisitely edible and nutritious to Devi; and
with that, everything goes back to its primordial state.