Shami Puja
Every question on the site tagged Shami Puja, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Worship of the Shami tree, traditionally performed on Dashami (Vijayadashami) alongside the Aparajita Puja, before the mustard-seed sprinkling and fumigation that clears a house of negative energy ahead of a Griha Bandhan binding.
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Shami and Aprajita pujan on Vijayadashami
The speaker says Shami and Aprajita pujan must be done on Vijayadashami: Shami destroys enemies, Aprajita gives victory in every field, and the nine-day vrat reaches completion only by their grace — no vrat or festival is complete without prakriti puja. Those without the plants light two lamps in their names, even mentally, or get the plants from a flower seller or nursery. The cutting tool is washed and worshipped as a shastra; then with roli, kumkum, deepak, akshat, naivedya, paan, supari, clove, cardamom, Gangajal and mouli one goes first to the Aprajita, offers water, ties the mouli, offers akshat-kumkum, flowers, dhoop-deep and naivedya, prays repeatedly for the full fruit of the vrat and victory, cuts a little of the creeper asking forgiveness, then does the same at the Shami, and places both on the Kalash. In the full vidhan this is done outside the town boundary, which he says is not possible today.
Aparajita and Shami at home: what their flowering and drying signal
The speaker says Aparajita and Shami must be planted at home and served in the same way — blue, white or dark Aparajita, any will do. If the Aparajita starts to flower, take it that shubh shaktis have arisen in the house: Bhagavati's shaktis, the yoginis and their ang-shaktis come and go daily, and only then does it flourish properly; what effect that has on you depends on your own karma, but the coming and going of shaktis is real, since flowers come only where positivity is in the atmosphere. Tulsi, Aak (Madar), Aparajita and Shami all have such a sensitive aura and way of emitting energy that where tantra is being used or the place is not right, they start drying at once.
Seven lemon lamps for Shani: how the deepdaan is made and offered
The speaker says that each day of the anushthan, four raw greenish lemons are halved, seven halves are hollowed out and filled with pure til oil (or mustard oil with a pinch of black til), and two wicks of torn black cotton are set in each — seven lamps, fourteen wicks. The path may be done in the morning but evening is best; do the path first, then the Deepdaan. In a 21-day run where lemons are not available daily, do it at least on Saturdays; in a 7-day run, every evening. The lamps are set at a Shami tree, or at the home puja place or by Hanuman's flag on a spot cleaned with cow dung; with Akshat, black til and a one-rupee coin in hand one takes a Sankalpa of seven lamps for Shani's full grace, good fruit and release from his cruel gaze, sets the rice on a plate and lights all seven. Done with the path, he says, this brings very fast benefit, for Shani acts slowly but his effect lasts long.
What should be done on Navami and on Dashami of Navratri?
By Ashtami we have completed the whole paath and japa, whatever was to be done. On Navami we have the havan and the kanya bhojan and the rest done. And on the Dashami tithi, in the morning, the pujan of Shami ji and the Aparajita pujan. If you wish to do a paath on that day, do the paath of the kavach, do the paath of the Tantrokta Devi Suktam, do the paath of the Sahasranama and so on, and after that the ayudh pujan.
What about old trees standing on the plot?
He says that if any old tree is present on that land — peepal, bargad, a Shami ji tree, some very large old gudhal plant, akvan, aak or madar, a pomegranate plant or tree, mahua, neem — people get it cut down, saying the tree will interfere with the whole design and must be removed.
Which other plants should be watched in the days after an eclipse?
If Tulsi ji dries within three or four days, know at once that some tantra has been used, all of a sudden. Within three or four days after the grahan Tulsi ji should not dry, the creeper of Aparajita should not dry, Shami ji should not dry. If this is happening within three or four days, become alert, and a havan should be done at home at once.
Which woods can be used with apamarg in a havan?
Answering a question about the havan from the Mahabhairav stotra, he says apamarg wood burns up quickly. Along with apamarg wood you can use navgrah wood, and you can use upale of cow dung. Any separate wood from among the navgrah woods; and on your side, in the Rajasthan direction, shami ji's wood is found in plenty, so you may use those woods in greater quantity. When you are offering ahuti with the mantras of the devi-devatas that are kavach and the like, or in the ahuti of shabar mantras, using shami ji's wood is very good.
What should be offered daily at a Shivalaya in the simplest way?
Asked what should be offered daily in a Shivalaya temple in a simple way, the speaker says that first of all, if nothing else, after doing abhishek with water one should offer upon Shiva ji even a single bilva leaf, or a leaf of Shami ji, or a lotus flower — whichever you can obtain. And unbroken rice should be offered. That much; and if possible, along with it make their tripundra with bhasma, or make it with chandan. This should be done, and a lepan of chandan and the like should be made.
Dashami procedure: Aparajita pujan, Shami pujan, jvare, visarjan and daan before paran
The speaker says that on Dashami morning one first does the pujan of Aparajita Bhagavati, then Shami pujan, and offers all the grown jvare to Bhagavati. Then the Visarjan actions: the Kalash is first moved, and all of Bhagavati's shaktis and her whole retinue are sent to their proper places. Only after visarjan and samarpan are complete, he says, touch and set aside items for daan (grain, fruit, spices, oil, ghee, as one can afford) with a simple Sankalpa to Bhagavati that one will give these to Brahmins or the poor or both so that the vrat and anushthan succeed. The items may be delivered before the Paran or after it; either is fine. Done this way, he says, the Navratri vrat is complete.
When is the Havan, and how does the Navratri close?
The Havan may be done after the Sandhi Pujan on the 30th if your Anushthan is complete, but the most special time is Mahanavami, Wednesday the 1st of October — look at the Choghadiya, take Shubh and Amrit and leave the Rahu Kaal out. Ayudh Puja falls the same day; Aparajita and Shami Puja on the 2nd, then the Visarjan and the Paran.
What is the tantric importance of the red gudhal flower?
Asked about the tantric importance and secret of the red gudhal flower in Ganesh puja and in the puja of Kali Ma, he calls it a very good question and says only this much: that if a hundred flowers of Shami are offered, and if one red kaner or one red gudhal flower is offered, then the same fruit is obtained — on offering these two one upon the other.
What paath and remedies counter the ill effects of Shani?
Asked about paath and independent remedies for the ill effects of Shani, the speaker says you may recite the paath connected with Shani, Shanishwar Mahagraha: the Dashrath krit Shani stotra. At the shami tree that stands in a temple you may make a donation of lamps. How is the lamp to be lit? Whenever Shanishchar or Amavasya falls, on that day thirteen lamps should be lit for the sake of Bhagavan Shani — a lamp of mustard oil, with black sesame put into the mustard oil.
What comes of lighting a lamp daily at the Tulsi and the Shami plants?
Tulsi ji is worshipped in home after home, he says, and the Shami is a destroyer of enemies. One should not take them only as Shani Bhagavan's — that the Shami tree is worshipped only for Shani Bhagavan's pleasure. The swaroop of Narayan is connected with the Shami tree. Whenever there is any suffering connected with Shani and havan and so on is done, whether you offer black sesame as ahuti or do deep daan to Shani Bhagavan, if you put in and burn dried Shami wood, that gives a very great effect. So along with Tulsi ji at home one should plant the Shami tree, the Aparajita creeper, the kaner tree and the tree of the gudhal flower.
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