Since I returned to work, with a very unstable schedule, I have been letting my daily puja slip. I'm lucky if I do it every other day.. Being retail, one day I could be working 9:45 am - 6:15 pm, the next day something else, then something else... In between time come the other life things to do.
Even then I've shortened my puja by about half. I just do a few upacharas.. (dhyana and avahana, of course), water, rice, flower, incense, flame, fruit, mantrapushpam. It takes 8-10 minutes. When I have more time I do a final aarati with om jaya jagadisha hare.
It doesn't sound like it takes very long, but getting things ready, then finishing brings it to about 30 minutes. That doesn't even include other prayers and mantras for the other deities, which I only ever do occasionally anyway ("Like rain falling from the sky that flows to the sea, all prayers to all deities go to Keshava"). So I don't stress about that. I'd like to do the Krishna ashtottaram shatanamavali more often than once in a blue moon. Maybe if I did I might get better at it.
And then of course not really being able to get to temple now that it's pretty much open. Work hours, except possibly weekends, don't mesh with temple hours. I'm sure they think I've disappeared or drifted away. I always said if I was retired I would spend more time going to temple. The sad irony is that I had 16 months of unemployment during the time of the pandemic with the temple closed.
On the other hand I do remember some verses like "All actions in this world, unless performed as sacrifice to God become causes of bondage. Therefore work for the sake of God without attachments" and "Remember Me, think of Me, become My devotee, and you shall surely come to Me, because you are My very dear friend". Though He was speaking directly to Arjuna I think the message is for everyone.
So I take some solace in those thoughts. It's the time to spend in puja, prayer, worship I wish I hade more of, not necessarily the actions themselves, if that makes sense.
So, just a little ramble for today..
Even then I've shortened my puja by about half. I just do a few upacharas.. (dhyana and avahana, of course), water, rice, flower, incense, flame, fruit, mantrapushpam. It takes 8-10 minutes. When I have more time I do a final aarati with om jaya jagadisha hare.
It doesn't sound like it takes very long, but getting things ready, then finishing brings it to about 30 minutes. That doesn't even include other prayers and mantras for the other deities, which I only ever do occasionally anyway ("Like rain falling from the sky that flows to the sea, all prayers to all deities go to Keshava"). So I don't stress about that. I'd like to do the Krishna ashtottaram shatanamavali more often than once in a blue moon. Maybe if I did I might get better at it.
And then of course not really being able to get to temple now that it's pretty much open. Work hours, except possibly weekends, don't mesh with temple hours. I'm sure they think I've disappeared or drifted away. I always said if I was retired I would spend more time going to temple. The sad irony is that I had 16 months of unemployment during the time of the pandemic with the temple closed.
On the other hand I do remember some verses like "All actions in this world, unless performed as sacrifice to God become causes of bondage. Therefore work for the sake of God without attachments" and "Remember Me, think of Me, become My devotee, and you shall surely come to Me, because you are My very dear friend". Though He was speaking directly to Arjuna I think the message is for everyone.
So I take some solace in those thoughts. It's the time to spend in puja, prayer, worship I wish I hade more of, not necessarily the actions themselves, if that makes sense.
So, just a little ramble for today..
