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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Panchayatana puja



sir i want to know about panchayadhana pooja.
What are the moorthams to b placed on that.
please clear my query

Manikandan, Chennai
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Panchayatana puja is the
system of worship which was most common in every Brahmin house till few decades ago.

The Panchayatana is a system which consists of
the worship of five deities:
"Adityam Ambikaam Vishnum Gananaatam Maheswaram"

Aditya is Surya; Ambika is Devi; Vishnu is
Narayana; Gananaatham is Ganesha, Mahesvara is shiva.
These five are the great divine force whom every householder worships as pancha devata puja.

Based on the tradition
followed by the family, one of these deities is kept in the center and the other four surround it and worship is offered to all the deities.

Adhi Shankara systemetised the Sanatana Dharma(Hinduism) and classified it into broad Six categories.

Shaiva - with Shiva as the Presiding deity
Vaishnava - with Vishnu as the Presiding deity
Shaktha - with Devi as the Presiding deity
Ganapatya - with Ganesha as the Presiding deity
Kaumara - with Subramanya as the Presiding deity
SoWra - with Surya (planets) as the Presiding deity

People mistake that Shri Shankara actually started this Panchayatana puja system - which is wrong. Deva Puja and Archana is one of the most important duties imposed by the Shastras. The Shastras are filled with details of the Panchayatana puja details and Shankra only prescribed us to follow it without fail..


The panchayatana scheme represent the five elements:

AkAshasyAdhipo viShNuH agneshchaiva maheshvarI |
vAyoH sUryaH kShiterIshaH jIvanasya gaNAdhipaH ||

Akasha : Space : Vishnu
Vahni : Fire : AmbikA
Vayu : Air : Aditya
kShiti : Earth : Shiva
Jala : Water : Ganapati

All the five deities are not Panchaloka or any other metal idols; But these five are represented by small natural stones found in various parts of Bharatha Desham.

Deity Stone River Place

Ganesha Red Sonabhadra Sone Bihar
Surya Crystal Vallam Tamil Nadu (Tanjavur)
Vishnu Saligrama Gandaki Nepal
Shiva Bana Linga Narmada Madhya Pradesh
Ambika Swarna Mukhi Swarnamukhi Andra Pradesh

The image of that particular devata is kept in the centre, surrounded by the other gods.
If he is a devotee of Vishnu, he places the idol of Vishnu in the centre with the other idols surrounding it. If he is a devotee of Lord shiva, a lingam is placed in the middle with the other images around it. If he is a devotee of Suryanarayana, he has a sphatika as the central object of worship.

The positioning in the panchayatana poojas are as follows:


Shiva Panchayatana Puja
  • Shiva at the center
  • Aditya at Southeast
  • Gananatha at Southwest
  • Ambika at Northwest and
  • Vishnu at the Northeast.

Ganapathy Panchayatana Puja
  • Ganapathy at the center
  • Vishnu at Northeast
  • shiva at Southeast
  • Adithya Southwest and
  • Ambal at Northwest

Vishnu Panchayatana Puja
  • Vishnu at center
  • shiva at Northeast
  • Ganapathy at Southeast
  • Adithya at Southwest and
  • Ambal at Northwest

Ambal Panchayatana Puja
  • Ambal at center,
  • Vishnu at Northeast,
  • shiva at Southeast,
  • Ganapathy at Southwest and
  • Adithya at Northwest
Adithya Panchayatana Puja
  • Adithya at center,
  • shiva at Northeast,
  • Ganapathy at Southeast,
  • Vishnu at Southwest,
  • Ambal at Northwest
Along with this people worshipping Subramanya will include Him in the form of a (silver) Snake or Vel (spear)

shaiva ca vaiShNavam shaaktam sauram vainaayakam tathaa .
skaandam ca bhaktimaargasya darshanaani Shadeva hi ..

I can surely say - till panchayatana puja was strictly followed in our country we were really flourishing. Though the technical advancements were not present people were peaceful, satisfied and happy.

Only when this Panchayatana stopped during english invasion- we began to loose our glory- happiness, mental peace and everything.

Panchayatana Puja is a systematic procedure which involves physical and mental discipline, requires inner and outer cleanliness. This - when done systematically will surely bring the progress in the material world and the final truth - awareness of the true Self. By following it, one obtains the Lord’s Anugraha, without
which liberation is not possible.