Description

Sutha further explained that this same question was also asked by Narada, another great rishi and the son of Lord Bramha or the creator. Narada is one famous character that pops up all through Vedic mythology as an instigator who could set everything in motion. He had the finest comic sense and mischief.

In this tale, Narada is shown travelling the entire universe before coming to the Earth, or Bhuloka. On earth, he found that many people have been suffering as they were living through their karma from the past life. That filled him with compassion for the ones suffering and he went to Lord Vishnu and asked if something could be done to help these people.

Narada and Lord Vishnu were great friends. Vishnu, in turn, asked Narada for suggestion. Narada then explained that there’s a puja that can be performed by everyone to eliminate sufferings from their life; it is called the Satyanarayan puja. He also added that this puja can be done by everyone; it is not necessary to have a priest, at any time without having to wait for an auspicious moment. Apart from this, there are other stories as a part of the Satyanarayan Katha, which makes this ritual a celebration.

Lord Satyanarayan is one of the most commonly worshipped forms of Lord Vishnu, widely revered by the Hindu religion everywhere. Every month, more than millions of devotees observe this special Vrat and also take part in the famous Satyanarayan Katha and rituals.

This is one form of Lord Vishnu that has been worshipped as the embodiment of faith and truth, popular amongst all Vishnu believers and devotees. It has several benefits, which have affected the lives of worshippers in many ways. People who have strong faith on Lord Satyanarayan often perform this ritual several times in a year.

The puja begins with a prayer to Lord Ganesh, the remover of all hindrances and obstacles that come our way in due course of life. This is performed by chanting the names of Lord Ganesh and offering some rituals with Prasad like modak (believed to be Lord Ganesh’s favourite), and showering the idol with flower petals. Typically, this puja is performed by individuals and not by priests.

Benefits

• Performing Satyanarayan puja at home can bring in success. People who do this puja can achieve their goals and fulfil their aspirations.
• It can also improve physical and mental health of individuals drastically.
• It can help devotees enjoy a fulfilling material life and increases overall familial prosperity too.
• It can remove all sins from the past life.

The Satyanarayan puja is generally done before major occasions of life, such as housewarming or marriage ceremony. The ritual can be done at any time of the day. Usually, this puja is done on the eve of Purnima, or the full mood day of every month. It can also be done on Ekadasi or the 11th day after the new moon or full moon, Vaisakha Purnima, Kartika Purnima, Sankranti, or on the day of solar eclipse. However, people perform the Satyanarayan puja even on other times of the year, without emphasizing on these specific days.

The ritual is mainly performed on various special occasions and at the time of achievements. It is one way of offering your gratitude to the Lord on occasions like graduation or a new job.

According to Hindu beliefs, this puja is to best performed in the evening. It can bring good results. However, there’s no harm in doing this ritual in the morning. On the proposed day of the puja, devotees have to fast until the puja is completed. The purpose of depriving oneself from food is to ensure that no negative thoughts or desires come to mind before, during or after the puja. Once the puja is over, devotees can seek blessings of Lord Satyanarayan and break their fast by taking prasadam.