Satyanarayana Puja

Hindus all over worship Lord satyanarayana in their homes. Lord satyanarayana is an avatar of Lord Vishnu himself. Satya means truth and Narayana means the Absolute. This pooja is usually performed on any auspicious occasion like after a wedding in the family, moving into a new house etc. Ideally this pooja should be performed on a new moon day in the evening after fasting the whole day. This is the Satyanarayana Vratham or Vratha.

In this pooja, Lord Satyanarayana is worshipped by devotees by reciting the story of His greatness which is explained in five chapters with five different stories. These are known as Shri Satyanarayana Katha.

The pooja starts with the lighting of the lamp and prayers are offered to Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the Sun God, the nine planets and Ashtadikpaalakas and Lord Indra. After completing the pooja the prasad which is prepared from sooji, ghee and sugar is distributed among family and friends who are invited to take part in the pooja and seek the Lord's blessings.