Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Charalambous and welcome to today's learning with me.

We're going to learn a lot and have lots of fun along the way.

I hope that you're ready.

Today's lesson is Puja, different Hindu expressions from the unit, "Hindus, how do Hindus see Brahman?" By the end of today you'll be able to explain why puja is important in daily life.

Let's look at our key words for today, with my turn, your turn.

Puja.

Puja.

Symbolic.

Symbolic.

Deity.

Deity.

Murti.

Murti.

Puja, rituals of worship performed by Hindus.

Symbolic, used to describe an action or object with a deeper meaning.

Deity, a god or goddess.

Murti, a physical representation of a deity, usually a statue.

Our lesson outline looks like this today for puja, different Hindu expressions, cycle one, how do Hindus worship? This is Dhanu.

Dhanu is a British Hindu.

This is a room in Dhanu's home.

Take a look at the photo, what do you notice? Have a moment to think to yourselves before sharing with me.

Let's take a look, shall we? Dhanu is performing puja.

Hindu worship is called puja.

It's a voluntary act of worship.

Puja is carried out by most Hindus to show love and devotion to God.

Let's check our understanding, we have multiple choice.

Why is puja performed by some Hindus? A, it's compulsory.

B, to show love and devotion to God.

Or C, to ask for good luck.

That's right, to show love and devotion to God.

Well done.

Let's carry on.

Puja can be performed at home or at a mandir.

This is the outside Dhanu's mandir.

This is the inside where puja is performed.

It looks so fascinating and welcoming, I love the bright colours.

I'll leave this on for a moment so you can take a closer look.

Many Hindus have an area in the home where puja happens.

This is Dhanu's area at home where she carries out the act of puja.

Some of you might have noticed, this is where Dhanu was standing in the other picture.

This is what she saw from her point of view.

Take a moment to have a look at this photo, and tell me what you can see.

Dhanu explains why she performs puja at home.

"I prefer doing puja at home with my family, because it's a daily routine that brings blessings into our home.

It helps keep us devoted to God and our traditions as a family." This is Het, he is also a Hindu and he performs puja.

He likes to perform puja at the mandir.

"I like going to the mandir because it's where I feel the most connected to God.

I also enjoy seeing the big murtis and being part of the ceremonies where I show my love for God." And that is the inside of Het's mandir.

Looks a little bit different to Dhanu's, but still so lovely.

Let's look at a true or false question.

Puja can only take place at a mandir.

True or false? It's false.

Why? That's right, because puja can take place at home or at the mandir.

Many Hindus have an area in their homes where puja takes place.

When Dhuna and Het perform puja, they follow a series of important steps.

These steps are carried out whether they are praying at home or in the mandir.

These are one, preparation.

Two, offerings.

And three, prayers and meditations.

Let's take a closer look at each one.

Preparation.

Before puja can begin, devotees clean and tidy the space where they will worship.

They also collect the items they need for worship, this includes flowers, food and water.

Preparation shows readiness and respect for the act of worship.

Two, offerings.

During puja, Hindus offer items to the deity such as food, flowers, and incense.

They are often placed on a special plate or in front of the murti of the deity.

This act of giving is a big part of worship as it shows gratitude and devotion.

Let's check our understanding with a multiple choice question.

What things are done during preparation? Select two answers.

A, tidying the space where puja will take place.

B, lighting the incense.

C, wearing new clothes.

D, gathering food, water, and flowers.

Take a moment before telling me the two that you choose.

That's right, it's A, tidying the space where puja will take place and D, gathering food, water, and flowers.

Well done so far.

Good learning.

Let's carry on.

The final key part is prayer and meditation.

Devotees recite prayers, verses or sayings.

These may vary depending on the occasion or the deity.

While reciting prayers, devotees also take time to meditate.

This helps them to concentrate their thoughts on the deity.

Here comes another multiple choice question.

What do devotees do while praying during puja? A, decorate the altar or area of worship.

B, meditate to focus on the deity.

C, offer food and flowers.

Or D, sing songs with their family.

That's right, it's meditate, to focus on the deity.

Well done if you answered that question correctly.

Let's start with task A part one.

Order these statements below describing the stages of puja.

They've been muddled up and your task is to put them in the right order.

Here they are muddled up.

A, offerings to the deity such as food, flowers, and incense.

B, preparation of the worship space including cleaning and gathering necessary items. C, devotees recite prayers and meditate to focus their thoughts on God.

I'll give you a few moments to answer this question.

Pause me here before carrying on to see some feedback.

Let's look at our feedback for task A part one.

Order these statements describing the stages of puja.

Your answers should look like this.

B, preparation of the worship space including cleaning and gathering necessary items. A, offerings to the deity such as food, flowers, and incense.

C, devotees recite prayers and meditate to focus their thoughts on God.

Well done if you got these in the right order.

Let's move on to task A part two.

Explain why the stages of puja listed below are important in worship and how they help Hindus connect with God.

Preparation of the worship space including cleaning and gathering necessary items. Offerings to the deity such as food, flowers, and incense.

Devotees recite prayers and meditate to focus their thoughts on God.

Take a moment to answer each one of these bullet points.

Pause me here and when you are ready, take me off of pause so we can go through some feedback together.

Let's look at feedback for task A part two, explain why the stages of puja listed below are important in worship, and how they help Hindus connect with God.

You might have included, the stages of puja are important for creating a respectful and focused space for worship.

Preparing for puja shows that devotees are dedicated and ready to connect with God.

Making offerings represents gratitude and strengthens their bond with the divine.

Reciting prayers and meditating helps them concentrate, deepening their connection with God.

Together, these steps make worship a special and help Hindus express their love and devotion to God.

Well done so far.

Let's carry on with our learning.

Cycle two, what symbols are used in puja? This is the tray that Dhanu uses during puja.

Take a moment to look at the photo.

What can you see? You can share your answers with me in a moment.

I can hear that lots of you have spotted lots of different things on this puja tray.

Let's see.

The flower.

Bell.

Diya lamp.

Incense.

KumKum powder.

Now, I'm not sure if any of you spotted this, but in the corner there is also an orange, fruit.

Let's see why these are important during puja.

Symbolic objects and actions are used during puja.

Puja activates all of the five senses to help Hindus connect with the divine.

Let's take a look at true or false.

Puja uses the five senses to help connect Hindus to the divine.

True or false? That's right, it's true.

Why? Because during puja, all of the five senses are activated.

Well done if you've got that question correct.

Let's look at flowers.

What sense might flowers connect to? Why might a Hindu offer flowers in puja? Take a moment here and share some of your answers with me if you'd like before I reveal some of them to you.

Flowers are used as a symbol of love, beauty, and devotion.

They're connected to the sense of sight and smell.

For some Hindus, flowers are seen as the most natural and beautiful offerings, symbolising the best a devotee can offer.

Let's take a look at the bell.

Listen to the sound of the bell.

(bell chiming) Why might a Hindu ring a bell during puja? Take a moment to think about your answers before I share some with you.

A bell is rung at the start of puja to invite the presence of the deity, and the start of worship.

It's also rung to help focus the mind and is connected to the sense of sound.

The bells sound creates a sacred atmosphere for the devotee.

Some Hindus believe that the sound wards off any negative energy, helping to create a pure and sacred space for worship.

Let's take a look at the diya lamp.

Lighting a diya lamp is an important part of puja.

What might light symbolise? Have a moment to think about this question before I reveal the answer to you.

In puja lamps, diyas, are connected to the sense of sight.

Light symbolises wisdom and understanding, helping to guide people away from confusion.

During puja, lamps are often waved in front of the deity in a circular motion.

This ritual is called Arati, which is a sign of complete respect and love towards God.

Arati also refers to the hymn sung in praise of the deity when the light is being offered.

Let's try this multiple choice question together.

What is the symbolism of the ritual of arati? A, to offer food to the deity as a sign of devotion.

B, to wave light in front of the deity as a sign of devotion.

Or C, to clean the worship space as a sign of devotion.

That's right, to wave a light in front of the deity as a sign of devotion.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

Let's move on.

This is KumKum powder.

KumKum powder may be applied between the eyebrows of the devotee.

What might be the symbolism of applying KumKum powder? Share some answers with me now if you'd like.

KumKum powder is a red powder applied inbetween the eyebrow area.

Some Hindus will also apply it to the murti.

This symbol connects to two senses, touch and sight.

Once applied, touch, it becomes visible sign of the devotion and blessings, sight.

This is incense.

If you've never seen incense before, it's the two brown sticks.

They're often lit and they're release something.

Those are my hints to you.

Think about what sense might incense connect to, and why might Hindus offer incense in puja? Pause me here for a quick discussion if you want with me before I reveal some of the answers.

Incense is symbolic of the presence of God reminding Hindus that God is everywhere.

For some Hindus, incense is believed to cleanse the environment, making it sacred and pure for worship.

It's connected to the sense of smell.

For other Hindus, it helps them focus on their prayer or reflections.

Food and fruit are often made as offerings.

Why might Hindus offer food in puja? Let's find out together.

Food offerings are symbolic of being thankful for the blessings received from the deity.

It's connected to the sense of taste.

Sweets, fruits and other pure vegetarian offerings are placed in front of the murti.

After the food has been placed in front of the murti, it becomes prasad.

This is because it is now blessed by the deity.

Prasad is then distributed among the devotees as a form of a blessing.

Let's look at this true or false question together.

The food offered to the deity during puja is called prasad before it is placed in front of the murti.

True or false? That's right, it's false.

Why? The food is only called prasad after it is offered to the deity.

Once it is offered, the food is blessed by the deity and becomes prasad.

Well done if you got that answer correct.

Let's go to task B.

Here are Dhanu's puja items. Select two items that you think are the most important for worship.

Write a reason for each item you picked, explaining why you think it's significant for puja.

Don't forget the fruit in the corner is also an option.

Pause me here so that you can write down your notes, unpause me when you are ready for some feedback.

Let's look at feedback for task B, select two items that you think are the most important for worship.

Your answers may have included.

You pick either the flower, bell, diya lamp fruit, KumKum powder or incense.

For this activity, I have picked the diya lamp and fruit, but you could have picked any of the ones on the screen.

That is fine.

Write a reason for each item you picked explaining why you think it's significant for puja.

Here is an example of what you might have written.

Food offerings show gratitude for the blessings received from God.

After the offering, the food becomes prasad, which is shared as a blessing to the devotees, which I think brings together a sense of togetherness amongst the community.

During puja, lamps are often waved in front of the deity in a circular motion.

I think it's significant because they use it during a ritual called arati, which is a sign of respect towards the deity.

Well done for working hard on this task today.

Feel free to pause me here so you can share some of your answers and reflections with me.

Well done on today's learning for, puja, different Hindu expressions.

Let's summarise our learning together.

Hindu worship is called puja.

It can be at home or in a mandir, which is the Hindu place of worship.

Symbolic objects and actions are used during puja.

Can you think and remember some of them from today? They can often be connected to the five senses, making the spiritual experience more meaningful.

Well done for today's learning, I hope you've learned a lot from me, and I hope to see you all again soon.

Take care.