Shoḍaśopacāra Pūjā
Shoḍaśopacāra Pūjā, simply known as Shodashopachara Puja, Sanskrit: षोडशोपचार पूजा, Telugu: షోడశోపచార పూజ, Hindi: षोडशोपचार पूजा.
The shoḍaśopacāra pūjā is the standard pūjā of sixteen steps. The word shoḍaśa means sixteen and upacāra means service or offering. The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa gives the sixteen in the Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 26, as part of the Āhnika teaching, the whole daily conduct of a devotee. Śiva gave this teaching to Nārada at Kailāsa.
The meaning of the sixteen upacāras
The sixteen upacāras are the full set of services offered to the one worshipped in a pūjā. They treat the mūrti as a dear guest who is honoured with all the care given to the most respected visitor.
The sixteen upacāras
Chapter 26 of the Brahma Khaṇḍa gives these in this order:
| Step | Upacāra | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Āsana | A seat is offered. |
| 2 | Arghya | Water for washing the hands and welcoming the guest. |
| 3 | Pādya | Water for washing the feet. |
| 4 | Ācamana | Water to sip, for inner cleansing. |
| 5 | Vastra | A garment or cloth. |
| 6 | Pushpa | Flowers. |
| 7 | Candana | Sandalwood paste. |
| 8 | Dhūpa | Incense smoke. |
| 9 | Dīpa | A lit lamp (ārātrika). |
| 10 | Naivedya | Food, the main food offering. |
| 11 | Gandha | Fragrance or perfume. |
| 12 | Mālya | A garland of flowers. |
| 13 | Mahānaivedya | The great food offering. |
| 14 | Jala | Water. |
| 15 | Tāmbūla | Betel leaves and areca nut (pān). |
| 16 | Śayyā | A bed for rest, inviting the one worshipped to lie down. |
Where it is taught
The Brahma Khaṇḍa teaches the shoḍaśopacāra as part of the āhnika, the whole daily conduct of a devotee. Śiva gave this teaching to Nārada at Kailāsa. In it the shoḍaśopacāra stands in the daily pūjā beside saṃdhyāvandana, the worship of the Śālagrāma and the daily śrāddha.
Sources
- Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 26