Devotees Throng Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple to Worship their Vehicles on ‘Ayudha Pooja’
Mangaluru: Among the Hindu temples in the City, one among them is the Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple on GHS Road, opposite Ideal Towers/Ideal Ice Cream Shack in the heart of the City, where people/devotees with their vehicles have been thronging the temple premises to worship their vehicles as part of Ayudha Pooja celebration. Shastra Puja is held on the ninth day of the Navratri Festival – this is the Mahanavami day during Durga Puja. The weapons (Sastra or Astra) used by Goddess Durga are worshipped on this day. Today, people worship the tools and objects that they use to earn a livelihood, and also their vehicles used for their travel.
Devotees in Mangaluru have gathered at the premises of Sharavu Mahaganapathi temple to worship their vehicles since early morning on Monday, 23 October 2023. Special pujas were arranged by the priests of the temple to mark the Ayudha Puja. The Ayudha Pooja, also referred to as “asthra pooja,” literally means “worship of weapons” and is held on the ninth day of Dasara. The members of the Hindu community worship tools, electrical appliances, vehicles, and instruments they use to earn their livelihood. Plantain leaves, garlands, flowers, ash gourd, and other items are used to perform the pooja, and the shops and street vendors selling these items have been doing brisk business for the last two days.
Devout Hindus clean, polish, and decorate the tools and instruments, which they use regularly to earn their livelihood. They smear these tools with sandalwood paste and turmeric paste, offer flowers, and worship them along with deities such as Parvathi, Saraswathi, or Lakshmi. The purpose of the worship is to express gratefulness to the divine power for helping them earn their livelihood. It is also to request the divine power to help them work successfully in future.
As per a College professor, there are two legends associated with the Ayudha Pooja. The first legend is that of Goddess Durga who fought with the demon Mahishasura and killed him with the help of her weapons. Later, the gods requested her to give them those weapons and began worshipping them with great reverence; and this is how the tradition of worshipping weapons began. The second legend is that of the Pandava brothers who hid their weapons in a safe place and found them after a year in disguise. Happy to find that their weapons were safe and had not been stolen in their absence, they celebrated by worshipping those weapons.
Ayudha Pooja has been celebrated for ages. The Ayudha Pooja has an added significance because it is believed to be the day on which Arjuna retrieved his hidden weapons while in disguise. The devout believe that those who refresh their knowledge of their trade on this day will achieve great success as Arjuna did during the Kurukshetra war. One may worship anything that one uses to earn one’s livelihood on the day of Ayudha Pooja.
On the evening before, traditional Hindus place these tools instruments or implements on an altar. They believe that making a conscious effort to see the divine in their tools of work will help them consider their work as an offering to the divine and thereby improve their productivity at work. Traditional Indians also have the practice of paying obeisance to their tools of work before commencing the day’s work as a mark of respect and gratitude.
On the day of Ayudha Pooja (today), items used in daily life such as books, computers, kitchen utensils, and others are worshipped to view the divine in tools one daily uses. One can worship anything one uses in daily life; accordingly, office workers worship computers, books, and pens; farmers worship their ploughs or farm machinery; those in the transport industry worship cars/buses/trucks and others. They also believe that this is an auspicious day for starting a business or purchasing new household items.
TEAM MANGALOREAN WISHES OUR READERS A HAPPY AYUDHA POOJA AND NAVRATRI
