Publisher's Note iPreface to the Revised Third Edition iiLord Swaminarayan - Life & Work iiiIntroduction ix

Chapter:

1. Puja (Worship) 12. Nilya Puja-I (DailyyYorship) 103. Nitya Puja-II (Varied Aspects & Meanings) 224. Arti 425. Kanthi 466. Mandir (Temple) 507. Utsava (Festivals) ; , , 548. Yagna (Sacrifices) 589. Char Mandir (Home Shrine) 6310. Safsang/Char Sabha (Home Discourses) 6711. 7312.. ftlrily) , 84

Appendix-l - The Hindu Calendar & Seasons 94Appendix-2 - The Mandir .. 95Appendix-3 - Festivals InThe Swaminarayan Sampradaya 97

..""., , i., ,',: 99Bibliography, ; " :..,.. : : ,.. :.;..:, ; 107Index 109

CONTENTS:

Jlindu Rites k Rituals(Sacred.MeaninrJs <E lee!ings)

PAGE

PUBLISHER'S NOTE ..

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Of! the.. .of the. 75th. birth anniversary(A.,nruf Mahotsav) of His DiYine Holiness. Shri

PramtlkhS",ami Maharaj, we are pleased to introduce this••••. i .,i. " '

OUr rishis and seers h,,,ye kl1?wrlasvidhaIlO.They fOli... th,e .of th.e.. whole

t0o.k int? "ccounlman's psyche . .Butover the centuries the of these vidhallos decreased due torandom additions to them.They 10sttheirefficieIjcya.nd in some people began to

tllell'\ as a. forII\. of earninga.nd. so the bega.Ij to,faitll ill tlleII\' !,rl tllese injuncti()ns to. associated

religioIj,'j'he sincelieseeker of truths, if he studies the original inj';'nctions of the rishisin depth will not only appreciate their intellectual and religious

.o.f mind, but will also be proud of the loftiness of ourcultural heritage,

Here, by the inspiration of His Divine Holiness Shri PramukhSwami Maharaj, an attempt has been made to understand this richheritage. There has long been a need for such a book in which ourrites, rituals and injunctions are explained in detail. SwamiJnaneshwardas has taken great effort to fulfil this need. ForHindus living abroad, a great contrast exists between the Hinduenvironment at home and that outside. The young attendingschool are eager to learn about the reasons and principlesunderlying the Hindu rites, observances and diet. This bookattempts to explain these.

NOTE ON TRANSLAnON

Throughout this book liberty has been taken to maintain usageof some Cujarati and Sanskrit words. The reasons are threefold:

(i) Many words in Hinduism have no equivalents in English ortheir translated meanings may not do justice to the meanings ofthe original words.(ii) To avoid repeated usage of long-winded translations.(iii) To familiarise the non-Hindu reader with common Hindu

religious terminology. For this, a special Glossary has beenincluded,