Ramana Maharshi Opinion About Rituals And Pujas

5-1-46 Afternoon

A visitor asked Bhagavan, “Priests prescribe various rituals and pujas and people are told that unless they properly observe these with fasts, feasts, etc., sin will accrue, and so on. Is there any necessity to observe such rituals and ceremonial worship?”

Bhagavan: Yes. All such worship is also necessary. It may not be necessary for you. But that does not mean it is necessary for nobody and is no good at all. What is necessary for the infant class pupil is not necessary for the graduate. But even the graduate has to make use of the very alphabet he learnt in the infant class.He knows the full use and significance of the alphabet now.

The same visitor asked, “I do Omkara puja. I say ‘Om Ram’. Is that good?”

Bhagavan: Yes. Any puja is good. ‘Om Ram’ or any other name will do. The point is to keep away all other thoughts except the one thought of Om or Ram or God. All mantra or japa helps that. He who does the japa of Ram, for example,becomes Rama-maya.The worshipper becomes in course of time the worshipped. It is only then that he will know the full meaning of the Omkar which he was repeating.

Source: DAY BY DAY WITH BHAGAVAN From the Diary of A. DEVARAJA MUDALIAR