Doing pooja sankalpa in USA differs from doing pooja sankalpa in baratha bhoomi. We cant refer baratha varshe Jambu dveepe dhandakaranya etc as if from our original sankalpa
any pooja sankalpa comprises two parts:
The place where we are doing
The date we are doing
The first part gets changed because of the location. The location details would be different.
Sankalpa:
For any pooja just fill up the samvathsara, maasa, paksha and the festival or pooja deity in preranaya and prithyartham and pooja/festival and type of pooja before dhyanam.
In general you can fill up as sri lakshmi narayana preranaya and sri lakshmi narayana preethyartham
Uttara aayane (Jan 14 – July 13) or Dakshin aayane (July 14 – Jan 13)
Varsha rithou – season
Maase – Month
Paksha – Shukla/Krishna
Thithow – Thithi
There is a long debate exists that we are not suppose to cross ocean. once we did , there is no point in pooja and sankalpa in a foreign land. For just that reason, we should not leave our traditions and practices behind.But I believe Something is better than Nothing. with all the devotion and faith in Sri Hari, we must continue pooja and our culture throughout.
This pooja is performed by Unmarried girls and Married ladies. After Marriage, This pooja should be performed by Ladies for 9 years. This pooja will protect Pathi(husband), brothers and male members of the family from all dangers and long lasting healthy life .
Gendana Puja is a puja to Parvati-Parameswara for the well-being of the husband. For unmarried girls, it is a prayer to Devi to grant an ideal husband.
When to Perform?
This pooja is performed on Ashaada Maasa Amavasya
Procedure
Collect all the required pooja items listed below:
Make idols of shiva and parvathy in Mud. It should resemble like Jaggery as shown in the below pic. (A pair of mud kalikamba lamps representing Shiva and Parvati or picture of Shiva and Parvati or Silver lamps).
This is how kalikamba should be made
Source: Google Image(A Pair of Kalikambas made by a devotee)
Thembittu lamps or traditional lamps
Yellow thread(for Mangalya of Parvathi devi)
Turmeric root(for Mangalya of Parvathi devi)
Flowers
Betel leaves
Betul nuts
Mango(Only fruit permitted during saaka vrata)
Flowers
Sacred thread
Puja To Dora With Nine Knots
Parvati Devi protects us in nine ways, with her nine Roopas. Take a white thread and smear it with wet-Arishina-Pudi first. Then make it a thread with nine knots. Each knot represents one Roopa of Devi. Tie little flower/Pushpa at the center of the thread. It is Dora, to be tied to the girl’s right-wrist after puja
Step by step Procedure
In cases of failing to do Kalikambas,pooja must be done at least with the picture of shiva parvathy.
Out of 2 Kalikambas, treat one of them as Parvathy and tie the Mangalya to it
Make 9 knots in a 9 layered thread and keep ready in the pooja mantap
clean the pooja place and keep the mane ready
Fill a plate with rice and place the kalikambas on it
Place the sacred thread near the kalikambas
Perform Ganapathy pooja and pray for doing pooja without any obstacles
Do Pooja to Lord Shiva and parvathy as usual by offering Kumkum, turmeric, Gajavasthras,flowers etc
Perform Arati
Do the urutani(See the Notes)
Then tie the thread to her right had by the elder most person in your family
offer the Prasadam to Lord shiva and parvathy
Take Arathi with 9 Thambeetu deepa(See notes for Thambeetu preparation). In case of not able to prepare thambettu deepa, alternatively perform with 9 mud lamps or 9 wick deepa
Read the story of bheemana Amavasya
Perform poonar pooja(Pooja by applying haldi kumkum need to be done after the completion of the pooja) immediately
Then get the blessings from elders
Distribute Vilathale adike with blouse bit, dakshine, fruits and flowers to sumangali ladies and get their blessings
Neivedhyam:
ven pongal using toor dal
9 karadakadubu or somasi
chiguli
thembittu
Kosamalli
Chittranna made from pepper (Saaka vrata)
Curd rice
Mango fruit
Payasam(Whatever permitted in saaka vrata)
Amidst of those busy life and changing environment, atleast one has to prepare 9 somasi or karadakadubu and should offer to Lord Shiva and Parvathy
Story:
This is a Vratha available in Skanda Purana
Once there lived a king whose son(the Prince) dead prematurely. The King was getting his son married in a grand manner. Still he decides to get dead son married by announcing rewards for those who come forward to give their daughter to this dead son.
A poor Brahmin comes forward to marry his daughter to the dead prince. The wedding was celebrated . That was a Amavasya Day. After the marriage celebration was over, the dead prince’s body was brought near Bhageerathi River for final rites. As the people were preparing the pyre, thunder and lightening strikes along with heavy rains. The people panicked and ran back to their homes leaving the dead body and the innocent girl there itself.
The girl remembered that it was the day of Jyothirbheemeshwari vrata, which her mother made her perform without fail every year. She took bath in the river and molded two lamps and rolled out fiber of a plant to form the wick for the lamps. She poured water into the lamps and did bhandara with Mud as there was no rice/wheat .
Shiva & Parvathi were the silent spectators for all her activities and were pleased with her devotion and blessed her.
She finished her pooja with whatever is available at that place.
As she finished her pooja Rudradevaru and Parvathi Deviyaru appeared before her. Lord Shiva broke the mud balls / bandara and asked her to ask for a boon. She requested them to bring her husband back to life, which was granted. The people next day were happy and surprised to see the prince alive and they took the two back in a procession and they lived happily ever after.
Thus the Vratha became more popular after this incident.
Next day:
Dissolve the Kalikambas in water or Place the kalikambas in Tulsi pot
*Notes:
Urutaani
The girl who performed the pooja should sit on a mat facing the east. She is given the betel leaves, betel nuts and fruits.
While she hold it with both her hands,urutani is done.The lady who does urutani, applies haldi to her cheeks, hands and legs.
With the paste made from haldi & Chunna(Limestone,) the red coloured paste is applied as mehandi design on her legs.
Tambeetu
Ingredients:
rice flour – 1 cup
Jaggery – 1/2 cup
Ghee and milk – as needed
Steps
Fry the rice flour until the raw smell leaves
Heat jaggery in a pan with little amount of water
add Flour to it
using Ghee and Milk round the balls and make it as small cups
fill those cups with the ghee and put the wick and your thambittu deepa is ready
Karida Kadubu
follow the recipe in this link: http://www.chefandherkitchen.com/2012/07/karida-kadubu-fried-modak-kari-kudumulu.html
Avoid using coconut, cardamom as it is not allowed in Saaka vratha