The Significance of Puja (Penguin Petit)

Puja' is the literal act of worship. With the evolution of Puja during the Vedic age, there came about a slightly different approach to the divine. While men and women still worshipped as a coping mechanism— to realize desires or change destiny—a more personal relationship between humans and their gods was developing. However, the more personal a relationship, the more dynamic the puja is. How then does an entire sect follow a particular style of workship? How does one pick which god to worship? In The Significance of Puja, Devdutt Pattanaik explores these questions among others. Read on.