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What to do with the flowers AFTER they were offered to Perumal?

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After the flowers are offered to Perumal, They are to be taken as prasad of Perumal and treated as such. If they are flowers they can be worn by women with bhakthi.

The dravida Vedas (Divya prabhantham) has the following stanza in the Thiruppallandu of Periyazhwar:

உடுத்துக்களைந்த நின் பீதகவாடை உடுத்துக் கலத்ததுண்டு
தொடுத்த துழாய் மலர் சூடிக்களைந்தன சூடும் இத்தொண்டர்களோம்.........

Meaning:

We wear the clothes that you have worn and discarded. We eat what you leave after your eating. We wear the flower and Tulsi garland that you have worn and left.

This is logic of the sesha vastram that is offered in Vishnu temples to bhaktas by tying the vastram to the head of the devotee. It is not a thalaippakkattu for a Naattaamai as we see in Tamil movies. It should be accepted by the devotee with maximum bhakti, devotion and humility.
 
After the flowers are offered to Perumal, They are to be taken as prasad of Perumal and treated as such. If they are flowers they can be worn by women with bhakthi.

The dravida Vedas (Divya prabhantham) has the following stanza in the Thiruppallandu of Periyazhwar:

உடுத்துக்களைந்த நின் பீதகவாடை உடுத்துக் கலத்ததுண்டு
தொடுத்த துழாய் மலர் சூடிக்களைந்தன சூடும் இத்தொண்டர்களோம்.........

Meaning:

We wear the clothes that you have worn and discarded. We eat what you leave after your eating. We wear the flower and Tulsi garland that you have worn and left.

This is logic of the sesha vastram that is offered in Vishnu temples to bhaktas by tying the vastram to the head of the devotee. It is not a thalaippakkattu for a Naattaamai as we see in Tamil movies. It should be accepted by the devotee with maximum bhakti, devotion and humility.
Thanks, I take it that you are talking about the flowers/Garlands that are still Fresh (< a day after they are made). But what about the garlands/flowers which have gone dry ? What about them @Vaagmi ?
 
Any ideas or anything mentioned in the Vedic Scriptures?

As per the BG (which is a shruti), flowers are only a means to worship (and hence not the end). So what you do with the flowers is pretty much your choice. A person with excess of bhakthi bhavam would obviously treat them as prasadam of the deity whereas a person who sees his offering as the act itself may not be bothered about the flowers.

Best,
 
The flowers offered to deity becomes nirmalyam . They are to be treated as Prasad and and finally to be discarded in such a way that no one sets foot on them.
 
Flowers are born every day with the purpose of offered to gods and goddess.If after offering them,we have some remaining flowers,it should be given to Suman Gali's on Tuesday and Friday.Other days, the home lady can use that.
 
As per the BG (which is a shruti), flowers are only a means to worship (and hence not the end). So what you do with the flowers is pretty much your choice. A person with excess of bhakthi bhavam would obviously treat them as prasadam of the deity whereas a person who sees his offering as the act itself may not be bothered about the flowers.

Best,

Good explanation.
Out of respect we keep the flowers for sometime and discard it in such a way that they would not be stepped on.
 
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hi

generallly used as blessings of god....or offered in the running water/tree...it can help some other way....
 
Some flowers like araLi, sAmandhi, pavazhamalli and semparuththi can't be worn by ladies.

The usual way to dispose off the 'nirmAlyam' is to put it under a tree in such a way that no one will step on it.

My sister in law lives in a flat and hence she brings the 'nirmAlyam' to my garden to put it near a coconut tree. :)
 
Dear RR ji,

At my parents home...the flowers are usually placed at plants or a tulsi tree.

But for me if I am given flowers that have been used for Pooja...I usually put it in a muslin bag and soak it overnight in a pail of water and make scented bath water for myself..the next day I remove the muslin bag from the pail...then I add some warm water to the pail to bring out the fragrance more.

Then I bathe with it...feels refreshing.

The petals are then placed at the Mehendi Tree in my garden.
 
wonderful answers everyone .

1 . Burying under or near the tree makes sense maybe a remote tree.
2. Putting in a river is also a very good idea but not sure if I can put in a lakes/ponds that are not so clean and only which are there near my place.
3. Putting near Tulsi or other plant is good but sounds onetime as the garlands/flowers, they come from Perumal/Jaganmaata regularly.
 
Dear Renu,

The way you use the flowers may not be allowed in our community!

We use lots of flowers for special prayers and it is impossible to put them under a tulsi plant. ;)
 
Thanks, I take it that you are talking about the flowers/Garlands that are still Fresh (< a day after they are made). But what about the garlands/flowers which have gone dry ? What about them @Vaagmi ?

Once they have been worn by the bhakthas with reverence and have gone dry, they become just like ordinary other flowers used by them and can be treated as such.
 
Dear Vaagmi Sir,

All the flowers and garlands used for the poojA can't be worn by ladies. Some will be left over too.

We usually put such flowers under the trees in the backyard, so that no one will step on them.

Also, if a river is nearby, the 'nirmAlyam' (collected for a few days, at times) is put in the running water.
 
Recently I attended a discourse and the preacher gave a wonderful explanation why one should go to temple and how to pray and what to do or not to do after a visit to temple. I will try to list them below
1. All temples are highly charged with spiritual energy and our main purpose to visit a temple to re-energize ourselves as human beings are set to loose their energy due to various Karmas they are engaged on a daily basis.
2. While praying bring hands in such a position that both your hands are joined and your thumbs touching your meta-sternum standing at a position keeping your feet at about 30 degree angle.
3. Stay at least for 20 seconds before the deity out of which 5 seconds eyes open and try to absolve the beautiful roopam of the deity and remain there for another 15 seconds eyes closed so that a clear picture is absolved in your mind.
4. Never try to ask any favor (venduthal) at the temple as any desire makes discharge of spiritual energy at a very high speed,
5. Do 3 to 5 parikrama of the sanctum sanctorum which helps your body fully charged.
6. Once the prayer go straight to home never shake hands with any body on the way nor do any shopping etc en route as contact with any bodies will cause discharge of spiritual energy you have just gained.
7. The activities at a temples energizes our panchedriya in many ways. The visuals and aura around and the temple helps to vitalize your eyes, the chanting of Mantra and holy music helps ears (shravanedriya) taking theertham and prasadam vitalizes your toung applying tilakam and Nirmalyam flowers helps your skin and the aroma of flowers, agarbathis, sandal paste etc helps your power to smell.
8. Above all one reason he explained why the flowers etc should be worn at head or chest and not to be in touch with your feet. Our head has the maximum absorbing power and feet has the maximum discharging power, if feet has lost contact with the earth nothing will be discharged our body he said electric shock as an example.

I think point no. 8 explains why should we treat Nirmalyam with respect.
 
Dear Vaagmi Sir,

All the flowers and garlands used for the poojA can't be worn by ladies. Some will be left over too.

We usually put such flowers under the trees in the backyard, so that no one will step on them.

Also, if a river is nearby, the 'nirmAlyam' (collected for a few days, at times) is put in the running water.

Dear RRji,

Let me make it a little more clear:

Once the garland worn by God is given as prasad to a bhakta, he accepts it with reverence and humility. If it is wearable he wears it with pleasure. If it is not wearable, he just internalizes the experience of accepting the prasad and being an object of Lord's Love and Karunai and at that point he has worn it symbollically. People generally touch the garland with their face and eyes (கண்ணில் ஒற்றிக்கொள்வது) and take it home. After that point it becomes just ordinary flower and can be treated as such because what is worn and discarded by God is holy while what is worn/enjoyed/received by human being and then discarded is just ordinary stuff.

I have seen people undergoing tremendous amount of mental stress when they have to throw away a torn, soiled picture of God. It is unnecessary. They forget that the picture when it was kept in the prayer room was an object of worship representing God and when it became soiled/torn it becomes just a paper and you can have a new picture in its place to represent God. Representatives may come and go while God stays permanent. LOL.
 
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They forget that the picture when it was kept in the prayer room was an object of worship representing God and when it became soiled/torn it becomes just a paper and you can have a new picture in its place to represent God.
Even when a picture is kept in the puja room, it is just a paper. Only the devotee infuses his bhakthi to it.

Only when prana-pratishta is done for a vigraham, it is considered as God. I am not sure if there were paper pictures of God during the Agamic or vedic times. So the picture is just a picture and does not carry any sacredness or divinity with it. It's status is as good as that outside the puja room as it is inside it.
 
Even when a picture is kept in the puja room, it is just a paper. Only the devotee infuses his bhakthi to it.

I am not sure if there were paper pictures of God during the Agamic or vedic times. So the picture is just a picture and does not carry any sacredness or divinity with it. It's status is as good as that outside the puja room as it is inside it.

Well said.
Like Kabir Das says:
Pahan puje hari mile, to mai puju pahar , ta se te chakki bhali, piis khaye sansar

If God can be achieved by worshipping a piece of rock Then I will worship a mountain.


Grinding stone mill is better, as it atleast gives us flour.

Anything and everything is Brahman. Objects and people are venerated because of our attachment.
 
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Posts #19 and 20:

Requires a detailed discussion. This is not the place. I would like to add just this:

post #19: Prana pratishta is usually done to statues/vigrahas in the temple by an elaborate Agamic ritual. Even that is just symbolic for those who look for scientific evidence for the presence of prana there. Such a pranapratishta is not usually done to vigrahas at home which are daily worshipped by a grihasta with all his failings. A picture helps the otherwise busy grihasta and his family members in objectifying the God entity and bringing it within their cenceptual grasp for worshipping. So a picture just represents that God entity as long as it is venerated. When it becomes soiled or torn it becomes just a paper which was a substrate for objectifying the God. The substrate was never supposed to be God entity. I would say just this much.

post#20:

It is just some revolutionary verbiage presented beautifully in a doha. The question to Kabir would be, "why just mountain? Is God not greater than even the mountain? It may mountain for you Mr. Kabir because you have seen a mountain and your country has a mountain. What about me living in an island. I do not know what a mountain is? by the way will your mountain be as tall as the oldest coconut tree in my backyard?". There are religions which objectify God for ease of grasp and worship. There are religions that mock this concept. And revolutionary BS usually flows through these two channels depending on where you are. LOL.
 
As per the BG (which is a shruti), flowers are only a means to worship (and hence not the end). So what you do with the flowers is pretty much your choice. A person with excess of bhakthi bhavam would obviously treat them as prasadam of the deity whereas a person who sees his offering as the act itself may not be bothered about the flowers.

Best,

BG is not a Shruthi!
 
Dear Vaagmi Sir,

Even the treatment for 'nirmAlyam' seems to be 'Aththu vazhakkam'!!

Any way, I was writing about the flowers used in daily poojA at home;

not the prasAdham received from temples. :)
 
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