Shankha

There is a great importance of Shankha both in Budhhism and Hinduism. In the Hindu religion it is considered as pious possessions of Lord Vishnu and it is believed to give name, fame and prosperity. There are two types of Shankha, one of which is for the purpose of blowing while the other on is for worshipping Lord. It is said that following the practice of blowing Shankha on regular basis is believed to be helpful in killing away many types of heart diseases.

Importance of Blowing Shankha in the Puja ritual

In any type of Puja ritual there is a great importance of blowing Shankha and it is done in two ways in completing with any Puja ritual, one at the start of the Puja ritual and the other at the end. In the Hindu scriptures it has been mentioned that one should not open the premises of a temple without blowing up Shankha.

Before starting off with the Puja ritual, the left sided Shankha is blown! Our scriptures teach that in the atmosphere there are three types of frequencies that include tama dominant, sattva dominant and raja dominant. Among three of them, the frequency that is believed to release any kind of human stress are the raja dominant and tama dominant frequencies.

When the Shakha is blown the pious and pure energy that is emitted from the presence of Lord Vishnu gets floated in the air all around where the puja is being performed. And, the whole process is not only helpful for person who is blowing it but is also beneficial for everyone around participating in the Puja ritual and to whom the sound of Shankh can reaches.

Shankha is also blown before performing an aarti and that is believed to bring in the pure and powerful effect of Lord Chaitnya. It makes the atmosphere filled with pure air and serene affect that is responsible for bringing in that much needed happiness and joy in one’s life.

How to Blow Shankha Correctly

Whenever a Shankha is blown, the frequencies in the atmosphere that consists of raja-tama particles are vanished and instantly the destroying and the savouring principles of God are awakened.

Here we are going to discuss the correct method of blowing a Shankha……

• First, you will need to start it by raising your neck and then bending a little backward.
• During the whole process you will need to keep concentrating your mind and the soul.
• Begin by taking a deep breath and blowing the Shankha with an increasing intensity.
• It is quite important that it is blown just in a single breath without getting any pause in between.
• The importance of blowing Shankha in this manner will get individual's Sushumna channel activated thereby helping in the maintenance of balance between Raja and Sattva particles that are related to Tej and the Vayu elements.

How to Worship a Shankha with rituals

There is a specific way of keeping Shankha during performing Puja rituals! It must be kept in a manner that its pointed portion faces towards the idol of God. In this way it is believed that the energy and the frequencies that are being emanated from the idols of the deities will come towards the pointed portion of the Shankha.

Sculptures explain that when a Shankha is kept in such a way that the pointed portion is towards the Lord then there will be enough of energy all around the house so as to get through the negativities of day and night.

Worshipping Shankha

• Before starting off with Puja rituals, the Shankha is filled with water which is then followed by worshipping the Kalasha.
• After that, it is worshipped by using flower, sandalwood paste and Tulsi leaves so as to create better effect of the puja and sound of Shankha.
• This process of worshipping the Shankha is followed by sprinkling water filled inside the shankha on to the worshipper and those who are present in the Puja ritual.
• The water that has been filled inside Shankha is considered as pure and powerful as that of the Ganga water. This water is sometimes also used for offering holy bath to the deities.

Here are some points that must be taken care of while blowing Shankha….

• It is strictly prohibited to make use of the Shankha for any other purpose that has been reserved for using during performing the Puja ritual. They should absolutely be separated.
• One should avoid offering water on to the deities that has been filled in the Shankha.
• It is advised not to keep two Shankha in your worshipping room.
• During the ritual of puja, on should never touch the Shiva pindi with Shankha.
• One should never use Shankh for giving bath to the Sun or the Shiva deities.

A Shankha is believed to be a pure and pious thing that is used for worshipping and it should be kept away from any type of impure things. It should only be placed in the Puja room and should be blown regularly for bringing in a perfect combination of purity and serenity in the atmosphere.