In many Hindu households, daily puja unfolds as a quiet, rhythmic honoring of the divine at a home shrine or sacred corner. It typically begins with purification: one bathes or at least washes hands, feet, and face, then approaches the altar in clean clothing. The worship space is tidied, lamps or diyas are lit, and incense may be kindled to mark the transition from ordinary activity to sacred attention. Images or murtis of the chosen deity are arranged, often adorned with fresh flowers or sacred leaves. This simple preparation already signals that the divine is to be approached with care, respect, and a sense of inner and outer cleanliness.

Once the space is prepared, the deity is invoked, often by ringing a bell and reciting mantras or brief prayers. The worshipper mentally or verbally invites the presence of the chosen form of the divine, perhaps through names such as “Om Namah Śivāya” or “Om Namo Nārāyaṇāya,” or through other traditional verses. This invocation is followed by a sequence of offerings, which in daily practice may be quite simple yet symbolically rich. Water is offered for washing and drinking, flowers are placed before the image, incense is waved, and a lamp or flame is presented as a gesture of reverence. Food offerings—fruit, sweets, milk, or a portion of the family’s meal—are placed before the deity as naivedya, acknowledging that all nourishment is ultimately a gift.

Prayer and contemplation deepen the act beyond outward ritual. Devotees may chant mantras, sing devotional songs, or read briefly from revered texts such as the Bhagavad Gītā or the Rāmāyaṇa. There is often a period of silent remembrance, in which the qualities of the deity—compassion, strength, wisdom—are held in the heart. This inner orientation allows the external offerings to become expressions of devotion rather than mere formality. Some practitioners, when physical items are not available, engage in mental worship, visualizing each step of the puja inwardly.

A central moment in many daily pujas is ārati, the circling of a lamp or camphor flame before the deity while hymns or ārati songs are sung. After the flame has been offered, participants pass their hands over it and touch their eyes or head, symbolically receiving the light and grace of the divine. The food and flowers that have been offered are then received as prasāda, “blessed” remnants that are shared among family members. This sharing turns an ordinary act of eating into a sacramental reminder of divine presence in daily sustenance. The puja usually ends with brief concluding prayers, expressing gratitude, seeking forgiveness for any errors in the ritual, and respectfully “bidding rest” to the deity.

In everyday life, this entire sequence may be abbreviated to only a few gestures: lighting a lamp, offering a flower, chanting a short mantra, and bowing. On other days it may be more elaborate, with extended chanting and multiple offerings. Across these variations, the underlying intention remains constant: to maintain a living relationship with the divine, to infuse the rhythms of the household with remembrance, and to cultivate devotion and gratitude amid the duties of the day.