Archana: Bhagya Sooktha Pushpanjali with Sahasranamam and Mala

What is an archana?

An archana is a ritual done in praise of a deity. The names, qualities, attributes and greatness of the deity are recited, normally before the idol or picture of the deity, while offerings like flowers are submitted along with. An archana will consist generally of the recitation of 108 names of the archetype. There can also be archanas involving 1008 or even a lakh of names of the God. The ritual begins with a sankalpa, where the names of the sponsors are included as the beneficiaries. It ends with the holy aarti, where lighted camphor is shown to the alter as a final offering, which is then presented to the devotees for their acceptance of the blessing. This sacred Light and Sound Ceremony is performed for inviting divine energies into our lives. It is a simple but effective process for invoking a deity and seeking his or her blessings.  

What is Bhagya Sooktham and what is its importance?

Bhagya Sooktham is a powerful Rig Vedic hymn. It has great potency in improving one’s bhagya (that is, luck) and endows one with wealth, success and happiness. This has 7 verses which invoke Bhaga. Bhaga is the primordial being, or Aditya (Aadi - the very first), who is the personification of prosperity, love, sharing and happiness. 

How is the Bhagya Sooktha Pushpanjali with Sahasranama Archana and Offering of Mala performed?

This ritual consists mainly of the chanting of Bhagya Sooktha hymns and the performance of the Sahasranama Archana, the Light and Sound Ceremony, in which the Sahasra Namas (that is, the 1000 names of the deity) are recited. “Mala” means “garland.” During the worship, flowers and garlands are also offered to the deity, and that is known as “pushpanjali” (that is, paying obeisance to the deity with flowers). Though the hymn is in praise of Bhaga, the archana, as such, is performed for Goddess Bhagavathi.

Who is Goddess Bhagavathi and what is her importance?

Bhagavathi is Goddess Shakthi, who combines in herself supreme power and motherly compassion. She is also known by many other names, like Lalitha, Parvathi, etc. She is the active dynamic principle primarily responsible for all prosperity and is a generator of fertility, purity and abundance. It is Goddess Bhagavathi who is invoked in this worship.

What are the benefits of performing this Bhagya Sooktha Pushpanjali worship? 

The Bhagya Sooktha Pushpanjali worship with Sahasranama Archana and offering of Mala, the garland, is a powerful ritual which results in great achievements, good luck and prosperity for the devotees. This ritual will generate such a dynamic force that it will evoke within oneself passion, energy and a thirst for positive action. Also, Rig Vedic hymns in general (and Bhagya Sooktham in particular) are considered very effective in giving quick results. Hence, people who run into successive problems and face constant failures in life should undertake Bhagya Sooktha worship with faith, as this will help in the turnaround of their fortunes and betterment in all spheres of life.