Why should we wash our hands after removing shoes outside a mandir, home shrine or touching our feet?

Before entering or any holy shrine, Hindus remove their footwear outside. In India’s warm climate, people usually wear slippers or sandals which can be slipped off without using hands. However for those who wear shoes and footwear with strings, buckles, straps or Velcro, one has to use one’s fingers. One’s feet and footwear are regarded as impure. To perform any holy ritual one has to rinse one’s hands with water. No need for soap. Water is regarded as Varuna deva, whose touch purifies.

Our hands need to be ritually pure inside the mandir because: we may touch a holy text, a book of bhajans or stotras, perhaps kindle a divo or an incense stick, place some flowers or fruit before the deity, perhaps take Prasad given by the pujari and if an opportunity arises, touch the feet of sadhus or mahant. For all these holy rituals, it would be our religious duty and respect if we rinsed our hands after touching footwear, touching one’s mouth after having Prasad or any other food, and ideally, even after repeatedly cleaning one’s nose with a handkerchief or tissue if one has a runny nose. In the west people worry about not shaking hands with somebody who has a cold, for fear of catching an infection. Similarly, we should also think about the ritual purity of our hands before we enter a place of worship. That is why many mandirs and shrines in northern India, have washbasins nearby. If it is just not practically possible to rinse one’s hands with water after removing footwear, then one should try to avoid touching holy objects inside the mandir.

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Why is Tulsi Sacred

In her previous birth. Tulsi as Vrunda was married to a demon named Jalandhar. To vanquish him. Vishnu tricked Vrunda and destroyed Jalandhar. She cursed Vishnu that he would turn into stone (Shaligram). In turn, Vishnu accepted the curse and blessed her that she would forever be near him, and would be offered worship along with him. Therefore Vishnu accepts only that offering on which a tulsi leaf is placed. Since then tulsi plants also grow on the bank of the river Kali Gandaki, where shaligram stones occur naturally.

·         Shri Hari adorns wreaths of tulsi leaves and also greatly adores its fragrance. Seeing this, flowers such as mandir, parijat, jasmine, champak, karavir, punnaga, nagkesar, bakul, lotus, though themselves fragrant, highly regard tulsi; that she performed greater penance (in her previous birth) than any of them’

·         A sanskrit shlok describes tulsi’s sanctity:

Yanmule sarvatirthani yannagre sarvadevataha,

Yanmadhye sarvavedacha tulasi tam namayaham

-  I bow to the tulsi, at whose base reside all tirths, at whose top reside all deities and in whose middle are all the Vedas.

·                                The Brahmavaivart Purana lauds tulsi’s glory:

Sudhaghatasahasrena sa tushtirna bhavedwarehe,

Ya cha tushtirbhanevenrunam tulasipatra danatah

-  He (Bhagwan) is not so pleased after bathing with a thousand pots of amrut, as he is when he is offered even a single tulsi leaf.

·         In vaishnavism, it is obligatory to place a tulsi leaf when offering bhog (food) and donation.

·         A special utsav – the Tulsi Vivah, is also observed in all Vaishnava mandirs, when Tulsi is married to Vishnu, with pomp and bhakti.

·         It is also ritual to place a tulsi leaf in the mouth of a person, as the first antyeshti rite at the time of death. This ensures his transmigration to Vishnu’s abode.

·         In Ayurveda, tulsi is considered a divya aushadhi divine herb. As such it is used to treat many ailments.

What is the importance of a Shankh (counch shell) ?

Shankh is the shell of the mollusk. In Sanskrit, shankh signifies elimination of all misfortune – shamyati

ashubham asmad iti. Hence the shankh is considered auspicious in Sanatan Dharma. There are two

types: right sided (dakshinarvata) and left sided (vamavarta). The former is rare, considered more

scared and occurs in the river Tamraparni. It is believed that Lakshmiji resides in right sided shankhs.

Since both sprung, forth from the ocean during Samudra Manthan, they are considered as brother and

sister.

• One of the four sacred objects (ayudha) held by Shri Vishnu is the shankh, known as Panchjanya.

The other three are chakra (disc), gada (mace) and Padma (lotus). Hence it is specially revered

by Vaishnavs.

• Varuna, the diety of water is said to reside in the mind-section of the shankh; Prajapati, the

progenitor of all beings resides in its tail end and the twin river devis Ganga and Saraswati reside

in its front portion.

• It is also believed that all tirths reside in the shankh. It embodies the attributes of purity, power,

beauty and moksha.

• During puja rituals, a special worship rite is performed known as shankh sthapan. It is usually

placed on a special three-legged brass stand, and nerve on the floor. It is offered pujan before

and after puja of the murti.

Uses

• Water filled in a shankh is considered auspicious. Hence it is used during puja rituals and after

arti, representating vayu – one of the Panch Mahabhuts.

• It is used during arti, by blowing through it. Its melodious sound viberations are considered

sacred and drive away devil. This also destroys pollutions in the air.

• Milk, especially that with saffron (kesar) in a shankh is used after grand artis, as well as for

bathing (abhishek) of murtis during prana pratishta and patotsav.

• It is used for worship rituals for all deities except Shiva and Surya.

• It was used as a blow horn to announce the starting and ending the battle, as well as during

rajyabhishek (coronation of a king), to announce victory, during havan and to welcome an

eminent personage or sadhu.

• In the Gita (1/19), the deafening roar of the Pandava shankhs terrified the Kauravs.

• Shankhs are prescribed for bathing (abhishek) shaligrams with water (shankhodak) or milk. Tulsi

leaves are then placed on the shaligram and the shankh.

• The shankh must be located on the right of the kalash and to the left of the worshiper.

• Shankh eligible for worship are obtained from the sea coast of Chennai, Jagannath Puri,

Rameshwaram, and Sri Lanka.

• There also occurs an extremely rare, third type, known as Ganesh-shankh (Salagrama-Kosha

1996). Its shape resembles Ganeshji’s and it is vermilion-hued on the outer surface as well as the

inner, and has a very short tail-end, unlike the usual shankhs.