House warming tips

Gruhapravesha is the house warming ceremony observed before entering into a new dwelling place or house. Depending on the type of gruhapravesha the pooja procedure varies. There are 3 types of gruhaspravesh poojas: Apoorva, Sapoorva and Dwandhwha. In apoorva gruhapravesha there is detailed procedure that takes 7 to 8 hours. Sapoorva gruhapravesha needs a few rituals. This article gives you the pooja procedures observed on all types of gruhapravesha and with the importance of observing gruhapravesha.

Pooja Procedure for Apoorva Gruhapravesha: The pooja begins by worshiping the Deity of ‘Vastu purusha’ and the pooja is called Vastu pooja. This pooja is done to expiate the offenses that might occur by the owner of the house while constructing the house. This ritual is done in the early morning hours. A copper pot is filled with fresh water and navadhanya, the mixture of nine kinds of grains, is put into the water with a rupee coin. A coconut is placed on the top of the pot and red cloth is tied with thread called moli. This is called kalash and it is placed at auspicious location of the house and the priest performs elaborate pooja to this kalash. Eloborate bhumi pooja is done by chanting vedic hymns. Bhumi pooja is very important for apoorva grihapravesh to counteract the killing insects and ants of the land while constructing the house. On culmination of this pooja, the senior couple takes the kalash inside the house. The couple should enter the house on time of ‘muhurta,‘ placing right feet into the house. This pot is placed near the havan.

Havan is ceremonial fire that is lit by the householders as a sacred ritual. In this fire several sacrifices are done by chanting hymns and holy names of God, putting ghee and grains into it. Havan is done to protect the house from harmful influences of the planets and remove the negative aura in the environment. Havan purifies the house and beckons tranquility. Subsequent to the above poojas other poojas like Kul Devata Pooja, Ganapathi Pooja and Satyanarayan Pooja are done. The priest is fed sumptuously and given dakshina or fees for his good wishes. Relatives and Friends exchange gifts with warm wishes of auspicious life in the house. Pooja for Sapoorva Gruhapravesh: Sapoorva is the ritual of boiling milk in the already constructed house into which the family moves. The house is cleaned and sterilized. The house deity is placed in the auspicious place of the house. Put fresh, unboiled milk in a container and boil in the kitchen. Let some milk spill out and make sweet rice of the remaining milk for offering to God. Elaborate pooja can be done by the senior member of the family or a priest can be called. It can be like mini apoorva pooja if you invite near and dear ones for lunch or dinner. Pooja for Dwandwah: Dwandwah can be observed in the caliber of apoorava or sapoorava depending on the circumstances. This is done to purify the renovated house from all the negativities of the environment.

Hindu House Warming Ceremony (Griha Pravesh) Griha Pravesh is a ceremony performed on the occasion of one's first entry into a new house. Once the house is ready, the family moves in on an auspicious day that is determined by the astrological charts. Purity of panchang (almanac) and auspicious time (muhurat) must be considered during the griha pravesh. Three types of griha pravesh have been mentioned in our ancient scriptures: Apoorva: First entry to newly constructed house on a newly selected land is called apoorva (new) griha pravesh. Sapoorva: Entry into an already existing house after travelling abroad or migration elsewhere is called sapoorva griha pravesh. Dwandwah: Entry into a house to after reconstruction or renovation subsequent to damage due to fire, flood or earthquake, is termed as dwandwah (old) griha pravesh.

For apoorva griha pravesh, the exact auspicious time need to be adhered to. For sapoorva griha pravesh or dwandwah griha pravesh, the purity of the panchang should be given due consideration. Auspicious Times or Muhurats

In a newly built house, the first entry is auspicious when the sun is in the uttarayan position; in old, renovated houses, when Guru (Jupiter) or Shukra (Venus) is setting (the tara or star does not matter in this case). Auspicious months for griha pravesh, that are based on the lunar calendar, and their outcome have been provided below:

MONTH

RESULTS Auspicious

Magh (part January and part February)

Gain of wealth

Falgun (part February and part March)

Gain of children and wealth

Baishak (part April and part May)

Growth of wealth and prosperity

Jeshtha (part May and part June)

Gain of son and cattle

Fair Kartik (part October and part November)

No significant effect

Margshirsh (part November and part December) Inauspicious Ashadh (part June and part July) Bhadrapad (part August and part September) Ashwin (part September and part October) Paush (part December and part January)

Could lead to losses, pains, troubles and fear of enemies

Furthermore, the tithies (dates according to lunar calender) 4, 9, 14 and Amavas (no moon night) should be avoided. Griha pravesh should not be held on a Tuesday. Ceremonies Vastu pooja

Vastu pooja for vastu devata is performed outside the house before the actual entry into the house. A copper pot is filled with water, navadhanya (nine kinds of grains) and one rupee coin. A coconut is then placed on the top of the pot. Coconut is covered with the red cloth and tied with the red thread called moli. After this the priest performs the pooja, add the husband and wife take this copper pot in the house together and place it near the havan (ceremonial fire). Vastu Shanti

Vastu shanti or Griha shanti, involves the havan. A havan is performed to prevent harmful influences of the planets, remove negative vibrations and create a peaceful environment. Once all the poojas are concluded, a feast is offered to the priest. He is also given some dakshina or fees for his services and good wishes. These two poojas are essential. Other poojas like the Ganpathi pooja, the Satyanarayan pooja ot the Lakshmi pooja are optional, and can be

performed if priest recommends them.

Do's and Don'ts of Griha pravesh Griha pravesh is not complete until:    

The doors of the house are fitted with shutters; The roof is covered; The Gods of vastu have been worshipped or offered sacrifices; The priests have been offered feast.

House-warming ceremony should not be

performed when the lady of the house is pregnant.

If the above-mentioned points are not considered when moving into a new house, they can bring trouble and miseries to the dwellers. Therefore, living in a house should be considered only after all rituals are complete as per the procedure given in the scriptures. Once the griha pravesh ceremony has been completed, the family can then move into the house. The house should not be locked for a few days since that would be

considered inauspicious.

HOUSE WARMING FUNCTION There are discrepancies in the waking hours of "Vaasthu Purusha" (Deity of the plot). These timings are differently indicated in different versions of the Hindu Almanac. Many almanacs indicate that the "Vaasthu" keeps awake for 21 Nazhigai(Indian hour of 24 minutes) or 8 hours and 24 minutes.

The waking time of "Vaasthu" is as indicated in the table below: DATE

DURATION(with approximate equivalent)OF WAKING TIME

CHITHIRAI 10th (April 23 rd)

5 Nazhigai (2 hours)

VAIKASI 21st (May 4th)

2 Nazhigai (48 minutes)

ADI 11th (July 24th)

2 Nazhigai (48 minutes)

AVANI 6th (August 19th)

10 Nazhigai (4 hours)

KARTHIGAI 8th (Nov. 21st)

10 Nazhigai (4 hours)

THAI 12th (January 25th)

22 Nazhigai (8 hours 48 minutes)

The best four months to perform the house warming function are: 1. 2. 3. 4.

VAIKASI (mid May to mid June). AVANI (mid August to mid September) KARTHIGAI (mid November to mid December) MASI (mid February to mid March)

The next best four months to perform the house warming function are: 1. 2. 3. 4.

CHITHIRAI (mid April to mid May) ADI (mid July to mid August) AIPPASI (mid October to mid November) THAI (mid January to mid February)

The worst four months to perform the house warming function are: 1.ANI (mid June to mid July) 2. PURATTASI (mid September to mid October) 3. MARGAZHI (mid December to mid January) 4. PANGUNI (mid March to mid April) If the house warming ceremony is performed at the feet of the "Vaasthu Purusha", the children will die and the wife will become critical. If the house warming ceremony is performed at the head of the Vasthu Purusha, the head of the family will be afflicted. If the house warming ceremony is performed at the back of the "Vaasthu Purusha", the servants will be in danger and the house will be burgled. Therefore it is best to perform the house warming ceremony at the line of sight of 'Vaasthu Purusha'. GROWING PLANTS AND TREES IN THE PERIPHERY OF A HOUSE

The Goddess of fortune will flee away from the resident of a house even though he is leading a princely life - if the following plants or trees grow in the periphery of such a house. 1. Agaththi (coronilia grandiflora) 2. Alari (oleander) 3. Nanthiyavattam (Nerium Coronadum) 4. Murukku (Indian Coral tree) 5. Erukku (Catotropis gigantea) 6. Paruthi (Cotton shrub) 7. Karungali (Ebony) 8. Aal (Baniyan) 9. Puli (Tamarind) 10. Kal-aal (Ficus Vireus) 11. Naaval (Jambo) According to the essence of Veda, it is ten times a better deed to dig up a tank than to dig up a well in a good site. It is again ten times a better deed to beget a good son than digging up ten tanks. It is again ten times a better deed to plant and grow a good tree than to beget ten good sons. After constructing a house, people grow plants, and trees in the front yard and at the back yard of the house. They reap good benefits by planting coconut, mango and other utility trees. They also get flowers for worshipping God, from the flowering plants they grow. In addition the appearance of the house surrounded by greeneries is quite appealing to the eyes and adds beauty to the house. By planting and growing plants, and trees, the family will be benefited. The text written by MAYA however warns

that there are certain trees that are beneficial and certain other trees which are maleficent to the welfare of the family. Maintaining a garden or growing plants, and trees in the South East or South direction of the house is prohibited. Failure to observe this rule will lead to loss of property, fear, quarrel and falling sick often. Maintaining a garden or growing plants, and trees in the East, West and North directions of the house will beget good children (sons and daughters) and a pleasant life. Both the house and its residents will not prosper, in which house trees such as Elandhai (Ziziphus jujuha), Sevvaazhai (Red plantain), Karu vaazhai (Black plantain) Maathulai (Pomgranate) are grown. The wealth and welfare that are naturally reaped by a family will be reduced if trees like Purasu, Sampanki, and Naanai and Maththi kaagu are grown in the house. There will be loss of abundance of wealth and loss of son, if trees like Nelli (Phyllanthus embilica) and turmeric raezome are grown. Even if these plants grow by themselves, they must be completely weeded out. Growing a banyan tree in the eastern side, a peepul tree in the western side, an iththi tree (ficus viren) in the northern side of a house will bring in good fortune, bounty of wealth both monetary and grainy, and an increase of the tribe and the comforts of royal life. Growing a peepul tree in the eastern side, an iththi tree (Ficus viren) in the southern side, a banyan tree in the western side and an aththi tree (Ficus racemoso) in the northern side is malefic to the growers, causing bereavements and loss of property. This is also true even if the above trees grow in the wild in the directions specified above. Coconut tree, being equivalent to the Karpaga vrisham, (a tree of the heaven yielding whatever is desired) is the most ideal tree to be grown during this present iron age of miseries (Kaliyuga). Also the mango trees and flowering plants could be ideally grown. The vegetations of trees, plants, and all other small plants enhance the power to the motions of the five elements of Earth, air, fire, water, and ether, which in turn influence the human beings to reap the benefits of longevity of life and good fortune. Even in the foreign countries people grow plants of some kind or other in their gardens or indoors with the strong belief that it will drive away the poverty. Further, based on this same belief they have started growing plants in important locations, thus strengthening their belief. The book of Vedas (the holy book of the Hindus) makes it known for the one who let grows a sacred Vilva tree (Crataeva religiose), all the sins he had committed in his previous births will be completely annihilated, all his descendants for the succeeding twenty one generations will reap the benefit of a life without poverty, beget children, get wealth with gems and jewels, get peace of mind without any enemies and be blessed with the benefit of living in the holy land of the Hindus (Punniya Bhoomi). Similarly for the one who grows and worship a sacred Tulsi (Holy Basil) plant (Ocymum Sanctum) the sins he had committed in all his former births will totally be annihilated and he will earn the merits of having lived in the heaven for thousand years for having worshipped the holy basil for one day and all his descendants for the succeeding 21 generations will be blessed with the comforts of a royal life having got in their possession the two species of gold one in the form of chank (conch) and the other in the form of a lotus of the heaven (Sanga nidhi and Paduma nidhi), regarded as possessing life and yielding whatever is desired.