Best Practice I
BEST PRACTICE I
Title of the Practice:
Padha Pooja for Parents & Teachers
Objectives of the Practice:
- Our students performed ‘Padha Pooja’ for their teachers and parents to get their blessings.
- The significance of Padha Pooja is to express gratitude towards their teachers and parents.
For Teachers:
- Respect and Gratitude: To show respect and gratitude towards the teachers for their guidance, wisdom and mentorship.
- Seeking Blessings: To seek blessings from the teachers for academic success, personal growth and spiritual development.
- Enhancing Teacher-Student Relationship: To strengthen the bond between the teacher and student by fostering a sense of trust, loyalty and mutual respect.
- Spiritual Growth: To promote spiritual growth, self-awareness, and self-reflection among teachers and parents.
For Parents:
- Promoting Respect and Humility: To instill respect and humility among teachers and parents and recognizing the value of knowledge and expertise in teachers.
- Gratitude for Teacher’s Efforts: To express gratitude for the teacher’s efforts in shaping their ward’s mind and character.
- Wishing Well-being and Success: To wish well-being, success, and prosperity for the teachers both in their personal and professional life.
- Fostering a Sense of Community: To foster a sense of community among parents, teachers and students and promoting a collaborative environment that benefits everyone involved.
The Context:
Padha Pooja is a ritual where students fall at their teacher’s feet, bow down, touch their feet, performing an arati ceremony, recite mantras, perform a homa, offer prayers, perform a Pada Paripurna, vowing to follow the guru’s teachings and making supplications. These practices symbolize reverence, respect, humility, spiritual growth and guidance. Students also offer vows and supplications to the guru, symbolizing their commitment in their academic journey.
The Practice:
PAAVAI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING students perform Padha Pooja to the parents during the inauguration of first year classes and Padha Pooja to the teachers on Sept 05th Teachers day. The students perfectly submit themselves in total obeisance and reverence to their motherland, parents and teachers.
- Preparing the feet: The feet of the Teachers (or) Parents are washed with water, to purify them before the worship.
- Offering flowers and incense: Flowers are offered at the feet of teachers as a symbol of beauty and devotion. Incense is lit to create a spiritual atmosphere and to purify the surroundings.
- Applying sandalwood paste and kumkum: Sandalwood paste and kumkum is applied on the feet of teachers as a sign of respect and devotion.
- Chanting Mantras: During Padha Pooja, various mantras or prayers are chanted to invoke the blessings of the deity, teachers and parents.
- Performing Aarti: Aarti is a ritual where a lamp is list and moved in a circular motion in front of the deity, teachers and parent’s feet as a form of worship.
- Seeking Blessings: After performing Padha Pooja, devotees may bow down and seek blessings from the teachers and parents.
Evidence of Success:
- Padha Pooja is a deep spiritual practice that helps devotees connects with the Divine or with their spiritual teachers. It is performed with sincerity, devotion and humility.
- Inner peace and spiritual growth: Padha Pooja helps students cultivate inner peace, spiritual growth, and a sense of connection with the Divine and their spiritual teacher. Through regular practice, one may experience a deep spiritual awareness and a sense of inner fulfillment.
- Blessings: students by performing Padha Pooja with sincerity and devotion , receive blessings and protection from the Deity
- Beautiful: Padha Pooja is a great way to seek guidance and clarity in life for students.
- Cultivating humility and devotion: Engaging in Padha Pooja helps students to cultivate qualities such as humility, devotion and gratitude.
- Padha Pooja nurtures emotional resilience, empowering participants to bounce back from challenges and maintain balance in their lives. This practice strengthens their connection to the Divine and spiritual teachings, instilling a sense of purpose and direction. By engaging in the ritual, individuals experience stress reduction, fostering a calmer mindset that supports personal growth.
- As participants cultivate their resilience and clarity, they become better equipped to pursue their personal and professional goals, leading to a fulfilling and successful life. This holistic approach not only enhances their individual experiences but also empowers them to make positive contributions to their communities.
For new students, having guidance from a knowledgeable person or teacher can be helpful in understanding the nuances of Padha Pooja.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required:
When performing Padha Pooja, some students have hindrances such as:
- Lack of focus
- Disturbance caused by indiscipline students.
- Maintaining sincerity and devotion during the solemn ceremony.
