Upachara: Difference between revisions

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In Hinduism, upachara (Sanskrit: उपचार; service or courtesy)^[1] refers to the offerings and services made to a deity as part of worship.

Although the upcharas differ according to the form of the prayer, a typical list of 16, which parallels the process of welcoming an honoured guest, is as follows:^[2]^[3]

Ahvahana: Invocation of the deity
Asana: Offering a seat to the deity
Padya: Offering water to wash the feet
Arghya: Offering water to wash hands
Achamaniya: Offering water to drink
Snana or abhisekha: Bathing
Vastra: Clothing or offering a garment
Yagnopavit or Mangalsutra: Putting on the sacred thread
Anulepana or gandha: Sprinkling with perfume
Pushpa: Offering flowers
Dhupa: Burning incense
Dipa or Aarti: Waving of an oil lamp in front of the deity
Naivedya: Offering food
Namaskara or pranama: Reverential prostration or salutation
Parikrama or Pradakshina. Circumambulation
Visarjana: Taking leave.

5 Upacharas[edit]

Panchopacharas are the five services offered in a simple puja.

Gandham
Pushpam
Dhupam
Dipam
Naivedyam

10 Upacharas[edit]

Dasopacharas are the ten services offered in a puja.

Padyam
Arghyam
Achamanam
Vastram (Madhuparkam)
Achamaniyam
Gandham
Pushpam
Dhupam
Dipam
Naivedyam

References[edit]

↑ Apte, Vaman Shivram (1957). "उपचारः". The practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan.
↑ Fuller, C. J. (2004), The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, p. 67, ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5
↑ Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 720. ISBN 9780823931804.

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[Apte-1] Apte, Vaman Shivram (1957). "उपचारः". The practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Poona: Prasad Prakashan.

[2] Fuller, C. J. (2004), The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, p. 67, ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5

[Ency-3] Lochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z. Rosen Publishing Group. p. 720. ISBN 9780823931804.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 In [[Hinduism]], '''''upachara''''' ([[Sanskrit]]: उपचार; service or courtesy)<ref name=Apte>{{cite book|last1=Apte|first1=Vaman Shivram|title=The practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary|date=1957|publisher=Prasad Prakashan|location=Poona|chapter-url=http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.1:1:4010.apte|chapter=उपचारः}}</ref> refers to the offerings and services made to a [[Hindu deity|deity]] as part of [[Puja (Hinduism)|worship]].
-==List==
-[[Krishnananda Agamavagisha]] states in the [[Brihat Tantrasara]]<ref name=Tantra>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.338822/mode/2up|title=বৃহৎ তন্ত্রসার at www.archive. org|date=19 June 2021}}</ref> that the main worship is conducted with 5, 10, 16 or 18 articles. These are
-===Panchopachara===
-This is the most basic mode. It includes{{div col begin}}
-#''Gandha'' : Frangrant items like [[agarwood]], [[musk]] & [[sandalwood]]
-#''Pushpa'' : Flowers & leaves
-#''Dhupa'' : [[Incense]]
-#''[[Diya (lamp)|Dipa]]''
-#''Naivedya'' : Food consisting of uncooked(like fruits & milk) & cooked(like [[payasam]], boiled rice, vegetables, [[curry]] & [[dal]]) dishes
-===Dashopachara===
-Alongside the 5 articles mentioned above, it also includes 5 additional items which are
-#''Padya'' : Water for washing feet
-#''Arghya'' : An offering consisting of water, [[durva]], flowers & raw rice grains given in the hands of a guest in ancient times as a sign of reception & respect
-#''Achamaniya'' : Water for rinsing lips for [[achamana]]
-#''Madhuparka'' : An offering of honey mixed with curd, ghee, milk & sugar in specific quantities given before starting any ceremony as a sign of reception
-#''Punarachamaniya'' : Water for [[achamana]] to be offered after giving ''madhuparka''
-===Shodashopachara===
-This is most prevalent mode. Apart from the articles mentioned in the previous list (except ''Madhuparka''), it includes 7 additional items which are
-#''Snaniya'' : Water offered for bathing
-#''Vastra'' : New, unstitched, clean, unused clothes for wearing. For male deities, it is [[dhoti]] & [[uttariya]] while for female deities it is [[sari]].
-# ''Alamkara'' :  Traditional jewellery
-#''Tambula'' : Offering of [[paan]] after ''naivedya''
-#''Tarpana'' : Offering libations of water for satisfaction of disembodied & divine beings. In practice it is substituted with offerings of drinks like drinking water & [[sharbat]] alongside ''naivedya''.
-#''Stotra'' : Recitation of hymns & eulogies of the deity who is worshipped.
-#''Namaskara'' : Bowing down or prostrating before the deity with folded hands in reverence.
-===Astadashopachara===
-It includes all articles mentioned  in the previous list except ''Punarachamaniya'', ''Tambula'' & ''Stotra'', it includes 5 additional items which are
-#''Asana'' : Offering a seat in the form of a mat for sitting on ground or low [[Stool (seat)|stool]] made of wood or metals like gold & silver.
-#''Svagata'' : Greetings of reception given by the host(the priest in this case) to the guest( the deity in this case).
-#''Malya'' : Garlands made of flowers & leaves.
-#''Anulepana'' : Unguents like [[sandalwood]] for anointing the body.
-#''Upavita'' : Offering [[janeu|sacred thread]]
-Some texts include all abovementioned articles(without omitting any) alongside additional articles like ''shayya''(bedding) & ''chhatra''(umbrella). Additional items offered  in case of female deities include lac, collyrium & vermilion. Some deities are offered articles which aren't offered to other deities. For example, alcohol is offered to [[Kali]].
+Although the ''upcharas'' differ according to the form of the prayer, a typical list of 16, which parallels the process of welcoming an honoured guest, is as follows:<ref>{{Citation|last=Fuller|first=C. J.|year=2004|title=The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India |place=Princeton, NJ |publisher= Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-12048-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=To6XSeBUW3oC&pg=FA67& |pages=67}}</ref><ref name=Ency>{{cite book|last1=Lochtefeld|first1=James G.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|date=2002|publisher=Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=9780823931804|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch/page/720 720]|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch|url-access=registration}}</ref>
+# ''Ahvahana'': Invocation of the deity
+# ''[[Asana]]'': Offering a seat to the deity
+# ''Padya'': Offering water to wash the feet
+# ''Arghya'': Offering water to wash hands
+# ''Achamaniya'': Offering water to drink
+# ''Snana'' or ''[[Abhisheka|abhisekha]]'': Bathing
+# ''Vastra'': Clothing or offering a garment
+# ''Yagnopavit'' or ''[[Mangalsutra]]'': Putting on the sacred thread
+# ''Anulepana'' or ''gandha'': Sprinkling with perfume
+# ''[[Pushpanjali|Pushpa]]'': Offering flowers
+# ''[[Dhupa]]'': Burning  [[incense]]
+# ''[[Diya (lamp)|Dipa]]'' or ''[[Aarti]]'': Waving of an oil lamp in front of the deity
+# ''[[Naivedya]]'': Offering food
+# ''[[Namaskara]]'' or ''[[pranam]]a'': Reverential prostration or salutation
+# ''[[Parikrama]]'' or ''[[Pradakshina]]''. [[Circumambulation]]
+# ''[[Visarjana]]'': Taking leave.
+== 5 Upacharas ==
+Panchopacharas are the five services offered in a simple puja.
+# ''Gandham''
+# ''[[Pushpanjali|Pushpam]]''
+# ''[[Dhupa]]m''
+# ''[[Diya (lamp)|Dipam]]''
+# ''[[Naivedyam]]''
+== 10 Upacharas ==
+Dasopacharas are the ten services offered in a puja.
+# ''Padyam''
+# ''Arghyam''
+# ''Achamanam''
+# ''Vastram'' (Madhuparkam)
+# ''Achamaniyam''
+# ''Gandham''
+# ''[[Pushpanjali|Pushpam]]''
+# ''[[Dhupa]]m''
+# ''[[Diya (lamp)|Dipam]]''
+# ''[[Naivedyam]]''
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}