Style of worship
archanam vandanam dasyam sakhyamatmanivedanams ||
Every religion has got a type to worship or to read the sacred books in a particular way . The same is called as saptaha. Hereunder are some guidelines for sapataha . One must start from an auspecious day or other wise monday.
Get up early in the morning after finishing daily cleanliness (i.e. pratarvidhis ) after taking bath without touching any where one should sit in font of the place of the gods room ( Dev Ghar ) or otherwise fix up a place at your home where there is a least disturbance sitting in front of the Shri Chidambar Mahaswami photo or idol the facing towards north or east .
Sitting on a aasana or a small mat you may call as paat , lit a candle (nilanjana) put the holy book on some other mat (paat) and nearby that put one more mat on which nobody should sit then by making namaskar (salute) to the book . First enchant as "chidambara chidambara shiv hara chidambara "108 times which may called jaapa. After that with remembering lord Ganesha or seluting him then Shri Chidambar Mahaswamiji you may please start to read the first lesson ( aadhyaya). If you select some other edition of the same holy book where more or less numbers of aadhyayas ( lessons ) are there you may adjust them equally so that it can finish within seven days. i.e. saptaha means seven.So that equal lines are to be read each day and at the same time the completetion of the adhyaya also must .
| first day from : | Adhyay (Lesson) 1 to 9 |
| second day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 10 to 16 |
| third day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 17 to 24 |
| fourth day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 25 to 32 |
| fifth day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 33 to 38 |
| sixth day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 39 to 42 |
| seventh day : | Adhyay (Lesson) 43 to last adhyaya (lesson) |
On the last day one has to offer sweets to the holy book and if possible invite some couple if possible brahmins for meals to celebrate the saptaha and make pooja, aarti along with the invitees . The photo of Shri Chidambar Mahaswamiji if not available ,the book itself treated as Shri Chidambar Mahaswamiji . Then give the sweet food to the couple invited and after finishing their meals you have to take your food as prasada.
During the period of saptaha till last day one must live sacred i.e. no sex, no non-veg and liquor if you are habituated . At the same time it is suggested to sleep on the mat only. Besides these you may invite family and friends for the prasada (meals) or you may invite at evening on behalf of saptaha and offer them sweets or sweet milk as you desire. Also you can tell what is saptaha how it can be performed and the benefits of it. The main benefit of saptaha is , it works as a catalyst on the way to salvation. It also helps in beleving or experiecing the existance of god at the same time helps to attain the mental peace and happiness.
As we told earlier the mat which has kept blank where nobody use to sit . It is for the greatedisciple of Shri Chidambar Mahaswamiji known as Srhi Rajaram maharaj . It is believed and it is also true that Shri Rajaram Maharaj used to come to listen lessons of the holy book where ever they are read or where ever the saptaha is going on.