Blessing Your New Car

You can bless your new car by conducting a puja in the Lord’s name. This is done to keep it safe from bad influences and protect all the people who travel in it. According to traditional Hindu customs all items and implements that are used in daily life - homes, cars, motorized vehicles of all types, home appliances, such as mixers, grinders, stoves, TVs, stereos, etc. must be blessed just before using it or as soon as possible after purchase. When you buy a new car or a home, you do the puja before driving the car or moving into the new house.

What you Need for this Puja?
This varies slightly from temple to temple, but in general; the things, which are needed, are four lemons, one coconut, and money to pay the pujari. Optional is the idol to install inside the car. The temple provides the rice and other puja items.

Where to Conduct the Puja?
The car must be taken to a nearby Hindu temple, after which the temple’s pujari would conduct the puja.

The steps involved have been described below:

Step 1: Washing the Car
Just before the rituals begin, the brand new car is washed and wiped clean.

Step 2: Washing the Hand with Water
The owner of the car participates in the puja with the pujari, as others watch the proceedings. The owner accepts the holy water from the pujari into his/her right hand and washes his/her hands for the puja. This is repeated three times. In temples, it is a rule to accept things into the right hand with the left hand under the right hand.

Step 3: Sprinkling Rice
For three repetitions, he/she accepts rice from the pujari to sprinkle onto the front of the car.

Step 4: Drawing a Swastika on the Car
The pujari draws a swastika with the third finger of right hand. This is drawn on the car with turmeric powder mixed with water. It does not stain the car. It can also be drawn with sandalwood paste. The swastika - born in India over 5,000 years - is an auspicious (good luck) symbol and means, “to be well”.

Step 5: Sprinkling Rice & Reciting Mantras
After the swastika is drawn, the owner of the car is again given rice, for three repetitions, to bless the swastika by sprinkling rice on it. For each sprinkle, the owner has to recite some mantras.

Step 6: Reciting Mantras
Repeat Step 4, meditate on Lord Ganesha and recite holy mantras. One set of mantras includes reciting 11 of the 108 names of Lord Ganesha.

Step 7: Lighting Incense Sticks (Agarbattis)
Incense sticks are lit and the pujari takes these and circles them around the swastika three times in a clockwise direction, then takes them inside the car around the steering wheel three times in a clockwise direction, reciting mantras.

Step 8: Idol Placed Inside Car
The pujari places a small idol near the steering wheel where the driver can see it. The choice of idol depends on the owners wish. Holy water is sprinkled on it before placing it.

Step 9: Coconut Breaking
The person who owns the car will break the coconut near the right front tyre and sprinkle the coconut water on the tyre. The coconut is kept as prasadam (holy food offering given to God during pujas) and eaten later.

Step 10: Breaking Lemons and Driving Three Times
One lemon is placed under each tyre. Then the owner gets into the car and drives it to the right side to rid the vehicle of any bad influences. Some people drive around three times, and in some temples, the driver will drive around the temple itself.