Ishta Devta , Kul Devta and Kul Purohit

Pt Bhooshan Priya
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lalkitab_remedies/

For peace , harmony, and prosperity of the entire family, it is important that the Ishta
Devta is worshipped every day ; Kul Devta worshipped at all ceremonies and
celebrations; and daan { gift } given to the Kul Purohit at least once a year specially
during the Pitri Paksha when we remember our ancestors.
These three along with gau gras every day form the four pillars of the stability in
the family.
gau gras is giving a roti every day , to a cow, dogs and crows or birds.
Ishta Devta :
Ishta Devta is the deity who is traditionally worshipped in the family. Each Hindu home
has a small pooja-sthan where the Ishta Devta of the family is established and
worshipped. At the pooja-sthan there may be other idols too but the main idol will be that
of the Ishta Devta.
Normally it is one of the Avtars of Vishnu for Vaishnav; Lord Shiv for Shaiva ; and one
of the forms of Shakti for Shakta.
Therefore ideally one must worship the deity who had always been worshipped in the
family. The family tradition of worship should neither be broken nor changed.
If for some reason the tradition is forgotten, and one is not sure of who his Ishta Devta is,
in that case an individual should try to find out his special affinity to any particular deity.
The process of finding out the Ishta Devta is simple ; go to any temple which houses the
idols of as many deities as possible, pay your obeisance to all; your Ishta Devta is the
one you get drawn to every time you visit that temple, you feel a certain natural urge to
be close that deity. You know He is the one, and accept him as your Ishta Devta.
It is only in the absence of a family tradition or the natural affinity, that the help of the
horoscope should be sought to find out the Ishta Devta.
Kul Devta :
He is not a deity. He is invariably an ancestor from a very distant past who had acquired
the sanctity of a deity. He has come to be recognized as the protector and the patron saint
of the family.

Invariably the entire village will have the same Kul Devta because the village consists of
families from the same Gotra or clan. It could be a Kul Devi instead of a Kul Devta.
On all occasions and ceremonies the Kul Devta is remembered, worshipped, and
offerings made to him. During such occasions no one will eat until the food for the Kul
Devta has been kept aside.
With urbanization and mass migration of the village population, most of the families have
forgotten their Kul Devta. The best way to find out your Kul Devta is to talk to some
elderly ladies either in your family or from your village. Most of these ladies will
remember. Once you know who your Kul Devta is pass this information to your next
generation. Make a point to seek the blessings of the Kul Devta / Devi on all occasions
and ceremonies.
Kul Purohit :
The family priest. It may sound innocuous but the Lal Kitab takes a very strong view
about a Kul Purohit. The worst pitri rin of Jupiter is caused if the Kul Purohit is insulted
or ignored. So much so, even changing a Kul Purohit is a sin and causes the dreaded pitri
rin of Jupiter.
The pitri rin of Jupiter adversely effects the wealth & speech { 2nd house}, progeny &
intelligence { 5th house }, destiny & ancestral home { 9th house } gains & income { 11th
house }, sleep & moksha { 12th house }
Once again most of the families living in the cities, having moved out of the villages,
have either forgotten who their Kul Purohit is or have simply ignored the existence of
him. They get their poojas conducted by the local temple priest.
Therefore once again an effort should be made to find out who the Kul Purohit is. A
tradition of giving him some gifts on special occasions should be established in the
family.
Gau-gras :
It might sound primitive, but it is true that giving a part of your every day food to a cow,
a dog and crows or birds has been a very important ritual of every Hindu home. Sadly it
is being discontinued since we moved to the cities.
It is time that we re-established the tradition for the peace and harmony in our homes.
gau-gras is said to bless the family with dhan, dhanya aur sumati wealth, food
and virtuous thoughts.

In case it is not possible to find a cow in the vicinity every day, the roti meant for the cow
can be collected for the week and you can drive down to a place where there are cows
and the rotis given to them there at the week-ends.
Bhooshan Priya