Most Common Puja Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

99Pandit Ji

Last Updated:September 6, 2025

Puja Mistakes: Worshipping or doing Puja is the ultimate way of getting the blessings of God. By worshipping God with full devotion, you can get peace and positivity in your life.

It is believed that worship done in a proper manner and without any mistake maintains peace and happiness in the house, and one also receives God’s special blessings.

According to religious beliefs, worship is an eternal way to get closer to God and receive his blessings.

Before, during, and after worship, some rules should be followed with devotion and regularly; otherwise, the worship does not yield results.

Everyone wants to conduct a perfect religious ceremony, but even a small mistake can ruin the whole puja.

This small Puja mistake made during worship does not allow one to receive God’s blessings. Here, in this blog, we are telling you the most common puja mistakes made during the puja.

With 99Pandit, you will get to know what things should be taken special care of during worship so that your worship can be successful.

What is Puja?

Puja is the Hindi meaning of the word for worship. It is a sacred ritual in Hinduism to call upon and honour deities.

While doing puja, we offer many things to the deities, such as fruits, water, chanting mantras, and symbolic actions.

Puja is a devotional worship whereby devotees hope to connect with the Divine. This connection allows the devotees to better themselves spiritually while also seeking a blessing.

The practice of puja includes many elements, from lighting lamps to chanting mantras. All elements are performed with a sense of devotion and precision.

Each action in the process represents an integral part of devotion and the surrender to higher powers.

What are the Most Common Puja Mistakes?

Every day, puja or worship is considered a sacred ceremony in many Indian residences.

It is more than a spiritual activity, but a process of manifesting peace, prosperity, and divine blessings into our lives.

However, there are some common daily puja mistakes where individuals unknowingly invite bad energy instead of good energy into their lives.

According to Vastu Shastra and Hindu scriptures, puja must be performed with the correct process and mindset.

There can be several minor mistakes in daily worship; even one of these can obstruct the positive energies flowing into your life, which may cause a gap for obstacles to arise.

In this blog, let us examine the most common mistakes a devotee makes in their daily worship activities and how you can avoid these mistakes.

Mistake 1: Choosing the Wrong Muhurat (Time)

One of the most underrated parts of a prosperous puja is the timing. If you are doing the rituals at the wrong time. It lowers the importance of the puja and may even invoke negative energy.

Most people do not focus on the tithi (day of the moon), nakshatra (star constellations), or even what day of the week happens to be on that particular day.

How to avoid:

Always reference a Hindu Panchang or speak to a knowledgeable Pandit to know what the best muhurat is for the puja you are doing.

Many have online access to 99Pandit, where you can find a muhurat and book a Pandit.

Mistake 2: Incorrect or Incomplete Samagri

Each puja is different in samagri (items), for example, kalash, kumkum, flowers, diya, ghee, etc.

Using conjunctive or inappropriate samagri, such as expired items, artificial items, or improper use, may lessen or lower the sanctity of the puja . Not to mention people forget to use even the complete samagri: janeu, betel nuts.

How to avoid:

Use verified and complete Puja Kits from legitimate sources like shop.99pandit.com. Because 99Pandit offers verified samagri kits that are based on the pujas, you can always find the proper samagri!

You can even order and get the kits like the Ganesh Puja Samagri kit and the Diwali Puja Samagri kit within 6-7 working days.

Mistake 3: Not Maintaining Cleanliness and Purity

Puja requires both physical and spiritual cleanliness. Some people accidentally participate in rituals while not clean, sometimes wearing regular clothes, or without taking a bath, or completing the puja ritual in a dirty or unclean atmosphere.

To make matters worse, some people offer leftovers from meals to the Deity or have even touched their cell phones, or sacred offerings and objects, without even washing their hands.

How to avoid:

You should always bathe before doing a puja and wear clean and traditionally appropriate clothing. And please always clean the puja area thoroughly, and avoid using expired or unsanitary items in your puja.

Mistake 4: Mispronouncing the Mantras

The importance of a mantra is the spiritual vibration, and several factors combine for a mantra to have its intended effectiveness.

This also includes correct pronunciation and intonation. People sometimes mispronounce mantras in Sanskrit, specifically due to rushing the puja rituals.

People do not practice them correctly, or do not have a chance to practice them before the Puja at all. When this happens or is simply incorrect, a steady flow of spiritual energy is disrupted.

How to avoid:

To avoid this situation, one can use audio/video guides or mantra books with the original mantras in Sanskrit. You can even do this with the same mantras written in your regional language.

You can also sign up for an online E-puja where the Pandit will recite the mantras, and you can follow along and learn.

Mistake 5: Being unfocused or absent-minded during puja

Many people tend to treat their puja as a chore instead of as an offering to God. Usage of phones, multitasking, and even talking can potentially ruin the spiritual energy within your puja ritual.

How to avoid:

Try to choose a quiet time period to do the best adjectives to create the right environment to perform your puja.

Keep your phone on silent and just stay mentally in your puja ritual. Take a long, deep breath, and try to set an intention (Sankalp) before your puja.

Mistake 6: Inadequate Knowledge of the Ritual Process

A puja ceremony consists of several distinct yet connected rituals. For example, invoking the deities, offering a naivedyam, aarti, and followed by the visarjan.

When individuals rely on memory or guesswork, they often miss steps or even do so by the rule of thumb, in the wrong order.

How to avoid:

Using a step-by-step puja guide. If in doubt, either use an online guided puja or simply plan to have a Pandit perform the puja. Websites like 99Pandit can help you with arranging a professional service.

Mistake 7: Disrespectful or Improper Handling of Deities, Idols, and Images

Inappropriate actions could include just placing the idol anywhere, using a broken idol, or extending their hands to a deity with soiled hands. These acts are really considered inauspicious.

How to avoid:

Place idols facing the right way (e.g., Lord Ganesha facing east or west). Do not use broken idols or photos. The devotee should have respect and devotion while handling the murti or images.

Mistake 8: Performing Puja in an Unclean or Inappropriate Space

Performing puja in an area or location near footwear, in a cluttered corner, or in other noisy areas can take away the sanctity of the ritual.

A puja should be performed in a location that is clean and peaceful for the process. The spiritual vibrations need a clean environment.

How to avoid:

You will need to create a designated, clean, and calm puja space in your home. Avoid keeping electronics, footwear, and used things in the puja location. Always light incense or camphor to disperse the environment.

Mistake 9: Ignoring Sankalp (Statement of Purpose)

Countless individuals skip the Sankalp, which is the formal intent stated upfront at the beginning of the puja that aligns your mind and devotion with the purpose of the puja.

How to avoid:

Always perform Sankalp before beginning any puja. If you aren’t sure how to say the Sankalp, ask a Pandit or follow a script.

You can easily book a Pandit from 99Pandit and ask for every minute detail. Get your puja done without any mistakes from 99Pandit.

Mistake 10: Not Conducting Aarti Properly

Aarti should be done with control, in circular motion, and done with bhakti (devotion). If you rush through the aarti process or do not perform the aarti properly, the emotional and spiritual impact decreases.

How to avoid:

Use a proper aarti thali that contains a diya, camphor, and bell. Sing the aarti or use a recording. Move in a clockwise circular motion in front of the deity with the thali.

Mistake 11: Throwing Away Puja Waste The Wrong Way

Throwing away your old flowers, diya, or used prasad in the rubbish bin or pouring it down the drain is tremendously disrespectful in Hindu culture and tradition.

How to avoid:

Offer used samagri to plants, immerse in flowing water, or place in biodegradable containers for disposal.

Mistake 12: Incomplete Naivedyam (offering)

An incomplete offering is also a common error. For instance, during puja, offering some foods that you would generally eat yourself, which include onion/garlic, or packaged processed snacks instead of homemade, simple, satvik (without onion, garlic, and preservatives) food. It may sound ridiculous, but these errors are widespread.

How to avoid:

Prepare homemade satvik food to offer to the deities. Offering to a deity with sincerity and genuine effort is essential, so later, if you want to share the remainder of the food, that’s fine.

How to Enhance Your Puja Practices?

With 99Pandit, know the value of the correct puja process. You can avoid drastic mistakes by getting assistance directly from well-qualified and experienced Vedic Pandits from 99Pandit.

Follow the following measures to ensure the correct puja and enhance your puja practice:

1. Use High-Quality Puja Items

When you purchase high-quality puja items and kits, you are demonstrating respect and commitment to the Divine.

Higher-quality puja items not only beautify the space, but they also uplift the spiritual quality of the entire environment around the puja space and help you achieve a better spiritual experience.

Select items that connect with your spiritual belief system, as well as the preferences of your chosen deity.

To solve this mistake, Shop.99Pandit has specially designed puja kits for you. You can even customise these kits according to your needs.

2. Correct Puja Process and Intention

The correct order of puja is important as it maintains the spiritual integrity of the puja. Each step in a ritual carries with it great meaning and facilitates the clear flow of divine energy.

A structured process ensures that you are capturing all of the potential benefits of the puja from a spiritual perspective.

Conclusion

Daily puja is an enjoyable way to build a relationship with the divine, and can also enhance all aspects of your life – peace, prosperity, and protection!

If you avoid making these puja errors, your home will likely continue to vibrate with positivity, and your prayers may reach heaven. These daily puja errors can indeed bring about bad karma.

Luckily, simply recognizing and correcting them can align you again with positive energy and blessings.

Just remember, puja shouldn’t be a chore, and is meant to be a deeper spiritual practice that takes devotion, time, and effort!

If you avoid common praying and puja errors, you may find life moves along with more harmony and positivity, inviting the blessings of the divine!

I hope this article helps you avoid puja mistakes that people make while practising rituals.

For more such information and ideas, do follow 99Pandit on Instagram, where we share more valuable content each day.

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