Twinn Swan

For a devotee who returns week after week—or even day after day—to the temple, drawn by a sense of devotion to Shiva, but not by the specifics of language or doctrine, the Guru Puja becomes something more than a ritual or a commemoration. It becomes an encounter with the ineffable—a direct engagement with that which cannot be fully articulated or systematised in the mind of the devotee.

Transcending the Limits of Language

To attend a puja where the language, symbols, and ritual actions are unknown is to willingly step into a space of unawareness. This can be unsettling at first. The mind, trained to grasp for familiar meaning and explanation, finds no foothold. Yet, this very lack of comprehension can become a subtle spiritual practice in itself.

In such a setting, the usual filters of ritual, analysis and interpretation fall away. The devotee is left with raw experience: the cadence of unfamiliar chants, the patterns of movement, the shifting play of light and shadow, the collective breath of the congregation. These elements, stripped of narrative, invite a different kind of attention.

There is a humility in this posture. To remain in a space where you do not understand is to acknowledge the limits of your own knowledge and to recognise that the sacred is not always accessible through the intellect. This humility is not self-effacement, but a kind of openness—a willingness to let the unknown work within you as opposed to upon you.

Over time, this repeated exposure to the ‘unknown’ can subtly shift one’s relationship to the sacred. The ritual ceases to be a performance to be deciphered, and instead becomes an environment to inhabit—a field in which transformation is possible, even if its details remain mysterious. The devotee’s presence itself becomes a form of participation, a tacit affirmation that meaning and connection do not always require comprehension.

In this way, attending a puja without understanding anything is not a passive or empty act. It is an active engagement with mystery, a practice of presence, and a gesture of trust in the possibility that the sacred can reach us even when we cannot reach it with words.

Language is a powerful tool, but it is ultimately limited. The most profound human experiences—love, awe, longing, surrender—are beyond the confines of words. Hymns, for all their beauty, are attempts to express the inexpressible. For the devotee who does not understand the meaning, the ritual itself becomes the message. Their lack of experience and knowledge is not a deficiency, but rather, a direct participation in the mystery that the Guru Puja points toward. In this way, the ritual affirms that the heart of devotion lies beyond the reach of language.

Embodied Memory and Transmission

Rituals like Guru Puja are not merely acts of remembrance; they are acts of embodied memory. They transmit more than stories or teachings—they carry a living energy, a continuity of presence that is felt rather than understood. By simply being present, the devotee becomes part of this ongoing transmission. The body, emotions, and subtle awareness serve as the medium for receiving what is being offered, even if the mind cannot parse the details. In this sense, the devotee is not outside the tradition, but deeply within it, participating in a lineage that is as much about feeling as it is about knowing.

In many spiritual traditions, “not-knowing” is not a mark of ignorance, but a sign of openness and humility. The mind that does not grasp for explanations is the mind that remains open to wonder and transformation. The devotee’s position—outside the circle of intellectual understanding—can actually be closer to the heart of the ritual: a surrender to the unknown, a willingness to be changed by what cannot be controlled or defined. This openness is, in itself, a form of wisdom.

The guru, in this context, is not confined to a historical figure or a transmitter of knowledge, but is better understood as a field of consciousness—a catalytic presence that operates beyond words. Guru Puja is not so much about acquiring new information, but about entering a space where transformation is possible simply through presence and receptivity. The ritual creates a field in which the devotee can be touched by something greater, regardless of what they intellectually grasp.

In Essence

The Guru Puja for the devotee who does not engage through language or doctrine, is a profound engagement with the limits of knowledge and the presence of mystery. It is an invitation to inhabit the space between knowing and not-knowing, to allow the ritual to work on one at levels deeper than thought, and to recognise that the heart of devotion is not understanding, but presence and openness to transformation. In this way, the festival honours the silent, living bond between the devotee and the divine, a bond that is felt rather than spoken.