Prayers to Guru

Prayers to Guru and Family Godhead

Before starting the puja proper, it is essential to contemplate Mallaganapati to assure ourselves that no obstacles interfere with a smooth performance of the puja rituals. Thus, with folded hands chant the following:

Karishyamaanasya karmanaha nirvigghnena
Parisamaaptyarttham
Aadhou mahaaganapati smaranam karishye

So that the ceremonies we are about to undertake
proceed to completion without any obstacles we
contemplate on Mahagnapati

Similarly the gruhadevata, i.e. the family Godhead needs to be invoked as He/She is ever present bestowing protection to the family at all times. Chant as follows:

Gruha devataam ddhyayaumi
Ddhyaanam samarpayaami 
I respectfully contemplate our family Godhead

Finally, it is necessary to pay respect to the family guru (Guru here refers to aachaaryaas such as Adi Shankarachaarya, Ramanujaachaarya, Madhvaachaarya) and offer prayer before beginning the ceremony by chanting 

Guru brahmaa gururvishnuhu gururdevo
maheswararaha
Guru saakshaat parabrahma tasmai sreeguruve
namaha

Salutations to the preceptor who is verily Brahma,
Vishnu and Maheshwara and who personifies the
Supreme Being

The above are excerpts from the booklet How to Conduct Puja to SriKrishna, by Dr. A. V. Srinivasan, published by http://www.periplusbooks.com/.

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