Puja is an act of honoring the divine through hospitality—treating the deity as an honored guest. It engages all senses and fosters personal connection with the sacred. In poetry, puja symbolizes the devotee’s love and attentiveness, whether elaborate or simple. Bhakti verses often describe Radha or Mirabai performing puja with intense emotion, transforming ritual into intimate dialogue. Poets use puja to explore themes of presence, offering, and the sacredness of daily acts when done with devotion.

Puja is the central ritual of Hindu worship, meaning "to honor." It can be as simple as offering a lamp or flowers at a home shrine or as elaborate as a temple ceremony performed by priests. Puja involves a series of steps: inviting the deity, offering a seat, washing feet, offering water, food, incense, light, etc. It is a personal and intimate interaction with the divine, often involving all the senses.