Answer

According to traditional Jain practice, one should avoid doing Bhagwan pooja during periods of ashuchi — ritual impurity — especially after a birth or death in the family.

The commonly followed period is:

• After a death in the family: usually 10 days
• After a birth in the family: commonly 10 days, though customs may vary by family, sect, and region

During this time, a person generally avoids:

• Touching Bhagwan’s pratima
• Doing dravya pooja
• Entering the derasar for pooja
• Offering puja materials such as sandalwood, flowers, rice, etc.

Why?

The reason is not that Bhagwan becomes impure. In Jain Dharma, Arihant Bhagwan and Siddha Bhagwan are eternally pure.

Rather, the restriction is for the devotee because:

• Birth and death bring a state of worldly attachment, disturbance, and bodily impurity.
• The mind may be emotionally unsettled.
• Jain pooja requires inner purity, calmness, reverence, and discipline.
• During ashuchi, one is advised to focus more on inner reflection, prayer, repentance, and remembrance of the soul.

Spiritual Understanding

In Jain Dharma, pooja is not just an external ritual. It is a sacred act of devotion toward the qualities of the Arihant — infinite knowledge, perception, bliss, and purity.

So, when the body or mind is in a disturbed or impure condition, traditional scholars advise avoiding external pooja and instead doing internal bhavna such as:

• Namokar Mantra
• Samayik if appropriate
• Pratikraman
• Contemplation on the soul
• Remembering the virtues of Bhagwan

Takeaway

Traditionally, Jain scholars advise avoiding Bhagwan pooja for about 10 days after birth or death-related ashuchi. The purpose is to maintain the purity, discipline, and reverence required for pooja, while turning the mind toward inner spiritual reflection.