Amavasya Sadhana: What to Do on the New-Moon Tithi

Not a new mantra — more of whatever Mantra Japa, chalisa, stuti or stotra you already do, specifically on Amavasya, Poornima and Grahan kaal. This is named as the reason a sadhaka who attempts no other large AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. all year should still keep the monthly Amavasya: Grahan Dosha and Pitru Dosha are near-universal in the birth chart, and this is when they press.

The plainest householder programme for any Amavasya: paath of the eleventh adhyay of the Bhagavad Gita — the Vishwaroop Darshan — in the morning, then Havan with the first mantra of Argala Stotra at whatever hour suits, morning or night. That mantra is chosen deliberately: it requires no Diksha, it satisfies the eleven principal devis and your own household deities at once, and Bhagwati is present in it as Swadha — so the Pitr are satisfied by the same aahuti.

Anchored in the Gita’s Vibhuti Yoga, where among tithis the Lord names himself Amavasya. On that authority Amavasya and Poornima are the two days on which abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. and pujan of Shiva should be done to the best of one’s capacity — and where means are short, a single lota of milk carried and offered by your own hand is named as enough.

Every sadhaka should perform Havan at least once a month, on one fixed punya tithi of their own choosing — Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Poornima or Amavasya, matched to their isht. Once it is fixed as a standing niyam, agnivas need not be checked for it at all. The SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. can be worded simply: that this havan is offered for the jap accumulated over the month, to the extent of your number and capacity.

The nourishing form, done on every Poornima and Amavasya, with ghee mixed with guggul as the principal aahuti. Its stated effect: the devatas are strengthened, your own shaktis are strengthened, and the Mantra Japa you have been accumulating begins to bear fruit far faster. Havan, TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. and marjan together are named as what actually makes a mantra fructify.

At least 108 aahuti of the Jayanti Mangala Kali mantra on both Poornima and Amavasya. Recommended specifically as a practice to hand down: it suits every swaroop of the Devi already established in the house, and Swadha is present in it, so the Pitr are satisfied alongside. With ghee and black til it is called divya. Aahuti should also go to Shri Hari Narayan, Shiva, Lakshmi and Parvati by name. If the children take it up too, a good swaroop of Jagdamba becomes established in the lineage.

Asked how to worship Kali so that no tona-totka can touch you: paath of her panchang, Kavach and SahasranamaA recitation of a deity's thousand names — a devotional text genre used across many deities, not one single fixed composition., and Havan on every single Amavasya. Three to six months of that, unbroken, and tantra-mantra is said to stop affecting the household.

Bind it as a niyam: every Amavasya and Poornima, go to the temple of Bhagwati Kali, or of whichever isht-aradhya is yours. If a tirth kshetra or an old temple is near, present yourself there that day and take sharan. Said to give the sadhaka considerable bal — and, where a graha is pressing, to be the route by which the right person or the right instruction reaches you.

On both Poornima and Amavasya, offer aahuti with the mantras of your own pratishthit devata, matched to the problem — Batuk Bhairava with kheer or ghee where there is difficulty in progeny; the Aapaduddharan mantra with mustard oil and belpatra where the trouble is financial; the Ashtottara ShatanamaA recitation of a deity's 108 names — shorter than a Sahasranama (1000 names) and commonly used as the accompanying Havan or daily Japa count. with black pepper where tantra has been used. To be continued long-term, every Purnima, Amavasya and Ashtami — and never by abandoning your old swaroop for a new one.

For anyone who cannot keep a daily paath: at the very least do it on Ashtami, Navami, Chaturdashi, Poornima and Amavasya. And for a sadhana already completed, fixing every Amavasya for that deity’s seva-puja, five paath, and havan or Bali is said to cover the whole month’s worship on its own.

Bhagwati is said to be fond of archan. Use the shat- or SahasranamaA recitation of a deity's thousand names — a devotional text genre used across many deities, not one single fixed composition. with kumkum, haldi, flowers, aguru and itra mixed together — petals will serve where 108 whole flowers will not. Any day is hers, but for a special tithi: Ashtami, Navami, Chaturdashi, Amavasya and Poornima. Stotra and stuti must be spoken aloud, not muttered under the breath.

Named as a duty for everyone on Amavasya, not an optional extra — food given to cow, dog, crow, ants and a human being, for the Pitr. Where a sadhaka is doing nothing else at all, this is the floor.

On every Amavasya, an Atta DeepakA small lamp molded from wheat flour dough rather than metal or clay, filled with mustard oil and lit before a guardian or family deity — never placed directly on bare earth. — a lamp made of flour — beneath a PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. tree for the Pitr. A grain lamp is expressly preferred over a clay one. Named as the simplest thing anyone can do, and as a direct cause of pitru tripti. Where a clay lamp is used for Deepdaan, it is never reused.

Daan on Amavasya in the name of the Pitr, with a formal SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. — ann, vastra, or whatever your capacity allows, given to a brahmin. Where you cannot take the sankalp with your own hand, hand the daan over and ask the pandit to take it on your behalf. What is given under sankalp is said to carry its weight to the recipient, which is why it is given deliberately and not casually.

Sit before the ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples., take SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. for the tripti and onward gati of your kul’s Pitr, and do abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. with raw cow milk from a silver spoon — one name of the Shiv SahasranamaA recitation of a deity's thousand names — a devotional text genre used across many deities, not one single fixed composition. per offering. If 1008 names are beyond you, use any single name: the jyotirlinga nearest your home. Given as the first and easiest of the pitru remedies.

For those with no time for a fifteen-day abhishek: on the Amavasya tithi itself, have a belpatra made of silver offered on the ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples., with SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. taken at the temple first. The reasoning given is that silver represents Chandra, and is therefore dear to the Pitr.

With Dattatreya’s 108 names, pour milk at the root of a PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest., bargad or bel tree — one offering per name, using a leaf of that tree or a silver spoon. Explicitly not a daily practice: अमावस्या की अमावस्या, one Amavasya to the next. After three Amavasyas the Pitr are said to begin showing themselves free of bandhan, often in dreams. Follow it with 27 paath of the Datt Mala Mantra holding a white flower, offered at the same root, and five camphor pieces each topped with a single clove.

To free Pitr from bandhan, without needing the Bajrang Baan. Begin on the Amavasya tithi: on the first day offer rot, langot and chola at the Hanuman temple, do pujan, and come home. The prayog itself is done at midday — no food until noon, or fruit only — starting around eleven, with SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. taken holding akshat and flowers, and an agyari lit on a cow-dung cake. The reasoning offered: he who freed Shri Ram from bandhan can do this much for an ordinary person.

Asked whether a Pitru Gayatri aahuti may be offered at an Amavasya Havan: not independently. Use the first mantra of Argala Stotra instead, in which Swadha shakti is present. Through Swadha the Pitr are satisfied, no mistake is possible, and their gati follows. Where the practice has been kept for years, it may be continued — but this is the safer form.

Havan on Amavasya through the Ashtottara ShatanamaA recitation of a deity's 108 names — shorter than a Sahasranama (1000 names) and commonly used as the accompanying Havan or daily Japa count. stotra of your own isht devata, for the sadgati of the Pitr. The samagri leans heavily sweet — madhu and mishri worked into the sakalya — and the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. must be taken explicitly for the pitrs’ sadgati before you begin. Note the timing rule: an agyari for the pitrs is done after sunrise, never in brahma muhurta, which belongs to the devas.

A daily offering run from Poornima through to the Amavasya tithi — twenty aahuti, closing with सर्व कुल पितृभ्यो नमः. The word used at every offering is Swadha, never Swaha, including the opening guru aahuti. Sankalp: that the kul’s Pitr be satisfied, calmed and given gati, and that any Pitru Dosha in any family member’s kundali be pacified. There is no tiryak effect — but this must not be done at your own pujan sthan, because pitrs not already worshipped there will not be able to come.

For persistent pitru affliction: have Tripindi Shraddha Shradh completed at a tirth kshetra on a Krishna Paksha Panchami, Ashtami, Chaturdashi or Amavasya. Alongside it, keep a daily one-adhyay paath at home from the Gita, Shiv Mahapuran, Devi Bhagwat or Bhagwat — and failing all else, the Gita’s eleventh adhyay, learning gradually to read it in Sanskrit.

Where the post-death karma was compressed into three days — called a recent innovation that gives neither full fruit nor gati, and incurs dosh — the correction is to have Shradh performed properly again on the Amavasya tithi, after first consulting capable brahmins of your own region. Then TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. through Pitru Paksha, with the shraddh karma on the final day, at a tirth or a riverbank.

Repetitions of the third adhyay of the Bhagavad Gita — 27, 21, or at least 11 daily through Krishna Paksha, or at minimum from one Amavasya to the next — performed with those specific persons as the target. Their sadgati is said to follow. Where a known pitr died an akal mrityu and is actively causing difficulty, Narayan bali or Tripindi Shraddha is the heavier remedy, done at a tirth.

From the Amavasya tithi through to Poornima, feed cow, crow and dog daily with three kinds of preparation — something sweet, something salty, and one more. Named as another route to the sadgati of the Pitr for those who cannot manage TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. or Shradh themselves.

Where havan and pujan have been tried and nothing is moving: on Poornima or Amavasya, every member of the family makes kheer and feeds it to a cow with their own hand, with affection — at your own doorway if possible. The animal must not be one of your own household.

Asked what to do when husband and wife fight on every Amavasya: before assuming black magic, ask when the husband last performed any karma for his Pitr. From that Amavasya, have the daan-punya for the pitrs done by his hand. Better still, a full Bhagavad Gita paath at home that day by a brahmin reciting in correct Sanskrit, asking him to give the upadesh briefly afterwards; otherwise Rudrabhishek. If even that is beyond means, husband and wife each carry one lota of milk and offer it themselves. The explanation given: when pitrs are displeased, Chandra is weakened, the mind is weakened, and no decision comes out right.

Begun on Somvati Amavasya, called an ati-shubh day for it, and then continued unbroken for a full year: paath of the Gita’s seventh adhyay over water, which is then given to everyone as charanamrit and sprinkled through the house — three times at the main door. No one need be called in and nothing else need be added; benefit in Pitru Dosha is said to be certain.

Bathing with SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. on the Amavasya tithi in any of the great rivers, Triveni above all, is named both as a way to clear pitru affliction and as a way to break vachans that bind a person — 108 dips taken under that sankalp. Separately, bathing at a tirth on Amavasya, Grahan or vyatipat and then doing Japa is given as the condition under which a mantra can reach siddhi remarkably fast — a single avritti standing in the Ganga counting for a great deal more than the same done at home.

The Yantra established in your pujan sthan also require TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan., through their Ashtottara ShatanamaA recitation of a deity's 108 names — shorter than a Sahasranama (1000 names) and commonly used as the accompanying Havan or daily Japa count. — once a paksha, or on the Amavasya day. Given as the practicable substitute for those who never manage pitru tarpan: the devata satisfied by it in turn satisfies the kul’s Pitr, who are called a householder’s first devatas.

Where a person cannot afford the larger remedies: during Pitru Paksha or on any Amavasya, find a temple where Mahakali is established and worshipped by the dakshin marg — the sattvic method. If no such place is within reach, then on some Amavasya speak to that temple’s pandit and plant a PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. tree there yourself.

If you dream that someone is asking you for food, akshat or water at the Chaukhat, the first thing to do is a separate, special panchbali for the Pitr on the Amavasya tithi — over and above whatever else you normally do.

Beyond Amavasya itself, the standing daily pitru practice named is arghya to Surya and to Tulsi, and an evening lamp at the panghat — where the drinking water is kept. Til TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. is daily during Pitru Paksha; Narayan bali is not a daily rite and belongs at a tirth kshetra.

When Amavasya is a day or two away and someone in the family is known to be vulnerable, the very first task is that their body must not be left unbound. Take a small pure iron object — a knife, a nail — purify it with gomutra, GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity. or panchgavya, then kindle bheemseni kapoor on a piece of cow-dung cake and abhimantrit it. Named as the fastest-acting protection available to someone with no mantra siddhi whatsoever.

Where meaningless uproar and quarrelling break out in the house around Amavasya, the first act is a careful Kshetrapal nikari. The full vidhi with rice is given separately; the subtle form can be done with an Atta DeepakA small lamp molded from wheat flour dough rather than metal or clay, filled with mustard oil and lit before a guardian or family deity — never placed directly on bare earth. alone. Those who receive sawari are told to do nikari on every single Amavasya, since there is no telling what a visitor brings in or leaves behind. Note the rule: an Utara is always taken from inside outward, never from outside in.

Where there is persistent household conflict, or obstruction in every small act — even going to light a lamp turns into a quarrel — the Bhairav Deepdaan vidhi should be done. Ashtami is the standing tithi, and additionally any Parva Kala: Poornima, Amavasya, Chaturdashi, Ganga Dashehra. Also prescribed where tantra is being continuously directed at you. No special mantra is involved at all — the lamps, the Yantra, the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. and the bhog are the whole of it.

Kshetrapal pujan and nikari, then a small Havan on Amavasya and Poornima with the Jayanti Mangala Kali mantra, ghee and guggul. Begin it and the difference is said to show within two to three months. Offered specifically to people who cannot sustain anything larger.

For anyone gripped by abhichar, on both Poornima and Amavasya. At home: make an ubtan of curd and besan, apply it over the whole body after bathing, then wash it off thoroughly — for men and women alike. At the temple: light the lamps for the five faces, then abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. of Mahadev in this order — water, then curd (from cow’s milk), then mustard oil, then water again. Carried long-term, alongside jeev seva.

Where mental strain spikes specifically around Amavasya and Poornima: special pujan of Shiva, with abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. by curd and gud, as much as possible. If you can set curd solid into the shape of a ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples. and abhishek even that for five minutes, better still; if not, offering bilva patra alone is said to bring relief quickly.

Where the trouble is bhoomi-related, Havan through the Hanuman Chalisa on the Amavasya tithi, sitting together as a whole family — the reasoning being that Hanuman is karak of Mangal, and Mangal is Bhumiputra. A Chalisa havan may be performed by anyone. As a general fallback for those who can sustain little else: daily Hanuman Chalisa, with the Chalisa havan on Amavasya and Poornima.

Given to a questioner whose own family members were doing tantra inside the house. Begin from this Amavasya — more precisely from the Chaturdashi whose night the tithi pervades — and do at least five paath of the Kalika Kavach daily, at night after nine, with the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. that Bhagwati protect you in every way, sleeping and waking alike. Add the Tantrokta Ratri Suktam alongside if you can. One paksha of this and the difference is said to be visible; days missed for menses are no obstruction.

Asked directly how to stay safe on Amavasya when under tantra badha: the Shiv Raksha Kavach method — listen to the full vidhi first, then start it from Amavasya. And if nothing else proves possible that day, at minimum do abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. of Shiva with raw milk.

Specifically for households where small children, or adults, are repeatedly struck by abhichar, tantra or nazar. On Shani Amavasya these may be brought to siddhi at a Kali, Bhairav or Shiva temple: the Vamati Kali Tantra Kaat mantra — saabar, said to come to siddhi in a single night — and Kaal Bhairava’s kaat-janjeera mantra. Both may be kept awakened for the family’s protection, ready for a time of calamity. Hanuman’s Vajra Panjar likewise — but do Shiva pujan in the daytime.

Confirmed as suitable for Shani Amavasya — at least 108 paath. The general note given alongside: for the full lifelong benefit of any Kavach, 40,000 paath; but 1,100 or 11,000 is a legitimate place to be satisfied.

If a Datt dand, a Mahapratyangira kalash or a Bhairav kalash hangs in your house for protection — then on Shani Amavasya, whenever a krur or veer ratri falls, and especially if Sutak or any shauch-related impurity has touched the house: place them on a clean chowki, bathe them with panchgavya, show dhoop and deep, do a paath of that devata’s Kavach or stuti (or simply their naam jap), show AartiA ritual of waving a lit lamp or flame before a deity's image, performed here at the close of Deepdan once the lamps begin to burn down. and hang them back. The contents are never taken out; pujan is done over the binding. If you cannot take them down, sprinkle GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity. over them where they hang, using kusha, durva or a tulsi leaf.

An acute remedy for paishachik disturbance, given for Shani Amavasya: boil rice, salt it with sendha namak and mix in a little ghee; gather it on a banana leaf inside a bamboo basket about the size of a thali; place a small single-mouth Atta DeepakA small lamp molded from wheat flour dough rather than metal or clay, filled with mustard oil and lit before a guardian or family deity — never placed directly on bare earth. on top; and carry it through the whole house in Bhairav ji’s name. A variant boils black urad with the rice for the Kshetrapal form. There is also a coconut form — abhimantrit with the Mahabhairav mantra, jata left on, coloured with roli and tied with kalava.

For an Utara, do it on the Amavasya tithi or a Sunday: soak whole turmeric, pound and grind it yourself into a paste, and mix in a little curd — buffalo-milk curd if you can get it. The general rule attached: mantras brought to siddhi sattvically during Grahan, Amavasya, Diwali, Holi or Navratri — without any tamasic process — may safely be used for an utara without adverse effect.

Bali is not a daily requirement — it becomes necessary where an abhicharik prayog has been done and a regular AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. is running. Otherwise, for Mahakali: on Saturday and on Amavasya offer lemon, and it should be two — one for Mahakali, one for Bhairav ji.

For the ten-faced, twenty-armed Mahakali swaroop kept at home — the dhyan mantra of the Durga Saptashati’s first charitra — if nothing else is done at all, on the Amavasya tithi she must be given a mala of eleven lemons, with seva-puja and AartiA ritual of waving a lit lamp or flame before a deity's image, performed here at the close of Deepdan once the lamps begin to burn down.. And where a sadhana dosh was incurred, classically by telling someone about your experiences after which they stop: on Amavasya, at a Kali temple, a mala of 108 lemons, each tilaked with AshtagandhaA fragrant paste made of eight substances, applied as a tilak before vermilion (sindoor) in remedy and worship rites. and then sindoor while reciting the Ya Devi… Kshamarupena verse once per lemon, offered with a sankalp of your own taking.

On the Amavasya day, have a small silver naag-naagin pair made in wire. Fill a copper lota with milk at the temple itself — this prayog is the one standing exception to the rule against offering milk from copper — drop the pair in, and pour it over the ShivlingThe aniconic form of Lord Shiva worshipped at home and in temples. while japping the Panchakshari mentally. Do not delay once the milk is in. Once the pair has fallen on the lingam it must not be touched again. Where snakes recur in dreams: abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances. of the Vasuki naag on the Shivling with raw milk from a silver spoon, 108 times, on Shukla Panchami and Krishna Amavasya.

For households afflicted by oot — where there have been miscarriages, where children who died appear in dreams, where women see themselves pregnant: on the Amavasya day go to a Bhagwati Kali temple where a PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. tree stands and perform the prescribed upay there. Stated emphatically and repeatedly: this pujan is done in the temple, never at home. The timing given for Kali pujan for an oot putra is the morning, around eight or nine o’clock.

Where oot Pitr are held in bandhan: first Ganesha pujan, and his SahasrarchanaA worship method involving a thousand-fold offering or recitation count, used by Shabar-tradition practitioners on especially potent occasions like Aghor Chaturdashi and Tara Amavasya. with durva grass. Then Havan with the first mantra of Argala Stotra, performed by the household’s eldest son if he is able, or by a capable brahmin. This is done on the Amavasya day — at least five Mala of aahuti, and 108 aahuti offered to Shri Ganpati. However heavy the bandhan, three months and three Amavasyas of this and things are said to start becoming clear.

Where the dreams point outward rather than to the household: Bhairav ji’s pujan on Amavasya or Chaturdashi, at a Bhairav temple or at home, with the saabar jap of Batuk Bhairava that has been given — open to women and men alike. Alongside it, the karma for the Pitr is to be done without fail.

Once Sutak has ended and the household pujan is done, everything protective is reactivated on an Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Poornima or Amavasya: 11 or 108 paath of the Argala Stotra, with pujan and Havan — nothing further is required. The separate 16-lamp Deepdaan vidhi, with the Chaukhat washed in salt and milk and anointed with haldi, kumkum and chandan on Chaturdashi night into Amavasya morning, belongs specifically to sutak — above all mrityu-shauch.

The main vector named is the crossing of the Chaukhat — which is why a chaukhat should exist at all, and be worshipped. Be alert to a person who never used to visit and has suddenly begun, who comes specifically on or around Amavasya, who lingers at the main door or stops there without announcing themselves. If a child cries in one particular visitor’s lap, or falls ill each time that person feeds them on Amavasya, the instruction is blunt: set the relationship aside and stop it.

A related warning: the urge to leave the house on Amavasya is itself named as uchchatan, because the affliction bites much harder once you cross your own boundary. Road accidents are said to cluster around Amavasya, Poornima and grahan for the same reason.

Three things, in order of importance. First, the agyari or Havan — whether daily, or fixed to Poornima, Amavasya or Ashtami — must never be allowed to lapse; that is called the single most important thing. Second, nikari from the house on every Amavasya. Third, Bali at least once a month, in whatever sattvic form your own paddhati allows — because bali is what destroys anshata when a kshudra shakti attaches itself to the darbar.

Deepdaan to Shiva on Amavasya is stated without qualification. Follow the Panchanan — five-faced — vidhi, keeping to the rule about which lamp is placed where and in whose name. Best time: Pradosha kaal, the meeting of day and night, named as the hour at which Bhagwan Narsingh slew Hiranyakashyap, so deepdaan then gives divya phal. Deepdaan is called dear to Shiva above all, and Kuber’s whole story is said to rest on it.

Deepdaan means at least five lamps. For the brihad form, do it with the whole family — called adbhut. At a Shiva temple the floor is three ghee lamps: Shiva, Parvati, and Yakshraj Kuber; five or seven if you can, all of ghee. Bhairav ji’s deepdaan is named the greatest of all — Mahabhairav, Kaal Bhairava, the full Panchanan Mahadev deepdaan, and Bhagwan Datt’s.

Whenever the Amavasya or Chaturdashi tithi falls in the Mahanishitha of a Saturday, in whatever month, Deepdaan must be done between sandhya kaal and ratri. The broader instruction attached: for deepdaan, take every worthy muhurta and Parva Kala you are given — do it, whatever else does or does not get done. It is the one thing that is entirely your own.

For those who have given their practice to Bhairav ji: on the Amavasya night, after the pujan, in Mahanishitha kaal, perform the 108-lamp deepdaan — at home; there is no need to go outside for it. Where 108 is not possible, eight lamps in the evening, or 27, or 54 — deepdaan to capacity, and a fast during the day only as far as the body genuinely allows.

The tithis on which deepdaan must not be missed in Shravan: all four Mondays; both Panchamis, Krishna and Shukla; Trayodashi for the masik Shivratri; Amavasya; and Poornima. For those with the means, no laziness and the wish to serve, every evening of Sawan at the Shiva temple.

Described as overall in its effect — destroying negative energy, drawing dhan, satisfying both Pitr and devatas. Do it on every Poornima and at every Parva Kala: Mahashivratri, then Falgun Amavasya, then the night of Holika. In the Diwali cycle, five gadi each on Chaudas and Amavasya — about two and a half coconuts a day, five across the two.

Whenever Shani Amavasya falls: 13 lamps in the name of Bhagwan Shani — mustard oil, with black til dropped in. Alongside, paath of the Dashrath-krit Shani Stotra, and deep daan at a shami tree standing in a temple. Hanuman’s paath and puja on the same day is said to give special benefit.

On the Chaturdashi night of Diwali, 16 lamps lit in Bhagwati Kalika’s name — in the name of her 16 Nityas; if you do not know their names, simply light them. With 16 paath of the Kali Chalisa, one paath per clove, offered to her. May be done on Chaturdashi, Amavasya and Pratipada. Those who have learnt Aavaran Puja may use the names of the Nityas, the Ashtamatrikas and the eight tantric Matrikas instead.

Across the Diwali cycle, Deepdaan for Lakshmi-Ganesh and Yamraj on Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, Amavasya and Pratipada, as your region observes. Yam TarpanaA libation offering of water or other substances made to a deity or ancestor, typically performed alongside Havan and Marjan. is done through the 12 names of Yamraj with white and black til, facing south, wearing pavitri — and is held to belong only to those who wear the yagyopavit. For everyone else, the deepdaan in Yamraj’s name is itself pleasing.

The default monthly AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. window, repeatable in any month. Jap or paath from Ashtami, the target — commonly 1,100 — complete by Chaturdashi, and the Havan on Amavasya. Roughly seven days. Timing evening or night, or begun before sunrise; the later into the day it slips, the weaker the effect. Yellow or white vastra, a kusha or yellow/white asan, facing north or east. BrahmacharyaStrict celibacy required through an extended ritual observance. throughout, for married and unmarried alike.

Called ati-uttam where a prayog allows it; 11 days is the acceptable minimum and 27 days the best. The alternative offered for the same prayog is Navratri, day one to Dashami. On the final day: daan to a brahmin at the temple, ann daan with dakshina, and if possible five children fed — sweet kheer.

Two full pakshas. Named for the Kali Chalisa AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. when taken at large scale, and as the shape of a Kavach sadhana — one paath a night, or before sunrise, from one Amavasya to the next, after which Bhagwati’s kripa is said to begin arriving. It is also the shape used for repairing a dosh: pujan at the temple on the deity’s tithi, then 108 paath daily at home until that tithi comes round again.

Used for the Rudragan siddhi cycle — daily 11 Mala Panchakshari, 33 mala of the Rudragan mantra, then 11 mala Panchakshari again, from Pratipada to Chaturdashi — with the Havan on Amavasya, or on Chaturdashi if you prefer. Bel wood for the samidha. The havan repeats the same mala count as the daily jap. Because this jap is done in a Shiva temple, the havan must be arranged there too.

For a mantra you have japped for years that still gives no effect. On the night the Chaturdashi or Amavasya tithi actually pervades, sitting before Durga or Parvati — no separate Tara sthapna is needed, since all ten Mahavidyas are established within Durga — write the whole mantra or stotra out by hand, offer it to Bhagwati, and then jap or paath it again as much as you are able. Havan if you have the means. No vrat or upvas is required; fruit, or a sendha-namak meal, is enough if you wish.

Offered to householders who know no Sanskrit and no elaborate vidhi: any chalisa of your isht — the Kali Chalisa if Kali is dear to you, and never mind that it is a recent composition — brought to siddhi in a single night by the chakra vidhi, 41 paath, on Aghor Amavasya. Eat plain sattvic food through the day; at night bathe, light one lamp each in the name of Bhagwati Tara and her Bhairav Akshobhya Bhairava, and do the paath before them. Havan is not required, though it is welcome.

Outside Navratri, begin from the Ashtami, Chaturdashi or Amavasya of either paksha — and of those, Chaturdashi and Amavasya are called the best tithis. From Chaturdashi, run nine days to Ashtami; for the brihad form, Amavasya to Amavasya, or a full 41 days, which is best of all. Red vastra and red asan for men and women both, facing north or east. A householder must not face south for this. No murti is needed — a photo, or any swaroop of Jagdamba, will serve.

The AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. may begin from any Krishna Paksha Ashtami, from Batuk Bhairav Jayanti, or from Chaturdashi or Amavasya — or, in a real emergency, from a Sunday, Tuesday or Saturday. Minimum 11 days; one Mandala of 41 days if possible. NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. morning and evening, boondi laddu, and a vessel of crushed ginger with water and jaggery as the sattvic madira, afterwards poured at the root of a divine tree — never drunk yourself. His special pujan days include Sunday, Tuesday, Ashtami, Amavasya and Chaturdashi.

Begin from Ashtami, Amavasya or Chaturdashi — any of the three; from a Tuesday or Saturday in an emergency. The mantra form: 11 days, 11 Mala daily in a Shiva temple, offered onto Shiva each day. Where the stotra is japped Ashtami to Chaturdashi at night, the havan on Amavasya may be done in the morning. Once brought to siddhi, maintenance is a paath or two at home on every Amavasya or Krishna Paksha Ashtami — daily paath only while abhichar is actually active. Bhairav is described as a swift devata who punishes swiftly: take it up if you are in difficulty, not out of curiosity.

Krishna Paksha Ashtami to the Amavasya tithi. Five Mala minimum, 21 maximum — and whatever count you set on day one is held every day to Amavasya. Two chaumukh lamps burn two to two and a half hours: one of chameli oil, one of mustard oil. On Amavasya you jap your usual count and then offer that same number of malas as havan aahuti. The mantra is said to awaken the Bhairav tattva in whichever swaroop you have already established.

From Krishna Paksha Ashtami to the Amavasya tithi, 27 to 108 paath daily, holding a red or yellow flower — or a rose — in one hand and counting with the other. Viniyoga and Nyasa once at the start. On the final day, the Amavasya tithi, the Havan is compulsory: the Mahabhairav mool mantra, at least 108 aahuti. Morning, evening or night; night is called best. Expect an hour and a half at first.

Prescribed for the mind that will not settle into one sadhana. Keep your daily Shiva mantra jap running continuously, and bind the Durga Saptashati paath to a fixed tithi — Ashtami or Chaturdashi, or Poornima or Amavasya. Being bound to a niyam is named as the thing that actually stabilises the practice; without it the mind keeps swinging between one paath and another.

Choose one tithi and hold it for five to six months. For Bhagwati: Ashtami, Navami, Chaturdashi, Poornima or Amavasya. For Shiva: Panchami, Dwadashi, Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, Amavasya or Purnima. For Ganapati: Chaturthi or Chaturdashi. On Sankranti any of them may be done. Only after those months is mantra siddhi at a tirth advised — before that, do it in a temple.

Named as sufficient by itself if a person wants one sadhana only — all four purusharthas come through it. Eleven AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. of 1,100 across the year, holding a single SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. throughout. Havan on every Amavasya, and visit the Kali temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays whenever time allows. Keep the crama unbroken, and do not flee in alarm when you are tested.

Use an anar (pomegranate) pen and red chandan ink on red BhojpatraBirch bark, used to write a mantra or a person's name with a pomegranate-twig pen and red sandalwood ink for Tantric applications, such as placing a name upon a Shivlinga's base for a honey Abhisheka., during the Mahanishitha of Amavasya — taken as roughly 11pm to 1am — or of Ashtami, Navami or Chaturdashi. 1,008 paath in all: what you can manage on the writing night, the remainder within a set time after. Then seal it in a copper or silver casing and wear it at the throat or on the arm. The parallel instruction for the Shiv Raksha Stotra in Sawan names Monday, Poornima or Amavasya, a bel-wood pen, AshtagandhaA fragrant paste made of eight substances, applied as a tilak before vermilion (sindoor) in remedy and worship rites. or kesar ink ground in GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity., 108 paath, havan, and a silver casing.

Once their presence has actually been experienced: Havan in Navratri on Ashtami or Navami, and thereafter one fixed tithi — every Ashtami, Chaturdashi or Amavasya — on which the 64 Yoginis receive aahuti, with guggul and ghee without fail. Visit a nearby shaktipeeth at least once a year and do the namavali paath there.

Listed among the days on which the dev Diksha vidhan may be taken — Dhanteras, the Amavasya of Kalratri, Dooj, Akshay Navami. The ekakshari jap that follows runs 41 days, or to Paush or Magh Poornima, or to Magh Amavasya, or to Makar Sankranti. Whatever else lapses, the guru mantra is never to be dropped — five minutes a day if that is all there is.

For women who cannot do pujan on the Chaturdashi or Amavasya of Diwali: within the Shakta parampara this is called a boon rather than an obstruction. Do not worry about the pujan — someone in the house will do it. Wear red vastra, sit on your own asan, and do 108 Kamakhya Kavach, observing the niyam properly and not at the pujan sthan. Stated as not applicable to the Vaishnav parampara, whose own rule governs.

The single rule that decides whether everything else lands. For sadhana, Deepdaan and tantrokta AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. you must take the night the tithi actually pervades, not the udaya tithi. Where Amavasya holds the night of one date but is reckoned by udaya on the next, the sadhana belongs to the first night — on the second night there is no Amavasya at all, and no benefit. Both can be valid for different purposes: temples doing nishith-kaal pujan and Bali worship on the earlier night, while a Shanishchari Amavasya still holds for the whole of the later day.

Mahanishitha is given as roughly 11pm to 1am, and is named the best time for Havan and for writing a Kavach. Nisha kaal — from about nine or ten — is where siddhi work belongs, whatever kavach or mantra is being brought to siddhi. The objection that a householder should not do havan at night is answered directly: everyone eats at ten and eleven anyway, and nisha kaal is precisely where the importance lies.

A householder observes BrahmacharyaStrict celibacy required through an extended ritual observance. on the divine tithis whether or not an AnushthanaAn extended ritual observance — such as 108 recitations of a scripture — carrying its own strict rules. is running: Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Amavasya, Poornima and Ekadashi, plus Sankranti and the major Parva Kala. Around a sadhana, at least three days before and three after. In Navratri, from Amavasya — better from the Chaturdashi — through to Purnima. Where an anushthan is running it is non-negotiable, for married and unmarried alike. On other tithis, ordinary household life continues normally.

Asked whether one can simply light the fire and start offering on Poornima or Amavasya: no. The havan vidhan comes first, with panchbhoot sanskar and agni sthapna — kindling the fire in the agni kon and separating out the kravyad amsha takes barely two minutes. SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. is compulsory. For a monthly havan it can be worded simply: that this havan is offered for the jap accumulated over this month, to the extent of your number and capacity.

Take the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. that every abhichar present in your own sthool, sookshma and karan sharir be destroyed. Never take a sankalp naming a person for destruction — doing so shifts your reliance off your aradhya and onto the mantra itself, which is where it goes wrong. Keep it short and specific so it can be pronounced cleanly and act accordingly. The stated aim is to compel your own devata by your tapas, not to direct a weapon yourself.

Once a Havan is fixed as a standing weekly or monthly niyam — every Tuesday, or every Amavasya, Poornima or Ashtami — there is no need to examine tithi, nakshatra or agnivas for it at all. Agnivas is checked only for a havan on some other, unfixed tithi. At Parva Kala it need not be looked at either, nor generally on the closing day of an anushthan.

Never do Havan in an iron or aluminium kund — on Amavasya, Poornima or any other day. Iron belongs to the maran patra and is used for maran, uchchatan and vidveshan karma; offering in an iron kund is said to bring quarrelling and injury into the house. Use copper — small if need be, but copper — with a little sand spread inside. Clay is acceptable, with the caution that a cracked clay kund brings dosh.

Tulsi leaves are not to be plucked on Amavasya — nor on Ekadashi, Dwadashi, Sunday, or during Grahan. Pluck them in advance and keep them; if nothing fresh is available, wash the older leaves and offer those. A Shaligram shila is never to be left without tulsi, which is why the plucking is planned rather than skipped.

A householder never offers sweetened or milk-mixed water to Shiva from a copper lota — use silver, or brass. The one stated exception is the Rahu shanti prayog with the silver naag-naagin, where a copper lota is specifically required and the milk must be poured without delay, at the temple itself.

Asked whether being born on Amavasya is a curse or the fruit of past-life sin, the answer is a flat no. All sixteen tithis are swaroops of Bhagwati; every TithiA lunar calendar day — some idols (like a Shivling) need daily bathing regardless, while others only need it on their dedicated weekly day or tithi. is her form. Two of the Mahavidya shaktis are held to have manifested on Amavasya, and a swaroop of Bhagwati Lakshmi and one of Bhagwati Kalika are held to have appeared on the Amavasya night. Birth and death are determined by karma and by Vidhata — calling a birth a curse or a boon on the strength of a tithi alone is neither possible nor proper. Where a real difficulty exists, the remedy given is seva of Shiva, and a kundali analysis, not a verdict from the tithi.

If your household has always done Kuldevi pujan on Amavasya, keep it on Amavasya — the inherited tithi governs, and Kuldevi Saptami is for those with no known family tithi. Whether an agyari and bhog is offered daily or only on Purnima, Amavasya, Ashtami or Chaturdashi follows your region’s parampara. Keep the Purnima and Amavasya NaivedyaThe food offering (Bhog) presented to a deity during worship, accompanied by water offerings and dedicatory mantras. special and distinct from the daily bhog — do not turn the special offering into an everyday one, and change nothing that is already established.

Whatever jap-tap you do at Parva Kala — Navratri, Shivratri, Ambubachi, the Bhadrapad Amavasya and Chaturdashi, Tara Amavasya — learn to conserve it. Do not spend it on anyone else’s behalf under SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit. unless life is genuinely at stake. Accumulate the principal; use only the interest. The corollary: four days of good pujan does not entitle you to let the punya decay afterwards.

A warning about the direction of travel. A sadhaka doing Kavach paath morning, evening and night, with Deepdaan and Havan, loses confidence, cuts back to weekly, then says “we’ll just do it on Amavasya” — and that is described as the energy having already dropped, the first slackening of niyam, after which maya begins to work. Reducing a completed sadhana’s count deliberately is fine and expected; sliding down to Amavasya because shraddha has weakened is not the same thing.

For those in the Shakta and allied margs, in the month of Margashirsha: on every parva tithi — Saptami, Ashtami, Chaturdashi, Amavasya, Poornima — do the madhya-ratri pujan of your isht deva together with the devata of that tithi. Any Yantra you hold should receive nitya abhishekaA ceremonial bathing of a deity’s image or symbol, usually with water and other prescribed substances., shringar, pujan and AartiA ritual of waving a lit lamp or flame before a deity's image, performed here at the close of Deepdan once the lamps begin to burn down. through that month. Where a guru parampara forbids night pujan, that rule governs instead.

At minimum, make rangoli at the place of the Chaukhat on Poornima and Amavasya. A chaukhat should exist at all — where there is none, have one made. A flush granite line of a different colour does not count: it must be raised, even by one more course.