Dhan Teras
Every question on the site tagged Dhan Teras, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
Computed for New Delhi. Sunrise decides which tithi a day belongs to, so these can differ elsewhere.
The day marking the start of Diwali, dedicated to wealth and Dhanvantari worship.
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Why does an incomplete pujan happen when one deity is left out?
Just as the pujan of Batuk Bhairav ji is necessary in Navratri — it is not that merely doing Bhagavati's pujan is enough — and just as people do Ganesh ji's and Bhagavati's pujan but leave out Shiva ji's abhishek, which they do not perform daily, so the pujan remains incomplete somewhere. In the same way, at the time of Diwali the pujan of Kuber ji is very necessary.
Why must Kuber be worshipped on Dhanteras?
Kuber ji Maharaj is a yaksha, the king of the yakshas and the friend of Bhagavan Shiva. The responsibility for the protective prosperity of whatever wealth comes into your house and whatever increase of wealth happens is his. He is the koshadhyaksha, so he will never let your treasury be empty, and the yakshas and the yaksharaj guard against any breach being made in it. Therefore his pujan should certainly be done on the day of Dhanteras.
When is the Yam deepdaan to be lit and for how many days?
Asked at what time the Yam deepdaan is to be lit, whether a coin or black sesame is to be put in the lamp, and for how many days it is to burn, the speaker answers that it depends on what the tradition is in the region where you live. In some places it is on the day of Dhanteras and in some on Chaturdashi — so do it when it is done in your area. In his own region it is mostly done once everyone in the family who is to eat their night meal has eaten; somewhere the rule is that it happens in the evening itself. Do it according to the vidhan of your side; after the evening you can do it at any time.
Do the clay articles have to be fresh each day of the five-day sadhana?
If, from the day of Dhanteras when you are going to begin the sadhana, someone is burning an akhand jyot and has kept it lit from that day onwards, then the matter is different. But if you are doing a day-by-day sadhana, or doing it with a day left in between, or doing it weekly, then everything — all this clay-made material — will be new each time.
What should a sadhak eat during the five days of Diwali?
Tomorrow is your Dhanteras from the madhyanh kaal, the speaker says. Since in the five days of Diwali the pujan of the evening period has special importance, sadhaks — especially those who are going to do sadhana — should take phalahar during the day. After the evening pujan is complete by eight or nine o'clock, they should take one meal. He adds that he is telling everything from his side but that listeners should act according to the convenience of their own body, and that he is not saying it must be done rigidly by the letter.
In what order should the Dhanteras evening pujan be done?
Tomorrow do the morning pujan and make all the preparations. In the evening, first perform the pujan of Ganpati ji and Bhagavati Parvati ji, then the pujan of Bhairav ji, of Batuk Bhairav ji, and after that certainly perform the pujan of Bhagavan Kuber ji. Begin the pujan of Bhagavati Lakshmi too in the evening period. And do 13 deep daan tomorrow without fail.
What should be brought into the house on Dhanteras but not used?
There is a custom of bringing a broom on that day, the speaker says: a broom should be brought, but it should not be used. Nor is the old broom to be removed — the new broom is to be brought, and it too is not to be used. You may certainly bring it; it is a symbol of comfort. Mor pankh, if it can be had, may also be brought, and green coriander may be brought.
What should be kept in the pujan on Dhanteras?
Coriander should be kept in the pujan, and rock salt should be kept in the pujan; after that you use it. It is used in the binding of the house. The speaker refers listeners to the older videos and to the whole Diwali playlist, where all of this is described in great detail.
When may the nisha kaal pujan begin?
From tomorrow you will begin the pujan of the nisha kaal. For the nisha kaal pujan you can begin from the sandhya kaal itself; it is not that you have to do it from twelve or one o'clock. If you are going to begin a paath, or whatever japa you are going to begin, you can do it from tomorrow.
One or two hours of puja is said to carry Lakshmi's grace through the whole year, repeated at Diwali
This will be a one or two hour puja, the speaker says, but the grace of Bhagavati Lakshmi will go on being obtained by you for the whole year. He prescribes it for the greatest of debts, where no way out is being found. And if you perform this same prayoga again during the five-day Diwali festival, running from Dhanteras up to the Dwitiya tithi, then it is exceedingly excellent.
A Mahalakshmi kalash and a new Swarnakarshan Bhairav kalash are being prepared for Dhanteras and Diwali
A more special kalash will be made for Dhanteras and Diwali this time, the speaker says. The Mahalakshmi kalash they have already given on the channel — those who wish to install a Mahalakshmi kalash may look at it, the vidhi vidhan has been told and they can do it themselves. This time an attempt is being made to establish the Swarnakarshan kalash, the Swarnakarshan Bhairav kalash; they had thought to begin from tomorrow, but one or two materials will not be available immediately, so it will be made from Dhanteras.
The forms go up on the website at Dhanteras, for the five-day anushthan that follows
At the time of Dhanteras they will put everything up on the website, the speaker says, so at that time all of you should tell everyone who needs it; fill it in there and everyone will certainly get it. At that time there will be a five-day anushthan too, so it will be even better. Just now only a one-day one is going to take place, and it will be done at that same time.
If I am doing Kalika Yogini, what do I do for the five days?
If you are doing Kalika Yogini you will do that same one principally, but along with it you must do the Dhanteras pujan. The five-day anushthan — minimum, from Trayodashi to Dooj, or Dwadashi to Pratipada — is to be done of Bhagavati Kalika herself.
What are the misconceptions about Kuber ji?
The speaker says that after Bhairav ji, there are a great many misconceptions about Kuber ji too. His pujan happens only once in the year, and people do him a favour — yes Kuber Baba, Kubernath Baba, be gracious, give dhan-dhanya. The other three hundred and sixty-four days it must seem to Kuber ji himself that someone might take his name, but nobody does.
When should the yam deep daan be done — evening or after the meal?
He says plainly: do it in the same way as your parents or the elders of your family have been doing. Still, you should do the yam deep daan continuously at the evening time from Dhanteras up to the Dwitiya tithi — you should do it on all five days.
What is the first task on Dhanteras?
On the day of Dhanteras the first task is to light thirteen lamps in your puja place at evening, when we do pujan, for the sake of Yaksharaj Kuber ji Maharaj. Thirteen — thirteen lamps. Thirteen lamps are also to be lit in the Shiv temple. If you have the means for ghee, use a ghee wick.
How is the Yamraj lamp made?
For the deep daan for Yamraj there should be a four-mouthed lamp. Use mustard oil or til oil, either of the two — in his view mustard oil should be used, it is the most excellent for Yamraj. After that, a grain such as wheat or a whole grain; on the leaf-plate of palash leaves used at weddings for serving, keep a heap of grain, and upon it the four-mouthed lamp in the name of Yamraj.
Which grains may be used, and where is the lamp finally placed?
In the grain you may keep wheat, whole urad, black til and white til as well. Keep all these together in the thali, place the lamp on top, and then circulate it through the whole house; offer pranam for the sake of Yamraj, and then carry it out of the house and place it toward the south direction. Where there is no south direction nearby — houses in a line — place it a little to one side in front of the house.
What is the coconut deep daan and how many days should it be done?
The deep daan connected with the coconut — the gadi coconut cut and a hundred and eight wicks put into it, for the sake of the kuldev, kuldevi, kul devata and kul Bhairav, and for Lakshmi ji — that vidhi you should do especially for the five days. If you are not financially able, he says a gadi comes for about fifty rupees, so a day would cost about two hundred fifty rupees.
How is yam tarpan performed, and on which days?
If you wear the yajnopavit, if the janeu has been done, do yam tarpan. If you know the vidhi that is good; otherwise, tarpan takes place by the twelve names of Yamraj. Putting in white til and black til, making the janeu into a kanthi around the neck, facing the south direction, wearing pavitri and the rest and a white garment, tarpan is then done at the evening time. It is done all five days, but on Dhanteras, Chaudas and Amavasya it should certainly be done.
What is offered to Kuber on Dhanteras with the pan leaf?
He recalls a point he had forgotten: in the pujan of Yaksharaj Kuber, certainly use the pan leaf — yakshas are very fond of tambool, of pan. So you may offer beeda: thirteen beeda of pan, or on the pan leaf keep laung, elaichi, supari and some sweet bhog prasad, and offer bhog in thirteen places on the day of Dhanteras for the sake of Yaksharaj Kuber. Afterwards the beeda are all to be given visarjan — do not start eating them yourself, though laung and elaichi may be used.
What if I am doing no sadhana at all and am confused?
If you are doing no sadhana, are not capable of doing one, do not have that much capacity to sit, or are very confused right now — the confusion is more than needed and the wish simply does not arise — then he gives a very small task. Begin from the day of Dhanteras, or else from Kali Chaudas, and do it at least up to Bhai Dooj. If you want to do it for three days, then Chaudas, Amavasya and Pratipada — do that much.
Japa may begin from the evening of the 10th, on the night of Dhanteras, within the buying muhurat
Asked from when to start sadhana and mantra japa this Diwali, he says you can begin japa and the rest from the evening of the 10th, from the night of Dhanteras. On Friday the time from 12:30, or from 12:35, up to 1:15 in the afternoon has been given by those learned in muhurat shastra as the madhyanha vyapini time, the most excellent time of Dhanteras for making purchases, and the hora of Shukra will also be running then.
What is to be done with the tantrokta Lakshmi kalash on Dhanteras?
All those who already have a Lakshmi tantrokta kalash established, by themselves or had established, must on the day of Dhanteras — in the morning itself, or at evening time too — open the kalash and take out all the material. Whatever grain is kept in it is to be changed. All the rest of the material is again to be sprinkled with Gangajal, wiped with a clean cloth, given tilak and shown dhoop and deep, and again placed in the kalash and tied and made fragrant and kept. Then its pujan and path is to be done, and it is to be kept at the puja place for all five days.
What should be brought instead, and when consecrated?
Whatever metal you have the means for — brass for the means of brass, silver for the means of silver. Bring a shri vigraha once and have the pran pratishtha done by vidhi vidhan by a pandit ji or an acharya who knows; otherwise do it yourself on the day of Dhanteras. Do not remove the old one now — the old one will be given visarjan after Dooj; keep it in a separate place until Dooj. But on the day of Dhanteras take out time and do it fully by vidhi vidhan. Even if you are a crorepati earning crores, the offence you are committing of carrying the murtis away and throwing them, removing each year's murti, will bring you onto the road one day.
Can the pran pratishtha of a Mahakali murti be done on Dhanteras?
On the day of Dhanteras you can do the pran pratishtha of any dev shakti at all, he says. Do it comfortably; do it in the afternoon time, in the Abhijit muhurat, or comfortably at the afternoon time. You can do Batuk Bhairav ji's that day as well. On the day of Dhanteras itself do everyone's — do Kuber ji's too, do Batuk Bhairav ji's too, do Bhagavati Kali's too. Do everyone's together on that same day. And if you do not do it yourself, if you call an acharya ji and have it done, that is better still; and if you are doing it by watching a video, then watch and revise it well, understand each vidhan, bring the materials, and only then do it.
What are the year-round rules for a Lakshmi kalash?
Their puja will not be done through the whole year, he says; you may do special archan on the day of Panchami and Purnima — as the archan of Mahalakshmi with the hundred and eight names with rose petals; that you can do. Dhoop and deep should be shown to them daily. And once in the year, on the day of Dhanteras, take out the whole material, give visarjan to the kachi samagri and put in new material, sprinkle Gangajal on the old material in that same manner, do everything, dhoop, deep, tilak and the rest, and place it back and do their pujan. That is the whole rule. In an impure state they are not to be touched; and if sutak-patak falls, nothing at all will change inside — nothing is to be changed in sutak-patak, it changes only once a year.
Should a one-mouthed lamp be lit for Dharmaraj on Dhanteras?
Told, with a pramana from a Laddu Gopal sevak, that on Dhanteras a one-mouthed deep daan should be done for Dharmaraj and on Chaudas a four-mouthed one for Yamraj, he says: see, on all five days we have been doing and have seen only the four-mouthed one. For the rest, if there is a pramana and you want to do it accordingly, and you are seeing it directly, then you can do it; we will never forbid you on that. But up to today, living in so many regions, in the five days we take out only the four-mouthed one on all five days; we do not take out a one-mouthed one. Yes — if you are speaking for the sake of Dharmaraj, of the Dharmaraj form, then we can accept it; but the mouth we take out only in the Yamraj form, calling it Yam deep daan.
Is it right to take a bank loan on Dhanteras?
Aditya ji, if you are taking a loan from a bank, then this is not our income — this is our taking on a debt, he says. So taking on a debt on the day of Dhanteras would, in his view, not be fitting; because on this day we want the attainment of Lakshmi, something with stability, whereas we are taking a debt which has then to be repaid, and with interest too. What we take increases on the day of Dhanteras, so this is a debt, and the debt will increase. In his view you should not take it on the day of Dhanteras: either take it earlier, or take it after the five-day festival of Diwali — or, if there is some such issue that there is a possibility of cancellation later, then he will not say so.
When are Dhanvantari and the Ashwini Kumars worshipped?
Asked whether the pujan of Bhagavan Dhanvantari and the Ashwini Kumars happens on Diwali day or daily, he says: Dhanvantari ji's pujan otherwise runs from Trayodashi, when we give them a place — for those who do kalash sthapana, who do kalash sthapana on the day of Dhanteras and do pujan, their avahan happens in the ghat, so their pujan happens daily. But on the day of Dhanteras, the pujan of the Ashwini Kumars and of Bhagavan Dhanvantari should be done, for the sake of arogyata.
Can an old Lakshmi yantra that is not worshipped daily be used?
Told of a four-year-old Lakshmi ji yantra, with Lakshmi ji seated on a lotus, whose nitya pujan does not happen, he says: if the yantra is fine, not broken or damaged, and there is bhav toward them, then absolutely do the pujan. Asked whether the pujan and anushthan of Batuk Bhairav may be done for the five days, he tells Abhishek ji: absolutely you can.
Dhanvantari is worshipped on Dhanteras for dhan, but it is Bhagavati Annapurna who is worshipped for dhanya.
On the day of Dhanteras the sadhana of Bhagavati Annapurna is performed. He asks how many people do her Annapurna sadhana on Dhanteras: unless it is said, unless it is told, mostly only people of the Kashi region who go for darshan know of it. Otherwise on that day only Bhagwan Dhanvantari is worshipped, vessels are bought, brooms and rope are brought for the sake of money. Everyone is worshipping Dhanvantari for wealth and for the body — but for grain, whom are you worshipping? You will not stay alive eating gold coins.
What preparation is needed for the Diwali sadhana?
Asked what preparation should be made for the Diwali sadhana and whether it is up to Ashtami or Navami, the speaker says the five-day sadhana for Diwali will run from Dhanteras up to Bhai Dooj. On the day of Navami as far as possible, or on the Dashami, the subjects will be discussed — up to the Dashami of the Krishna Paksha; the Ekadashi and Dwadashi, two days, will be in hand. For the rest he will keep posting messages in the group and will come live and discuss further if possible.
What should be done if the kalash made for a sadhana turned out too small?
A listener says a kalash was made but fell short, and some articles could not go in. The speaker answers: no, take a bigger kalash then; at the time of Dhanteras bring another, larger kalash and shift all the articles into it. The articles should not be outside the kalash. He notes that when they made the Kuber kalash last time, all the material came into a small kalash.
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