Kanya Pujan
Every question on the site tagged Kanya Pujan, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
The worship of young girls performed on Navratri's Navami (or Ashtami), typically alongside the closing Havan.
32 notes from our sourcesNotes from our sources
What is the daily recitation routine over the 8 days leading up to Navami?
If doing 9 recitations daily, complete them in a single sitting; if doing 108, one may rise between sessions and simply perform purification (Aachaman) before resuming, without re-offering the flowers unless the lamp went out.
Durga Ashtottara Shatanam Stotra: what it is and what its recitation grants
Asked for one stotra, stuti or mantra path that a person short of time can use for daily Durga upasana so that every desire is fulfilled and moksha comes at the end, the speaker answers that the best, easiest and simplest vidhan is the Durga Ashtottara Shatanam Stotra — the glory of Bhagwati's 108 names, composed and described by Bhagwan Sadashiva in the Vishwasara Tantra. Sadashiv himself has said, he reports, that one who recites it obtains all four Purushartha — dharma, artha, kama, moksha — along with wealth, grain, sons, grandsons, elephants and horses; nothing in life remains unattainable, no work fails to be accomplished, and even kings come under one's control. When it is done as an anushthan, especially in Navratri, he says kumari puja must be done with it, and the mantra path afterwards brings many benefits.
Nine kanya pujan that completes the siddhi of the Durga 108 names
After the havan, tarpan and marjan, the speaker says, nine kanyas are to be worshipped. During the Kanya Pujan the sadhak keeps reciting the Ashtottara Shatanam Stotra — by then, he says, it will have become kanthasth, learned by heart. With this the stotra becomes completely siddh.
What condition does the Ashtottara Shatanama phalashruti attach to its paath?
That whoever does its paath after worshipping the Kumari and while doing dhyan of Bhagavati obtains all these things. The kumari pujan, he says, may ordinarily be taken as the kumari kanya pujan we do; done together with the full vidhi vidhan, the fruit is obtained. It may also be done within one's own vrat.
How important is kumari pujan in any anushthan of Bhagavati?
The speaker says kumari pujan has its own importance: without the pujan of a kumari, success is not obtained in Navratri or in any kind of anushthan of Bhagavati whatsoever. In every svaroop of Bhagavati this work has to be done by us.
How should a Navratri anushthan be completed, and what if a mala is left over?
Complete it within eight days, and on Navami finish by doing the havan and the kanya bhoj and so on. Asked by a listener whose puja paath has been broken since Tuesday because blood begins to flow as soon as the foot is placed down, and whose mala is left over, whether it can be completed after Navratri, he says yes, absolutely it can.
What should be done on Navami and on Dashami of Navratri?
By Ashtami we have completed the whole paath and japa, whatever was to be done. On Navami we have the havan and the kanya bhojan and the rest done. And on the Dashami tithi, in the morning, the pujan of Shami ji and the Aparajita pujan. If you wish to do a paath on that day, do the paath of the kavach, do the paath of the Tantrokta Devi Suktam, do the paath of the Sahasranama and so on, and after that the ayudh pujan.
When is the ayudh pujan done on Ram Navami?
Since it is Ram Navami, shastra pujan will certainly take place. The vidhi of ayudh pujan he has given on the channel in a general way. It is done before the paran, at midday on Ram Navami; it can also be done on the morning of Dashami, but since it is Ram Navami, the ayudh pujan should be done at midday on Ram Navami — after the kanya pujan and so on, at around two or three in the afternoon.
What is to be done with the leftover sandhi-kaal coconuts?
Asked what to do when the coconuts from the sandhi kaal are left over and it is not possible to eat them, the speaker says they should be given to the nine kanyas. He says that when the pujan takes place in the sandhi kaal, they should be given to the nine kanyas who come for the kanya pujan, or given at the temple. Give them away.
Otherwise distribute them among devotees of Bhagavati, or make chutney at home
Now if it is not proving possible, then distribute them — what else can be said, the speaker says. Give them to such people as are devotees of Bhagavati; do not give them to just anybody. Give them away. Distribute them in the household and family and eat them; make chutney of them and eat — he says he himself goes on making chutney of them and eating. He begins to raise a further point in this and then sets it aside, saying that with the two or four coconuts he keeps, he goes on making chutney and eating.
Can a prayoga be used directly on a present trouble?
No. To remove the suffering that is in your life, prayoga is not done directly. According to these vidhans, perfect it first, and after that employ it.
Havan, tarpan, marjan and kanya bhoj that close the Annapurna purashcharan
When the japa is complete by Ashtami, the speaker says, a dashansh Havan of the mantra is done on the Navami: for 8000 japa that is 800 Ahutis, eight malas. The ahuti material is Kheer made with Panchmeva and mixed with pure cow's ghee; after the opening ahutis, eight malas of the jap mantra are offered. Then its dashansh, at least one mala, is given as Tarpana, 11 Marjana are done, and at least one unmarried kanya is fed and gifted (nav kanya bhojan is best). With this, he says, one round of the Purashcharana is complete.
Navami in the householder Navratri: havan early, then kanya pujan, Siddhidatri at night, and the paran only on Dashami
The speaker says that on Navami the Havan is done early in the morning, because the Kanya Pujan has to follow; do Bhagavati's havan in the morning and then the kanya pujan, and that part is complete. But the paran is not taken yet — this is according to the vidhan he sees in the Vindhya region, and whoever offers other proofs, that is their own matter. On Navami night one japs nine Mala of Bhagavati Siddhidatri; the Purnahuti has been done, but the night sadhana that was running must still be done. The Paran is taken on Dashami.
What is done on the final day of the Navratri?
Kanya pujan will be done, havan will be done. It is in a manner of speaking the time of completeness: that day the final phase of our Navratra will be running, which makes it exceedingly divine and exceedingly distinctive in itself.
Order of havan and kanya pujan in Navratri
Asked whether kanya pujan or Havan comes first, the speaker says havan always comes first. If the full path was completed on Saptami and Kanya Pujan is to be done on Ashtami, do the havan first on Ashtami and only then the kanya pujan. If the path is completed on Ashtami, do the havan on Navami and the kanya pujan on Navami after it.
Navratri paran is on Dashami, not on the day of kanya pujan
The speaker says that whoever keeps the Navratri Vrat must fast for the full nine days. Doing Kanya Pujan on Ashtami or Navami does not mean the Paran can be done that same day; he calls that a wrong method. If paran is done on Ashtami, he asks, where are the nine days completed, when the worship of Shailputri and the whole Dashami vidhan are still pending, so the vrat breaks. The paran, he says, is done only when Dashami Tithi begins, that is, on Dashami itself, whichever day the kanya pujan was done.
What closes the Ambubachi observance?
After the Naivedya and Aarti, if possible perform the Havan of the four days' japa — even one mala, if you did a hundred a day and ten is no longer possible. Do the Tarpan and Marjan; if a Kanya Pujan can be arranged, do it; if not, give one place's food entirely to a cow, and make a Daan in a Devi temple in the girls' name.
No caste or gender distinction in Kamarupa: the curse on those who observe it
The speaker says that in Kamarupa Pradesh there is no distinction of varna or of gender for a Shakta or anyone who serves Bhagavati, woman or man. It cannot be, he says, that a girl of a lower varna offers prasad and a sadhak of a higher varna refuses to eat it, and in Kanya Pujan and matrika pujan there caste and varna are not looked at. Whoever looks at caste or varna there, he says, is struck by the Devi's curse; so it is said, and so it is described in the shastras.
Completing the Navratri navgrah vidhan: havan ahuti counts, kanya pujan on Navami, parana on Dashami
The speaker says that when the nine days of jap are complete, a Havan is done on the last day, the Navami tithi; the basic havan vidhi has been given on his channel. Five Ahutis each go to guru and Ganesha; nine ahutis each from the separate mantras of the nine Durgas that were japped; nine each from every one of the nine graha mantras; and nine each in the names of the mothers of the nine grahas. On Navami one also does Kanya Pujan and so on, and then on the Dashami tithi the Paran.
At the Udyapan two married women and two Batuks are fed, a night vigil kept, and only the clay image is dissolved
Two Suhagan women and two Batuks — Brahmin boys under twelve — are worshipped by rule and fed respectfully before the image. Then a night vigil, worship again at dawn, and Ganesh requested to come again and dissolved. The Visarjan here, he clarifies, is of the clay image installed for the Udyapan.
When is the Paran taken if the Kanya Pujan is on Ashtami?
Taking the Paran immediately after the Kanya Pujan is not proper — that the Ashtami worship is done and the Kanya Pujan is done, so we take the Paran. We perform Bhagavati's Kanya Pujan on Navami and do not take the Paran after it; how then would the fruit of Navami be obtained? The Paran should be taken on Dashami, after the Aparajita Pujan.
After the japa comes havan, or a lamp or the coconut khappar vidhi if havan cannot be done, and then kanya pujan
After that make the arrangement for havan; if possible and you have learnt it yourself, do it yourself, and if they do not let you do it yourself then do it with someone's help, and if they will not let you do it even with help, then kindle a lamp and the rest, or do the coconut khappar vidhi that has been given. Somewhere or other the vidhan of kindling will happen — that is, japa and havan. And after that, kanya pujan: if it is a Shakti Peeth then the pujan of even one kanya there is most excellent, and if a proper kanya pujan cannot be done, then at the very least give sweets and the like to some kanya there, gladly, along with dakshina.
How can an unmarried girl be bound without knowing it?
The speaker says that out of dvesha, if the bandhan of even an unmarried girl is got done, she will not come to know. It can happen by feeding her something, it can happen through touch, it can happen by seating her — there are many vidhans.
Why is a rajaswala kanya told to stay apart?
The speaker asks why a rajaswala kanya is told to remain in seclusion, not to meet anyone, to avoid touch and the rest — even charan sparsh is forbidden. There is a reason behind it, he says: a jealous person does come to know that she is in her monthly period, everyone has that much sense, and at such a time these processes are got performed and mere touch of her body is arranged.
Can a twenty-one day sankalp be made in the Navratra?
It will not work like that, the speaker tells Ashish Kumar. The Navratra sankalp will be of nine days only. If you wish to do a twenty-one day observance afterwards, then in some other month, from the Ashtami, or from the Pratipada of the Shukla Paksha, run it right through twenty-one days — and which deity you wish to do what for should all be examined before doing it.
Kanya pujan of one girl on every Ashtami speeds up the result of the prayoga.
Besides that, whenever there is time, go to Bhagwati's temple, offer dhoop and deep and keep making the prayer and petition. And if the problem is to be got out of very quickly, then certainly do the pujan of even one girl on every Ashtami — a girl within two to ten years of age, who has not become rajaswala. There is no need to look at caste; but if a girl of the Kshatriya varna is found, it will be most excellent.
The girl's charan pujan is done, naivedya offered, and she is sent off with dakshina and a gift.
Certainly do her charan pujan, that is the pujan of her feet. Wash the feet well, and having washed them do their shringar and then offer her naivedya and the rest — kheer, puri, chana, whatever she can eat, feed her that. And send her off after giving her some gift along with dakshina. Do this on every Ashtami and you will quickly be freed from this problem. Whoever is listening and has a state-related problem in life may do this prayoga, and Bhagwati shows grace very swiftly.
What sankalpa and closing rites go with that Baglamukhi anushthan?
You are not initiated — no difficulty at all, he says; do this much, and keep only one sankalpa. Whatever your sankalpa is — the destruction of an enemy's intent, the obtaining of wealth, release from debt — take that sankalpa and perform her archan with 1108 names for the whole Navratri, nine days. And on the day of Dashami you should perform the havan; you may also do it on Navami, but if possible do the havan on Dashami, which will be best. After that, feed at least one kanya as well, or donate for the sake of one kanya all the materials at a temple — shringar, sweets, flowers, fruit, everything.
Durga 108-names siddhi with daily havan in Navratri, and verifying the result afterwards
The next vidhan was for Navratri. The speaker says he told the sadhak to do the siddhi of the Durga Ashtottara Shatanama — the 108 names — by the siddhi method given on his channel, beginning the path and doing Havan; the one thing he had him do was a havan every day. For all nine days, through Navami, there was the full path and havan, and on Navami morning Kanya Pujan. The sadhak said that for the first time in his life he saw an anushthan completed: from Pitr Paksha to now no possession had come on anyone. Only occasionally did someone start speaking very loudly or feel the body stiffen, but it settled fully; and many bad dreams came in between, almost like threats to stop, which only strengthened the conviction that the right thing was being done. After Navratri the speaker told him — since he had earlier shown the case to many local readers — to show it again to some local reader and satisfy himself of what level the thing was at; they told him that the Muslim thing that had been in the house was, for now, nowhere to be seen, it had somehow been removed. Whatever happened, he says, was by divine coincidence and Bhagavati's kripa.
Shakambhari mantra japa counts: sava lakh or 27,000 with dashansh havan, tarpan and marjan
The speaker says this mantra should be japa'd as much as possible. If you do a sava lakh japa of it with its dashansh Havan, dashansh Tarpana, dashansh Marjana and a bhoj of nine kanyas, the Kripa of Bhagavati Shakambhari is obtained in a special way. The ordinary form, he says, is at least 27,000 japa of the mantra with dashansh havan, tarpan and marjan.
One-day Purnima form of the Shakambhari or Annapurna sadhana, and Paush Purnima as her avataran day
Apart from Navratri, the speaker says the Poornima of the month of Paush in particular has been called Bhagavati's avataran divas, the day Jagadamba took this swaroop, and on that day a one-day sadhana may be done in a special way. If short of time, the Annapurna or Shakambhari sadhana may also be done as a one-day sadhana on the Purnima tithi of any month: japa to one's capacity in that day, 5,000 japa with its dashansh Havan, Tarpana and Marjana, and a bhoj of one kanya, or one kanya's food, clothing and shringar articles, which may also be donated at a temple.
Closing rites after the Kali kavach havan: lemons in the kund, purnahuti, kanya bhojan and annadaan
Once the havan is complete, the speaker says at least two lemons must be offered in the havan kund whether you did 1100 or 108 paths — each cut upright, squeezed into the kund and then dropped in, one in Kali's name and one in Kaal Bhairav's. Then the purnahuti as usual: a dried coconut cut and filled with jaggery, on a paan leaf, and everything dedicated. Feed at least one kumari kanya — nine, five or three if possible — with proper kanya pujan, foot-washing, clothes, bhog and dakshina before seeing her off. Then give annadaan as you can at a temple, and dedicate the whole punya to Bhagavati, asking that as prasad its energy be established in your aura for daily protection.
No notes match "".