With Navratri round the corner the question that many people have in mind is how to worship Goddess Durga? We will now discuss in details the steps that need to be followed. In the coming few articles we will continue to discuss the same with more details. Today we will discuss how you can worship Goddess Durga in your home. This forms an important part of Indian customs and traditions during this very special festive season so just read on.
Idol or Picture
You can use both idol as well as the picture of Goddess Durga. The first point you must keep in mind is that you must also worship Lord Ganesha. He has been blessed to be the first Deity that must be worshipped in Hinduism. The Goddess Durga puja is normally considered by many as a bit complicated and that is why it is normally done in community or temples. Normally at home also you would require the services of a priest but still this article should give you a brief idea about the same.
Maa Durga
It is good to worship the Goddess Durga during Navratri. Apart from Navratri too you can worship Goddess Durga. It is said that Goddess Durga can help to deal with the problem of Rahu and Ketu in our lives apart from blessing us with divine energy in all aspects of life.
Navratri Dates 2015
This year i.e. 2015 Navratri starts on 13 October till 22nd October. In the earlier days normally people used to do this Puja at home only though nowadays they either prefer the temple or community since it is bit elaborate. Still many people prefer to do it in their homes and the entire list of items mentioned below would be required for that
Wherever you perform with devotion and whole heartedly, the desired results would come forth for sure !!! There are some differences in methods and techniques in different parts of the country but that doesnt matter much as the main purpose is to seek the blessings of the Divine Mother.
In West Bengal only idols of Goddess Durga is used for worship. In the other parts of the country even images of Goddess Durga are used. In the evening of the day when you do the Goddess Durga puja you must ensure that you also do a Chandi path. This is reading of books and stories of Goddess Durga. In this you are required to recite the mantra of the Goddess Durga.
The Chandi Path
The Chandi path is the story of a king who lost his entire kingdom. The king was heartbroken and he wanted win back his kingdom. He met rishi Medha. The rishi told him to worship the Goddess Durga as she was the mother of the universe and most powerful. The king followed religiously what he was told. With the blessings from Goddess Durga he was able to win back his kingdom. This is considered to be the most important aspect of the Durga Puja.
Items Required
You must consult the priest and decide when exactly you must do the Goddess Durga puja. He will tell you the exact time. The following items must be ready before you start the Durga Puja:
1. Sindoor or kumkum
2. Powder of five different colours
3. Turmeric
4. Rice
5. Kusum flowers
6. Coconut fibre that is burnt to aarti of the goddess
7. Bel patra
8. Five types of tree leaves (mango, fig, banyan,beetel,pakur)
9. Five type of gemstones (gold,diamond, sapphire, ruby and pearl)
10. Five types of tree bark (jam, shimul, berela, kool and bokul)
11. Green coconut
12. Rings made of kusha
13. Cloth that is kept on the pot
14. A dhoti for lord Vishnu
15. A saree for puja and the chandi path
16. Horitoki (myrobalan)
17. Chandmala
18. Mattress of jute and hay for the priest to sit
19. A mirror
20. Four arrows
21. You need to make proper arrangements for the bath. This includes sandal wood paste and water.
22. You must also make proper arrangement for the bhog prasad that you will be offering to the Goddess Durga. If you are worshipping the goddess for nine days of the Navratri then you must make different bhog for different days.
23. For the Bengalis who worship the Goddess Durga for five days they need to arrange for all these items on a daily basis. On some days they may need to arrange for few more items and some days not.
24. Lots of fresh flowers are needed. Lotus is a must in Goddess Durga puja.
25. Conch shells
26. Ghee
27. Sugar
28. Five type of fruits
29. A clay pot on which the green coconut is placed.
30. Milk
31. Gamcha (red and white cloth) more common in West Bengal
32. White mustard seeds
33. A fly whisk to fan the idol of the goddess
34. Lots of lamps
35. Oil for the lamps
36. Yellow thread
37. Red aalta ( a red paint that is applied on the legs of the goddess)
38. Durba grass
39. Perfume
40. Basil leaves
41. Incense sticks
42. Curd
43. You must also keep some gifts for the priest
44. Nose ring is a must to be offered to the Goddess Durga.
45. Jute ropes
46. Honey
47. Soil from the bank of river Ganges
48. A small bowl filled with rice that is placed on top of the pot.
49. You must use a clean plate to offer food to the Goddess Durga. This must be a plate that is used only for pujas.
50. Kajal
Different Puja Each Day
Each day of the Durga Puja a different style of the puja is performed. In the evenings the story of Sati and Parvati are read out so that the people attending the puja can get blessed. We in the next few articles will discuss the items needed for each day of the Goddess Durga puja during the Navratri.
Along with the Goddess Durga the Goddess Laksmi and Saraswati are also worshipped in Bengal. The Bengalis also worship Lord Ganesha and Kartik on a daily basis. This is exactly why all these five idols are seen together in Durga puja. The Durga puja done in Bengal is a little different from the one done in the north India. We have tried to discuss them in the other articles.
When you get all the items ready as mentioned above you can do the Goddess Durga puja. The list is a long one so you must try to make the arrangements at the earliest. This list that we have provided can be a good checklist for all who are planning to do the Goddess Durga puja.
We hope that this will help you to perform the Goddess Durga puja better and with fewer hassles. Keep checking our site to get more articles on Goddess Durga puja and how it can help you. Enjoy the nine nights of the Navratri and celebrate the Durga pujan.