नवग्रह पूजा

When & why

The collective worship of the Navagraha — the nine grahas of Vedic astrology: Surya, Chandra, Mangal, Budh, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu, and Ketu. It is kept as graha-shanti — a rite to pacify adverse planetary influence and to draw the benefic results of the grahas — and is commonly performed on the advice of an astrologer, and as a preliminary before major ceremonies such as a wedding or a house-warming. Sunday is the traditional day, since Surya leads the grahas. Of the nine, only Surya is among this package's nineteen `Deity` entries; the others are named here as the objects of this puja, not added as deities.

Samagri checklist

Sankalpa

Before the puja

• शुद्धिPurification

  Bathe and wear clean clothes. Sit on an āsana facing east or north, with the puja space wiped clean. Sprinkle a little water over the samagri and over yourself, do ācamana (sip water three times), and steady the breath before beginning.

• संकल्पSankalpa

  Take a little akshat and water in the right palm and silently make the Sankalpa — the dedication of the puja: your gotra and name, the place, today's tithi and nakshatra, and the intention for which the puja is performed. Release the water at the close of the dedication.

• गणेश-स्मरणGanesh Smarana

  Invoke Shri Ganesha first, with akshat, durva, and a flower, so the puja proceeds without obstacle.

• नवग्रह-मण्डल स्थापनाNavagraha Mandala Sthapana

  Establish the kalash, and lay out the navagraha mandala — Surya at the centre and the eight other grahas around it, each in its fixed place. Invoke each graha into its position in turn, with its own mantra, a few akshat, and a flower.

The sixteen upacharas

1. 1

   Step 1

   ध्यान · आवाहनMeditation & Invocation

   Meditate on the nine grahas — Surya, Chandra, Mangal, Budh, Brihaspati, Shukra, Shani, Rahu, and Ketu — gathered in the mandala, and invoke their presence into their places.

2. 2

   Step 2

   आसनSeat

   Offer a seat — symbolically, a few akshat (unbroken rice grains) or flowers placed before the image, requesting the deity to be seated.

3. 3

   Step 3

   पाद्यWater for the feet

   Offer pādya — a few drops of clean water at the feet of the image, as water to wash the feet of an honoured guest.

4. 4

   Step 4

   अर्घ्यArghya

   Offer arghya — water mixed with akshat and a flower, poured from a small vessel or conch as a respectful offering for the hands.

5. 5

   Step 5

   आचमनWater to sip

   Offer ācamanīya — a small spoonful of clean water, as water for the deity to sip.

6. 6

   Step 6

   मधुपर्कHoney-curd-ghee

   Offer madhuparka — a small portion of honey, curd, and ghee mixed together, the traditional sweet welcome for a revered guest.

7. 7

   Step 7

   स्नानBathing

   Sprinkle clean water over the mandala as the bathing offering — the grahas are worshipped in mandala form, not as a single bathed image.

8. 8

   Step 8

   वस्त्रVesture

   Offer fresh cloth — a small clean piece of cotton or cloth placed at the base of the image.

9. 9

   Step 9

   यज्ञोपवीतSacred thread

   Offer a fresh sacred thread (yajñopavīta), placed across the shoulder of the image — customarily offered to male deities.

10. 10

    Step 10

    गन्धSandalwood paste

    Apply gandha — fragrant sandalwood paste — as a small mark on the forehead of the image, with the ring finger.

11. 11

    Step 11

    पुष्प · अर्चनाFlowers & Name-archana

    Offer flowers to each graha in its place in the mandala — many use the colour associated with each — while japping the collective salutation to the nine grahas. Each graha may also be honoured with its own name-mantra.

    Mantra

    ॐ नवग्रहेभ्यो नमः

    oṁ navagrahebhyo namaḥ

    Om — salutations to the nine grahas.

    Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

12. 12

    Step 12

    धूपIncense

    Light incense (dhūpa or an agarbatti) and offer it, circling it gently before the image.

13. 13

    Step 13

    दीपLamp

    Light a ghee or oil lamp and offer it before the image, then set it to the right.

14. 14

    Step 14

    नैवेद्यFood offering

    Offer naivedya to the mandala — many traditions include the navadhanya, the nine grains associated with the grahas — with seasonal fruit.

15. 15

    Step 15

    ताम्बूलBetel & areca

    Offer tāmbūla — betel leaves with a piece of areca nut, a clove, and a cardamom.

16. 16

    Step 16

    नीराजन · आरतीCamphor Aarti

    Conclude the worship with the aarti — light camphor, circle it clockwise before the image, and sing the deity's aarti. The puja proper ends here; what follows is the closing.

Closing the puja

• नवग्रह-हवनNavagraha Havan

  Where a havan is kept, offer oblations into the fire for each graha in turn, using its own samidha — the sacred wood assigned to it — and a number of oblations counted by the graha's traditional measure. Close with the purna-ahuti.

  When this appliesThe havan is part of a full Navagraha Shanti; a simpler home puja may close after the upacharas without it.

• प्रदक्षिणाPradakshina

  Circumambulate the image clockwise three times, holding a flower — or, if the image is large and fixed, turn yourself clockwise in place. Then bow.

  Mantra

  यानि कानि च पापानि जन्मान्तरकृतानि च । तानि तानि विनश्यन्तु प्रदक्षिणपदे पदे ॥

  yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntara-kṛtāni ca | tāni tāni vinaśyantu pradakṣiṇa-pade pade ||

  Whatever sins have been committed, in this birth or in former births — may they all be destroyed, step by step, with every circumambulation.

  Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

• क्षमा-प्रार्थनाKshama-prarthana

  Bow with folded hands and offer the Kshama-prarthana — a request that the deity forgive any shortfall of mantra, of rite, or of devotion during the puja, and accept it as complete.

  Mantra

  मन्त्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं भक्तिहीनं सुरेश्वर । यत्पूजितं मया देव परिपूर्णं तदस्तु मे ॥

  mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ sureśvara | yat pūjitaṁ mayā deva paripūrṇaṁ tad astu me ||

  O Lord of the gods — whatever I have worshipped here lacking in mantra, lacking in proper rite, lacking in devotion — let it, O Lord, become complete by your grace.

  Transliteration is under scholarly review — treat as provisional.

Read within the puja

After the puja

• Surya Aarti
• Jaap — Om Navagrahebhyo Namah

Regional & family variants

• Shodashopachara or dashopachara

  This entry parameterises the sixteen-step Shodashopachara template, offered to the navagraha mandala collectively. A common shorter form offers the dashopachara — ten upacharas — to the grahas instead; the choice is one of scale, not of correctness.

• A remedial observance

  Navagraha Puja is most often kept on an astrologer's advice, addressed to the graha indicated by a chart. The per-graha details — direction, colour, grain, samidha, presiding deity, and mantra — vary across traditions; a pandit follows the table of the lineage being kept.

Sources