Worshipping Goddess Bahuchara Mata is a revered practice in Hinduism, particularly for those who seek blessings for courage, fertility, protection, and gender identity issues. This guide provides a step-by-step method of worship using eco-friendly materials, covering everything from preparations to concluding the puja.
1. Who is Goddess Bahuchara Mata?
- Goddess Bahuchara Mata is a powerful deity worshiped primarily in Gujarat and Rajasthan. She is considered the protector of the transgender community, as well as a divine symbol of empowerment, courage, and inner transformation. Devotees believe that she blesses her followers with strength, fertility, and fulfillment.
2. Benefits of Worshipping Goddess Bahuchara Mata
- Blessings of Courage and Strength: She instills courage in devotees to face challenges.
- Protection from Evil: Believed to offer protection from negativity and obstacles.
- Resolution of Gender Identity Issues: Bahuchara Mata is an iconic figure for the transgender community, and many worship her for support in gender-related concerns.
- Fertility and Prosperity: Many devotees seek her blessings for a prosperous and fulfilling family life.
3. Preparing for the Worship
- Cleanliness: It is essential to keep the area of worship clean. Bathe before starting the puja, and ensure the altar or place where the deity’s idol or picture is kept is neat and purified. Only fresh flowers and clean puja items should be used.
- Timing: Ideally, Bahuchara Mata's puja is done in the morning, around sunrise. However, if morning is not possible, early evening (after sunset) is also an auspicious time.
- Clothing Color: Wear clothes in saffron, red, or yellow colors, as these are considered sacred and auspicious in Hindu rituals.
4. Puja Items Required (Eco-Friendly Only)
- Idol or Picture of Bahuchara Mata: Prefer a clay idol or a framed picture.
- Diya (Oil Lamp): Use brass or clay diyas filled with sesame or mustard oil for lighting.
- Agarbatti (Incense Sticks): Use natural incense sticks made from eco-friendly materials.
- Flowers: Fresh flowers like marigold, rose, and jasmine.
- Kumkum (Vermillion), Haldi (Turmeric): Organic versions of these powders.
- Chandan (Sandalwood Paste): Natural sandalwood paste for tilak.
- Fresh Leaves: Mango or betel leaves.
- Fruits and Sweets: Seasonal fruits and homemade sweets as offerings.
- Earthen Pots: Use small clay pots for water, offering, and prasad.
- Puja Bell: A brass or eco-friendly bell.
5. Steps for Simple Puja of Bahuchara Mata
- Setting Up: Place the idol or picture of Bahuchara Mata in a clean, quiet place. Arrange all items for worship nearby.
- Lighting the Diya and Incense: Light the oil lamp and incense sticks to purify the space.
- Invocation: Close your eyes, join your palms, and invoke Goddess Bahuchara Mata with a heartfelt prayer to seek her blessings and presence.
- Offering Flowers and Chandan: Apply a tilak of sandalwood paste on the idol/picture and offer fresh flowers.
- Aarti and Mantra Chanting:
- Chant the Bahuchara Mata Mantra:
- Sing or recite the aarti of Bahuchara Mata, using a bell to enhance the devotion.
- Chant the Bahuchara Mata Mantra:
- Offering Fruits and Prasad: Place fruits and prasad before the deity, ideally simple items like coconut, jaggery, and besan ladoos (or another homemade sweet).
- Meditation and Silent Prayer: Sit quietly in front of the deity and meditate for a few minutes, offering your gratitude and silently praying for blessings.
6. Prasad Preparation and Distribution
- Prepare prasad using eco-friendly ingredients like jaggery, coconut, and besan (gram flour).
- Homemade sweets such as ladoos or halwa made with ghee, jaggery, and nuts are considered ideal.
- Offer the prasad to the deity before distributing it among family and friends.
7. How to Conclude the Puja
- After your prayers and aarti, sit in silence and mentally offer gratitude to Goddess Bahuchara Mata.
- Take a few minutes to meditate on her blessings and visualize her grace filling your life with positivity and courage.
- Finally, offer water or sprinkle a few drops in all four directions as a symbolic gesture to bless your space.
8. Handling Leftover Puja Items (Eco-Friendly Disposal)
- Flowers and Leaves: Compost flowers and leaves in your garden or bury them in soil.
- Diya and Ash: The remaining oil and wick from the diya can be discarded in an eco-friendly manner, while the ash can be mixed with soil as it is biodegradable.
- Incense Sticks: Incense stick remains can be composted or discarded in garden soil.
- Prasad: Any leftover prasad can be shared with neighbors, friends, or offered to animals and birds, respecting the sanctity of the offering.
9. Importance of Worshipping Bahuchara Mata
- Worshipping Bahuchara Mata is not just a ritual but a profound act of seeking inner strength, stability, and self-acceptance.
- She is a powerful symbol of transformation and can bring about a deep sense of peace and resilience in devotees.
- The puja fosters gratitude, mindfulness, and a compassionate view toward oneself and others, aligning with the spiritual goals of Hindu worship.
By following these steps and using eco-friendly traditional products, you can worship Goddess Bahuchara Mata in a way that is both spiritually fulfilling and respectful of the environment. The ritual fosters an atmosphere of purity and devotion, enabling her blessings to bring harmony, protection, and positivity into your life.