Navagraha puja is the ritual for propitiating the nine planets. Here is a look at the rules to perform Navagraha puja at home and a simple method explaining how to do Navgraha puja.
The materials required for the puja are turmeric powder, betel nuts and leaves, sandal paste, incense, camphor, plantains, coconuts, raisins, dates, saffron, honey, jaggery, sugar crystals, milk, curd, ghee, mango twigs, wooden planks and mats.
Lighting an oil lamp, ringing bells, and taking a solemn vow to perform the puja mark the commencement of the ritual. Then a pitcher or water pot is consecrated by reciting a mantra for each devata (tutelary God) to be propitiated. The Gods Bhadra, Bala, Chanda, Jaya, Brahma, Kachhapa and Vishnu are invoked for protection of the directions – east, south, west, north, above, below and center respectively.
As in any other puja, Vinayaka or Ganesha is invoked for the successful completion of the ritual. Afterwards, the sun and the other eight planets are invoked by their respective mantras, along with their devatas (ruling deities), adhi devatas (tutelary gods) and pratyadi devatas (catalyzing deities).
The there is the astadik palaka aradhana (worship of the rulers of the eight directions). Indra, Agni, Yama, Niraruthi, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera and Esana are the ruling deities of the east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest, north and northeast, respectively. Each is invoked with the sthapana (arrival) puja and the abhimuka (presence) mantras prescribed for the purpose.
This is followed by karmasadgunya-devata-aradhana (worship of the deities catalyzing the successful completion of the puja). Devi, Ganapati, Kshetra-palaka, Vastu Purusha, Abhayankara, Trayambaka, Mrityunjaya, Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara, Saraswati, and Parvati are invoked by the recitation of mantras and are invited to witness and bless the function.
The mantra for each planet is then chanted. The main part of the puja involves the following steps
- Contemplation
- Offering, flowers and light, reciting the root Vedic hymn to each planet, and recounting the protection offered by each planet.
Navagraha puja is performed both for the welfare of the individuals as well as of nature and mankind as a whole. It is performed prior to many major religious functions, and also separately to ward off the particular difficulties created in one’s life by the different planets.
Each of the nine planets is associated with an adhi devata (tutelary God), adhimana devata (demi god), consort, geographical direction, birth star, gem, metal offering, gender, color, pulse and human expectation.