Chaitra Navratri Day 8 Maha Ashtami: Significance Of Worshipping Maa Mahagauri- Know Kanya Pujan, Puja Vidhi, Muhurat, Donations, Mantra And More

Maha Ashtami: Kanya Pujan, or worshipping young girls, is an essential ritual on Day 8 of Navratri, celebrating the eighth avatar of Maa Durga- Goddess Mahagauri. Here is everything from puja vidhi to mantras for Navratri day 8.

Kanya puja aims to please the nine avatars of Goddess Durga by worshipping young girls and offering them prasad

Chaitra Navratri 2023: One of the most significant days of the Navratri celebration is Ashtami or the eighth day of Chaitra Navratri. The 8th day of Navaratri is devoted to Goddess Mahagauri since each day of the festival is associated with a different Goddess. Hindu mythology describes Goddess Mahagauri as one of the brightest and most attractive Goddesses. She was given the name Gauri for this reason only.

A very substantial part of Navratri is the Kanya puja ritual. Girls are revered because it is said that they embody the goddess Durga in her various avatars. The devotees invite the young girls under the age of 13 to their homes, and Prasad is distributed. During  Navratri, Kanya puja is performed to please Maa Durga's nine avatars. 

On the eighth or ninth day of Navratri, the ceremony is performed. Children are regarded as the embodiment of innocence and purity since they lack any attributes of evil.

Chaitra Navratri 2023 Ashtami: Worship Maa Mahagauri

On the eighth of Chaitra Navratri, people worship Maa Mahagauri and are believed to offer her items such as jaggery, mogra flowers, and objects of beauty (Shringar). The Goddess of Day 8 of Navratri bestows kindness and serenity upon her devotees. Moreover, worshipping Mahagauri is a method for people to atone for their misdeeds and bad karma from the past.

The colour associated with the eighth day of Navratri is either pink, orange, or red. Moreover, it is the colour that individuals should wear.

8th Day of Chaitra Navratri: Muhurat and Tithi timings

Puja Muhurat Start Time: 06:48 AM

Pooja Muhurat End Time: 10:08 AM

Date: 29 March 2023, Wednesday

Chaitra Navratri 2023 Ashtami: Kanya Pujan Ritual

The devoted greet the girls and wash their feet before welcoming them inside their homes. They are given special sheets to sit on, and their wrists are tied with a special sacred thread known as kalawa. Their foreheads are adorned in a red Kumkum tilak and rice grains. They receive Prasad which includes kala chana, puri, and halwa cooked with only pure ghee. Following that, they receive gifts and money and devotees seek blessings from them.

Rituals Practiced On the 8th Day Of Chaitra Navratri Ashtami

The festival of Navratri has a specified set of customs and traditions that must be observed by everyone involved in the festivities, much like any other celebration.

Puja Vidhi 

The puja vidhi or puja steps should be as follows:

- Wake up early

- Clean your house and the temple and the puja area

- Take a bath and wear clean clothes

- Place the idols of Shiva and Mahagauri and worship them

- The puja must start by offering flowers to the Gods and Goddesses

- Then offer jaggery and gangajal 

- Light diyas and perform aarti

- During the evening, recite the Navratri 8th Mahagauri day Katha

- After the puja, distribute the offerings to everyone

- Perform Ashtami Kanya Pujan ritual

- If you are observing fast then you can have fruits and milk-based products like curd and milk as your meal for the day

Chaitra Navratri Day 8 Ashtami: Daan Karma/ Donations

Donation is a significant element of any festival celebration. These presents not only offer happiness and good karma to the donor, but they also increase happiness in the lives of the recipients. People can donate the following things on the eighth day of Chaitra Navratri:

- Red chunri or saffron to the goddess.

- Food items in temples.

- Red flag in temples.

- Prepare and distribute Kanya Bhoj.

Chaitra Navratri Day 8 Ashtami: Chant Maa Mahagauri Mantras

Recite the mantras as a part of praying:

ॐ देवी महागौर्यै नमः
(Om Devi Mahagauryai Namah)

श्री स्वच्छ ह्री वर्दायै नमः
(Shree Clean Hree Vardayai Namah)

श्वेते वृषेशमरुध श्वेताम्बरधर शुचिः, महागौरी शुभम दादयन महादेव प्रमोड्डा
(Shwete Vrisheshmarudha Shwetambardhara Shuchih, Mahagauri Shubham Dadyan Mahadev Pramodda)

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