Guidelines for keeping fast (Vrat, Upwas) on Navratri festival (Tyohar, Utsav) 2015

• First of all, clean your house and temple in your home. Try to attire the deity of Durga in new clothes and red stoal(chunri). Thereafter, offer the items of makeup (Srigar) that include bindi (a red colored mark applied on the forehead), bangles, sindoor, Kohl (Kajal), anklets and other beauty items.

• During Navratri one must abstain from onion and garlic so try to finish the stockpile of these items before the onset of Navratri

• Loads of Durga devotees grow barley seeds in the earthen pot that is known as khetri. For this they have to collect sand & soil from an auspicious or clean place & put in a pot. Get the barley seeds, wash & clean them for removing any insects or impurities and soak them in water for 15-30 minutes. Put these barley seeds on the top of soil & sand. Make a thin layer of sand& soil on the top of barley seeds, so as to cover it. Remember, don’t put too much soil & sand otherwise barley will not grow and put just enough water to soak the barley. After that tie the red color string (mauli) around the pot. Keep one pot filled with water and cover it with banana leaves and the coconut.

• Many devotees keep fast for all nine days. If some people find difficult to keep fast for nine days, then there is an option of keeping fast for the first and last day of the Navratri or the first two days or the last two days.

• Devotees light the earthen or brass oil lamp that remains lighted up for nine days.

• Each day they devotees take a bath and wear clean clothes. Read Durga Saptasati, recite Mantras & sing Bhajans. After that, read Durga Chalisa. Conclude daily prayers with Durga Arti. Each day Devotees observe the progress of Khetri. There is a believe that longer it grows in height, the better it is for your family’s fortune and well being. At the end, offer fruits, dry fruits, sweets and charanmrit to Durga as a Bhog that is distributed to the all the family members.

The nine fast is concluded either on eight days or the ninth day by inviting nine young girls (minimum two) that have not attained the puberty and worship them. First clean their feet and then put Tilak on their forehead and tie mauli on their wrist. After that, offer them... Read More