‹ Puja Vidhi

Bhai Dooj Puja

A sister's tilak, a shared meal and a brother's promise

Common way — most homes

Bhai Dooj, Kartika Shukla Dwitiya, the last day of Diwali, usually around midday. Muhurtha shows the day on the festival card.

About 20 minutes, plus the meal

Yamuna is said to have welcomed her brother Yama on this day. Sisters put a tilak on their brothers and feed them, and brothers give a gift and their word of care. Siblings of any gender, and cousins, keep it too. If a mantra is hard, a sincere blessing in your own words is enough.

Prayers in this puja

Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›

Get ready

The day before

• Invite your brother, or plan a video call if you are far apart.
• Plan a meal of his favourite dishes.

On the day

• Bathe, and keep the plate ready with tilak and sweets.
• Set a low seat facing north or east for him.

What you need

For the tilak

• A littleKumkum or sandal paste, with rice
• 1Coconut or dried coconut
• 1 plateSweets
• 1Small lamp
• A fewFlowers
• As he wishesGift from the brother

For the altar

• 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
• 1Puja plate (thali)

On the plate

• 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
• 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
• A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
• A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
• 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
• A handfulFresh flowers
• 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
• 1Small bellOptional.

To offer

• A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
• 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.

The puja

1. Remember Ganesha

   Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.

   vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.

   Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›

2. Seat him

   Seat your brother on the low seat, and cover his head with a cloth if your family does so.

3. Tilak

   Put the tilak on his forehead with your ring finger, press a few grains of rice on it, and give him the coconut. Say your blessing for a long and healthy life.

4. Aarti

   Circle the lamp before him three times, clockwise, and feed him a piece of sweet.

5. Meal and gift

   Serve him the meal you cooked. He then gives his gift, and his promise to stand by you. If you are far apart, do the tilak on a photograph or over a call, and send the sweets.

Fasting

Some sisters eat only after the tilak. No fast is required.

Good to do

• Call a sibling you have not spoken to in a while.
• Include cousins and those without siblings of their own.

Tradition avoids

• Do not make the gift the point of the day.
• Do not let distance cancel it; a call counts.

The closing day of Diwali is kept for family. A shared plate and a word of care are enough.

Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.

Muhurtha Puja Vidhi