‹ Puja Vidhi

Makar Sankranti Puja

Thanking the Sun at his northward turn, with sesame, jaggery and giving

Common way — most homes

Makar Sankranti, when the Sun enters Makara, around 14 January, in the morning. Muhurtha shows the punya kaal on the festival card.

About 20 minutes

The Sun enters Makara and the new harvest comes in. Families bathe early, offer water to the Sun, eat sesame and jaggery, and give to others. The names and foods differ by region: til-gul, khichdi, pongal. If a mantra is hard, "Om Suryaya Namah" can stand in for any of them.

Prayers in this puja

Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Surya Shloka ›Surya Namaskar Names ›

Get ready

The day before

• Make til-gul or sesame laddus, and soak what you need for khichdi or your regional dish.
• Set aside grain, sesame or a blanket to give.

In the morning

• Bathe before or soon after sunrise; a little sesame in the water is traditional.
• Find a place that faces the rising Sun.

What you need

For Surya

• 1Copper pot of water
• A littleRed flowers and rice
• 1 plateSesame and jaggery sweets
• 1 bowlKhichdi or your regional dish
• A pinchSesame seeds
• As you canThings to give away

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. Settle in

   Sit facing east or north before the deity on a mat or folded cloth. Keep the plate on your right. Take a breath and let the day wait for a few minutes.

2. 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 ›

3. Sankalpa — state your intention

   Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.

4. Arghya to the Sun

   Face the Sun. Add a flower, rice and sesame to the pot, raise it in both hands, and pour the water slowly while saying the verse.

   ōm sūryāya namaḥ. japākusumasaṅkāśaṁ kāśyapēyaṁ mahādyutim. tamō'riṁ sarvapāpaghnaṁ praṇatō'smi divākaram.

   Surya Shloka ›Surya Namaskar Names ›

5. Naivedya

   Place the sweets and dish before the Sun's picture or in the open. Sprinkle water around them and offer them with folded hands.

6. Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness

   With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.

   āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.

7. Give

   Give grain, sesame, a blanket or food to someone who needs it. This is the part tradition stresses most today.

8. Share til-gul

   Give sesame sweets to family and neighbours, with a kind word: in Maharashtra, "take til-gul, speak sweetly".

Fasting

No fast is required. Some eat only after the arghya.

Good to do

• Fly kites away from wires, and on clear rooftops only.
• Mend one strained relationship; the sweet word is the custom.

Tradition avoids

• Do not use glass-coated kite string; it injures birds and people.
• Do not look straight at the Sun; look at the falling water.

The Sun gives without being asked. A pot of water and something given away return the thought.

Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.

Muhurtha Puja Vidhi