Saraswati Puja
Honouring the goddess of learning, with books, yellow flowers and a first lesson
Common way — most homes
Vasant Panchami, Shukla Panchami of Magha, in the morning. Many also worship her during Navratri. Muhurtha shows the day on the festival card.
About 30 minutes
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music and speech. Students place their books and instruments before her, the family wears yellow, and a small child may write a first letter. If a mantra is hard, "Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Saraswati Vandana ›Shanti Mantra ›
Get ready
The day before
- Clean the puja place, and wipe the books, pens and instruments you will place there.
- Buy yellow or white flowers, and plan a yellow sweet such as kesar rice or boondi.
In the morning
- Bathe and wear yellow or white if you have it.
- Keep children nearby; this puja is mostly for them.
What you need
For Saraswati
- 1Picture or idol of Saraswati
- As you haveBooks, pens and musical instrumentsClean and closed.
- A handfulYellow or white flowers
- 1Yellow cloth
- 1 plateKesar rice, boondi or another yellow sweet
- A fewFruit, with ber (jujube) if in season
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
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.
Achamana — sip water three times
Pour a little water into your right palm and sip it three times, saying the first three names, one with each sip. Then wash your right hand with a little water while saying the fourth.
ōm kēśavāya namaḥ. ōm nārāyaṇāya namaḥ. ōm mādhavāya namaḥ. ōm gōvindāya namaḥ.Salutations to Keshava, Narayana and Madhava; salutations to Govinda.Purify yourself and the place
Hold a flower dipped in water and sprinkle a few drops on yourself, the plate and the altar while saying this verse.
ōm apavitraḥ pavitrō vā sarvāvasthāṁ gatō'pi vā. yaḥ smarēt puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ.Whether pure or impure, in whatever state, one who remembers the lotus-eyed Lord is pure within and without.Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.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.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.
Dhyana — invite the deity
Close your eyes and picture the deity before you. Offer a pinch of akshat as you invite them to be present.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. dhyāyāmi, āvāhayāmi.Place the books and instruments
Spread the yellow cloth before her and set the books, pens and instruments on it. Put a dot of sandal paste on each.
Gandha — sandal paste
Apply a dot of chandan or kumkum to the deity with your ring finger.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. gandhaṁ samarpayāmi.Pushpa — flowers
Offer the flowers at the deity's feet, one or a few at a time.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi.Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Naivedya — food
Place the food before the deity. Sprinkle a little water around it, and offer it with folded hands. Wait a moment, as if it is being received.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ. naivēdyaṁ nivēdayāmi.Saraswati Vandana
Fold your hands and say this verse with the children.
yā kundēndutuṣārahāradhavalā yā śubhravastrāvr̥tā. yā vīṇāvaradaṇḍamaṇḍitakarā yā śvētapadmāsanā.She who is white as the jasmine, the moon and snow, clad in white, seated on a white lotus, holding the veena: may Saraswati, who removes all dullness, protect me.Chant her mantra
Chant this 11 or 108 times, on a mala or on your fingers.
ōm aiṁ sarasvatyai namaḥ.Aarti
Light the lamp or camphor and circle it clockwise before her while the family sings or prays together. Take its warmth to your eyes with both palms.
Pradakshina — circle in reverence
Turn around clockwise in your place three times (or walk around the altar if there is room), saying this verse.
yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmāntarakr̥tāni ca. tāni tāni vinaśyanti pradakṣiṇapadē padē.Whatever wrongs were done in past lives are destroyed with every step taken around the Lord.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.A first lesson
Let a young child write their first letters, or "Om", in rice or on a slate, with an elder guiding the hand. Older children can read a few lines or play a little music. Tradition keeps the books with her until the puja ends.
Prasad
Bow down. Take a little of the offered food as prasad and share it with the family. Let the lamp burn out on its own.
Fasting
No fast is required. Some eat only after the puja.
Good to do
- Let each child offer a flower with their own hands.
- Give a book or pen to a child who needs one.
Tradition avoids
- Do not step over books or put them on the floor.
- Do not treat the day as a study holiday; a little reading is part of it.
Tradition says knowledge grows when it is shared. A lesson taught to someone today is an offering too.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.