Santoshi Mata or Santoshi Maa is mainly worshiped by women of North
India. The name Santhoshi Mata literally means “the mother of
contentment or satisfaction”. Goddess Santoshi Maa is a symbol of love,
contentment, forgiveness, happiness and hope. The Goddess, considered to
be a daughter of Lord Ganesh,
is believed to have a calm nature and offers her followers with
happiness and peace. It is believed that fasting and praying Sanotshi
Mata for 16 consecutive Fridays brings peace and prosperity in one's
family. According to one legend, the sons of Lord Ganesh, Shubh and
Labh, wanted to know the importance of Raksha Bandhan
and wished to have a sister. Thus, Lord Ganesha created Maa Santoshi.
As she fulfilled the wishes of her brothers, she was named Santoshi
then.
The ritual
The vrat or the ritual of Santoshi Maa should be held on Fridays, which is considered as her day of birth.
Following is the procedure to perform the Santoshi Maa Vrat.
You are required to collect the following things for the Santoshi Maa Pooja
Starting Santoshi Mata Puja
1) Select the appropriate place for worship and clean it thoroughly.
2) After taking bath on Friday morning, place the photo in the pooja place, decorate it with flowers and place a small Kalash.
3) Offer prayers to Lord Ganesh, to have success in business, to remove poverty and destruction of evil, then mother Riddhi Siddhi. Prayer to wealth, gold, silver, pearl, and other gems.
4) Read the story of Santoshi Maa. Make the listeners say "Santoshi Mata ki Jai" all the time.
5) Before reading the Santoshi Mata story, fill water in the kalash, and on top of it, keep a small bowl filled with channa and jaggery. At the end of the story, perform Santoshi Mata Ki Aarti and sprinkle water in the vessel in every corner of the house.
6) The remaining water should be poured into the Tulsi plant.
7) Distribute the Prasad to the listeners.
8) During the day, ensure not to eat or touch anything which is sour such as Curd and Lemon. This is to be strictly followed. Otherwise, it may lose the benefits of fasts and prayers. Fasting can be observed the entire day or only one time in a day.
9) This way, you need to do this for 16 weeks on Friday.
Udyapan - Completing the Santoshi Maa Vrat
After completing the 16 weeks, you will be required to do Udyapan - that is offering food to kids. Udyapan is the closing ceremony of this ritual. On this day also, you should read the story and perform Aarti, like the Vrat, and then distribute the Prasad. Keep in mind that there should not be any sour item in the house and you should offer food to eight boys. If the children are closely related to your family, do not call from outside. However, if there are only fewer children from close family, you can call children from the Brahmins, relatives or neighbors’ children. You should not give them any sour item or money. They can be given Dakshina, cloth or fruits.
The ritual
The vrat or the ritual of Santoshi Maa should be held on Fridays, which is considered as her day of birth.
Following is the procedure to perform the Santoshi Maa Vrat.
You are required to collect the following things for the Santoshi Maa Pooja
- 1 Kalash (a pot which contains water)
- Betel leaves
- Flowers
- Camphor for aarti
- Incense Sticks
- Diyas (an oil lamp usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or oil)
- Turmeric
- Vermillion
- Photo of Santoshi Maa and a book which contains the story
- Coconut for kalash (continue with the same coconut till you complete Pooja)
- A wooden stool for placing the idol
- Rice mixed with turmeric
- Dry whole channa (chickpeas), jiggery (unrefined brown sugar made from palm sap) and green banana for Prasad
Starting Santoshi Mata Puja
1) Select the appropriate place for worship and clean it thoroughly.
2) After taking bath on Friday morning, place the photo in the pooja place, decorate it with flowers and place a small Kalash.
3) Offer prayers to Lord Ganesh, to have success in business, to remove poverty and destruction of evil, then mother Riddhi Siddhi. Prayer to wealth, gold, silver, pearl, and other gems.
4) Read the story of Santoshi Maa. Make the listeners say "Santoshi Mata ki Jai" all the time.
5) Before reading the Santoshi Mata story, fill water in the kalash, and on top of it, keep a small bowl filled with channa and jaggery. At the end of the story, perform Santoshi Mata Ki Aarti and sprinkle water in the vessel in every corner of the house.
6) The remaining water should be poured into the Tulsi plant.
7) Distribute the Prasad to the listeners.
8) During the day, ensure not to eat or touch anything which is sour such as Curd and Lemon. This is to be strictly followed. Otherwise, it may lose the benefits of fasts and prayers. Fasting can be observed the entire day or only one time in a day.
9) This way, you need to do this for 16 weeks on Friday.
Udyapan - Completing the Santoshi Maa Vrat
After completing the 16 weeks, you will be required to do Udyapan - that is offering food to kids. Udyapan is the closing ceremony of this ritual. On this day also, you should read the story and perform Aarti, like the Vrat, and then distribute the Prasad. Keep in mind that there should not be any sour item in the house and you should offer food to eight boys. If the children are closely related to your family, do not call from outside. However, if there are only fewer children from close family, you can call children from the Brahmins, relatives or neighbors’ children. You should not give them any sour item or money. They can be given Dakshina, cloth or fruits.
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