How to do it on your own - Nav-Durga Sadhana in Navaratri
।। ॐ नमश्चण्डिकायै ।।
UPDATE: The auspicious Navaratri is here! It’s the time to call upon Adi Shakti, the primordial mother, the One who rests in every fabric of the Universe. Join the most beautiful and powerful NavDurga Sadhana on the Sadhana app for the first time. This extremely powerful sadhana can be performed directly through the app by following the in-app procedures with devotion for Devi Ma.
The nine auspicious days of the Divine Mother, ((Navaratri, nine nights, refer to the worship of Mother Divine. When seasons change, your body and your mind is most adaptive and responsive to the changes around you. It is for this reason that meditation on the primordial energy and gluten-free diet is recommended during these nine days. If you start any season with a positive mindset, you are likely to experience similar thoughts during the whole season. Hence, Navaratri is not just about expressing your gratitude to Mother Nature but also celebrating it. Start your day, your season, your navaratri with joy, celebrations and positivity. You deserve to be happy in your life and navaratri is the time to harmonize your body, mind and soul.
प्रातरूत्थाय सायाह्नं सायाहनात् प्रातरेव तु ।
यत्क्रोमि जगन्मातस्तदेव तव पूजनम् ।।
Prātarūt'thāya sāyāhnaṁ sāyāhanāt prātarēva tu,
Yatkrōmi jaganmātastadēva tava pūjanam.
~ Vamkeshvara Tantra
From the moment I wake up at dawn till dusk, and from dusk till dawn, O Mother Divine, everything I do is an act of your worship.
))
Seeing your enthusiasm for the Karthik Surya Sadhana I shared last year, I am mighty pleased to share the extremely beautiful and powerful Nav-Durga Sadhana with you. If you feel in your heart any devotion or reverence for Mother Divine or the feminine aspect of creation then you may enjoy and benefit from this sadhana a great deal.
To understand the mechanics and dynamics of this sadhana, please patiently read the notes below.
There are two parts of this sadhana: morning and evening. You will need to set aside about thirty minutes in the morning and approximately forty-five minutes in the evening (anytime during or after sunset is okay) for nine days. I’ve provided details in the relevant sections below.
How to do Nav Durga Sadhana on your own:
I’ve provided all the required details in this writeup. You are welcome to do this sadhana on your own. You don’t require my initiation, permission or intervention. If you patiently read the notes, you’ll discover that it’s a simple sadhana. Every morning (for nine days) there is a new mantra and every evening you will do a yajna, fire offerings. There are standard ingredients for the yajna, but for each day, there’s an additional ingredient. You will need rudraksha chanting beads for the morning session and yajna ingredients for the evening one.
What will you need for this sadhana?
Asana, mat; a blanket is best. Plus a piece of red cloth to cover it.
Desi ghee (approx 100 gms everyday).
A small lamp (oil can be ghee or sesame oil).
Havan samagri (approx half a packet everyday). I’ve just found this product on Amazon. You can use any you like.
A Yajnakunda or you can make your own fire pit. Here’s a sample on Amazon for yajna-kunda. You can buy any you like. (Details on making your own fire-pit can be found in the PDF provided in the How to do Yajna section below).
Special additional ingredient for yajna (it changes every day and is listed next to the day itself.
Firewood for your yajna. It can be Mango (aamra), Cedrus Deodara or Deodara Cedar (devdaru), Butea Monosperma (dhak or palasha), Sacred fig (peepal), Prosopis cineraria (shami), Banyan (bargad or vata). Or, if you can afford it, then red sandalwood (raktachandan) is also a very royal way of offering. (Personally, I’ve never done any yajna with just sandalwood.) If neither of these is available, take any clean firewood.
Dakshina, a charitable offering. A small amount of material offering you set aside every morning and use for charity wherever you like at the completion of your sadhana.
Ingredients you will require every morning this navaratra sadhana:
Rudraksha beads for chanting. If you did surya sadhana as well last year, you can use the same rosary. Or if you use rudraksha beads for any other japa, you can use the same chanting beads. You don’t need to buy a separate rosary.
A ghee lamp. You will need to light a small lamp in the morning. The lamp can be an earthen lamp or made from any metal. The wick should be a cotton wick or made from the sacred red thread (mauli). The oil should either be sesame oil or desi ghee.
A small pot of water. You will use this for purification. Once you are done with the morning pooja, you can offer this water either facing the sun or at the root of any plant or tree.
Your asana, a prayer mat. Best to use a blanket. Or, if you don’t have a blanket, use whatever you have available. Place a red cloth on your asana.
Fresh clothes every morning. Wearing red is ideal. Any other color will also do.
Money-box. Mother represents opulence and material wealth. So every morning set aside whatever you can, it can be just a dollar or Rs. 10 or whatever you can reasonably afford. Keep a small box and put your money in there. At the end of nine days, you can offer this money at any shrine where Goddess is worshipped. If there’s no temple close by, just keep it with you and you can donate it whenever you have the opportunity to visit such a place over the next year. If neither of these is possible, donate it towards any noble cause for a girl child.
Morning Procedure
1. Get up whenever you conveniently can in the morning. Before sunrise is best. Try to stick to the same time every day for nine days. 2. Take a bath and wear fresh clothes. Ideally, red, but any color will do. 3. Sit on your asana, prayer mat, and take three sips of water to symbolize purification. (You can do the more elaborate steps of purification if you know them, but for now, this will do). Wash your hands with a few drops (once again, this is a symbolic gesture). 4. Follow the three japa steps of the day. These steps have been listed separately for each day as two of the three mantras change every day. Please refer to the notes below. 5. Once done, you can wear the beads around your neck (or simply keep them at your altar, whatever is convenient for you) and pray for the well-being of everyone. 6. After completing the morning procedure, you can eat your breakfast etc. and get on with your day.
Ingredients you will require every evening for this navaratra sadhana:
A readymade yajna kunda or a self-made firepit. You can buy a standard fire pit from the market or you can make one yourself. In the PDF provided on this page, I’ve shown the diagram.
A wooden spoon to offer ghee in the fire pit. Traditionally, there are two kinds of yajna spoon, sruka, a ladle, and sruva, a spoon. To keep things simple, just use any wooden spoon (please make sure you buy a new one. Later you can use it in your kitchen).
Ghee. Approx 50 – 100 gms of ghee every day.
Firewood. As per the notes above.
Havan-samagri. Half a packet every day should more than suffice. Empty half a packet in a bowl.
An additional special ingredient. It’s listed next to each day in the notes below. Mix it with the havan-samagri.
One ingredient for purna–ahuti. This is the last ahuti you’ll offer at the completion of every yajna. It’s listed next to each day in the notes below.
Evening Procedure
In the evening, you will need to perform a small yajna, fire-offerings. ((Though, I’ve mentioned this already in the Evening Ingredients section, but please note again that in addition to the havan-samagri, you’ll need to use a special ingredient that will change every day. The details of the special ingredient are listed next to the day below. Just mix the special ingredient with the ones found in the packet of havan samagri. ))
If you are unable to do the yajna, there’s an alternative. Refer to point no. 8 in the Relevant Notes section.
Following is the order of the mantras you have to chant while making fire-offerings:
Optional preliminary offerings (please refer to the Yajna PDF in the section below.)
7 ahutis (offerings) of Om Gam Ganpataye Namah.
21 ahutis of the daily mantra (you can do more if you like).
1 round of ahutis (108 times or approx 10 min) of the navarna mantra.
1 round of ahutis (108 times or approx 10 min) of the tantric mantra (you can do more)
Purna-ahuti, closing offering with the ingredient mentioned next to each day.
How to do a yajna (fire-offerings) in this Navaratra Sadhana
This PDF contains the Yajna chapter from my Gayatri Sadhana book. You just have to follow the same methodology, the only thing that will change are the three mantras. I’ve listed them next to each day in the following section.
Please click on the day below to see the mantra and yajna details of that particular day. Audio of all the mantras can be found on this page.
Day 1
Day 1
Common name: Shailaputri ((The popular nine forms of Mother Goddess given in Dura Saptashati is how most people pray in Navaratri. But, these nine forms represent the nine aspects of the Divine Mother. And in the actual process of Devi invocation, the mantra of these nine names are nowhere to be found in the original texts. These mantras were coined much later on. Instead, core tantric texts of devi worship use a different set of names and mantras. In any case, here is the reference to the popular or common name as given in Durga Saptashati.
)) Tantric invocation: Mahavidya ((The tantric invocation of Devi is not done using the popular mantra of the devi as mentioned under the common name above. In fact, as per many tantric texts including Durga Tantra and Vamkeshavara Tantra, the nine forms of Devi are known as
Only on the very first day, you have to take a sankalpa, vow. This is your pact with the universal energy. Simply state something along the following lines:
I, so-and-so (your name), son/daughter/disciple of so-and-so, hereby vow to perform Nava Durga Sadhana over the next nine days with a view to obtaining grace of the Divine Mother. May her companion energies and the Universe help me see it through.
You can state whatever objective you like. So, you can say something like … with a view to xyz…abc…whatever your desired goal.
Please note that this vow is taken only on the very first day. Once done, proceed to the steps below.
Step 1: 11 times chanting of the following mantra. This is the energy dominant on this day. ((You can use your fingers to do the counting.))
ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः ।।
Oṃ Devī Śailaputryai Namaḥ.
Step 2: 11 times chanting of the Navarna mantra given below. This is the all-encompassing energy of Mother Goddess. Please use Rudraksha beads for this chanting. I’m giving it here for your reference. This mantra remains the same on all nine days. ((Append Om in the front of the Navarna mantra if you are not initiated. You don’t need to use Om if I’ve initiated you or if you have been initiated by anyone else. Also, please note that it’s not hreem but hreeng, ng in hreeng represents a soft nasal sound, like we say Ma. The same principle applies to Klim.)) If you have the time, you can chant this mantra 108 times or more. Try to stick with the same number every day.
Step 3: 108 times chanting of the following mantra. This is the tantric worship of Mother Goddess on that day. Please use the same Rudraksha beads for this chanting.
ॐ नमश्चण्डिकायै ।।
oṃ namaścaṇḍikāyai.
Evening Yajna
Special yajna ingredient: White sesame seeds (100 gms) Purna-ahuti with sandalwood (preferably white): One piece of any size.
Day 2
Day 2
Common name: Brahmacharini Tantric invocation: Mahatantri, Vijaya, or Chamunda
Step 1: 11 times chanting of the following mantra.
ॐ देवी ब्रह्मचारिण्यै नम:
Oṃ Devī Brahmacāriṇyai Namaḥ
Step 3: 108 times chanting of the following mantra.
ह्रीँ सुभगायै स्वाहा ।।
hrīm̐ subhagāyai svāhā ।।
Evening Yajna
Special ingredient: Kamal gatte (usually known as lotus seeds). I found them on Amazon too. (( Feel free to buy the kamal gatta chanting beads and then dismantle the rosary to obtain individual beads. They’ll have a hole in them naturally, but it’s perfectly fine. 100 or so loose lotus seeds will be sufficent.))
Alternatively, in case you can’t source kamal gatte, you can use grated dry coconut. Approx 50 gms should do.
Purna-ahuti with sandalwood (preferably red. On day 2 & 3 it’s with red sandalwood.)
Day 4
Day 4
Common name: Kushmanda Tantric invocation: Saptashati, Bhadrakali, or Kapalika
Step 1: 11 times chanting of the following mantra.
Special yajna ingredient: White + black sesame seeds (mixed in equal parts, 100 gms) Purna-ahuti with dry whole coconut (with or without the cover) + red sandalwood
Relevant Notes
Click here to expand this section and see the frequently asked questions as well as other important information.
1. Although I’m only recommending it to the people I’ve initiated, you are welcome to do it this sadhana even if you have never been initiated, follow some other guru, or don’t follow anyone. 2. The audio of all the mantras has been recorded, edited and uploaded. You can find them here. 3. Anyone over the age of 12 can do it, men, women (including menstruating women — mentioning it here in anticipation because I always get asked this question), girls, boys, old, young anyone at all. 4.Yes, you can travel if you have to as long as you can maintain your morning and evening routine. 5. A vegetarian diet is mandatory during this navaratri sadhana. Dairy is okay. Eggs, seafood, meat, no. 6. It’s best to face North, East or Northeast while doing the yajna. 7.The pots can be of any metal. Best if they are copper but any metal will do. Don’t let the material of the pots stop you from doing this sadhana. You can even use stainless steel or ceramic for all I care. 8.If you miss any day, the nav durga sadhana is compromised. You will then have to wait for the next Navaratras to do this sadhana. 9.If you have any questions regarding the performance of this sadhana, please read my notes again. 10.Though, yajna is an important part, in case, you can’t do yajna, just repeat the morning routine in the evening too. It’s not ideal, but let not your inability to do the yajna stop you from doing this sadhana. Either don’t do yajna at all or do it every day for the nine days. But yes, you can consider doing the yajna just on the last day if you can only manage to do it once. If you choose to do that, simply just do it like any other day. 11. If you derive joy in this sadhana, you can repeat it, if you like. This means that you finish it over nine days and then start another round of nine days and then another for as long as you like. Doing it three times will take you 27 days, for example. In the Puranic text of Durga Saptashati, Surath and Samadhi did it for three years. 12. There were a number of questions asked in comments, I’ve gone through your questions and answered them in the comments below. All in one place. 32 answers.
May Divine Grace awaken the fire within you.
Peace. Swami
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Common name: Shailaputri ((The popular nine forms of Mother Goddess given in Dura Saptashati is how most people pray in Navaratri. But, these nine forms represent the nine aspects of the Divine Mother. And in the actual process of Devi invocation, the mantra of these nine names are nowhere to be found in the original texts. These mantras were coined much later on. Instead, core tantric texts of devi worship use a different set of names and mantras. In any case, here is the reference to the popular or common name as given in Durga Saptashati.
welcome to do it this sadhana even if you have never been initiated, follow some other guru, or don’t follow anyone. 
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