Navratri 2025 Day 1: Worship of Maa Shailputri and Puja Guide

Navratri is one of the most secular Hindu festivals in honor of Goddess Durga. Her devotees worship the Goddess for nine straight days and nights, nine forms of which are remembered on nine different days of the festival. Maa Durga is regarded as the ultimate source of energy, and each manifestation of hers is revered on a particular day of the festival.

In 2025, Navratri starts on September 22, which is the Pratipada Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashwina. Maa Shailputri is worshipped on the first day as the first form of Goddess Durga.

Importance of Maa Shailputri

Maa Shailputri, who is the daughter of Himalaya and Maina, is worshipped on the first day of Navratri. She is shown riding on a Nandi bull, holding a trident in her right hand and a lotus flower in her left hand. She is the embodiment of divine powers of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Brahma. Being the goddess of Moon planet, devotees who are ruled by the Moon or suffering from mental tensions are advised to approach her for peace of mind as well as mental calm.

Mythological Story

In her past life, Maa Shailputri was Sati, who was the daughter of King Daksha. Even though her father had a vehement opposition towards Lord Shiva, Sati was interested in marrying him, and they were married. King Daksha once held a huge yajna but deliberately did not invite Lord Shiva. Sati wished to go there, but Shiva cautioned her against it, saying it would be an inauspicious occasion if there was no invitation. Disregarding Shiva's warning, Sati attended the yajna, where she was insulted by her father. Angered and grief-stricken, Sati immolated herself in the fire. She was eventually reborn as Maa Shailputri, daughter of the Himalayas, to meet Lord Shiva again.

Ghatasthapana: Beginning Navratri

The festival starts with Ghatasthapana or Kalash Sthapana, a ceremony to invite the Goddess and seek blessings. The devotees make their homes ready by designing the puja space with flowers and diyas and arranging an idol of Maa Shailputri and reciting holy mantras.

Puja Procedure

Start the day with a sacred bath.
Clean your home and particularly the puja room meticulously.
Dress well and decently before proceeding with the puja.
Collect all puja materials, such as flowers, fruits, kumkum (vermilion), paan, supari, elaichi, coconut, incense sticks, Gangajal, an earthen diya with cow ghee, and shringar material.
Position the idol of Maa Durga on a wooden plank and sprinkle Gangajal around the idol.
Adorn the idol with garlands and shringar material, apply kumkum, light the ghee diya, and offer paan along with seasonal fruits, supari, laung, and elaichi.
Put a coconut on a kalash, decorated with mango leaves and red sacred thread known as Kalawa.
Put soil in an earthen pot and plant grain seeds (such as Jawar), cover it with a plate, add soil again, and sprinkle water on it.
Invoke the Goddess by chanting Durga mantras and Durga Saptashati reading. Pay homage to Maa Shailputri with lotus and hibiscus flowers.
End the day with Maa Durga's aarti before breaking the fast.
Devotees break their fast with fruits or plain food such as Sama kheer, sabudana tikki, and fried potatoes, since fruits are considered to cleanse the body, mind, and soul.

Maa Shailputri Mantras

ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥
Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah

वन्दे वाञ्छितलाभाय चन्द्रार्ध कृतशेखराम् । वृषारूढाम् शूलधराम् शैलपुत्रीम् यशस्विनीम् ॥
Vande Vanchhitalabhaya Chandrardhakritashekharam. Vrisharudham Shuladharam Shailaputrim Yashasvinim.
"I bow to Devi Shailputri, who grants the fulfilment of wishes. She bears the crescent moon on her forehead, rides the bull, and is Yashasvini."

Observing the first day of Navratri by worshipping Maa Shailputri sets the tone for the entire festival, invoking her blessings for strength, peace, and spiritual growth. Devotees across India perform the rituals with devotion, welcoming the nine-day celebration of divine feminine power.

Also read: School Holidays in October 2025: Dussehra, Diwali, Chhath Puja, and More