Ayudha Puja

Ayudha Puja takes place on the ninth day of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month. Ayudha puja is performed on the last day of Shardiya Navratri i.e. a day before Dussehra. This puja is also popular by the name of Astra Puja (weapon worship) and is mainly celebrated in states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala etc. Ayudha puja takes place on the last day of Sharadiya Navratri and during these days, Goddess Durga is worshipped, hence by her grace the devotees get success in all their tasks i.e. they get success in every task.

What is Ayudha Puja?

Ayudha means weapon, that is, whatever equipment, machine, instrument, weapon etc. you use, whether it is in industry, agriculture, craftsmanship, acquiring knowledge, business related, or any other area worship of objects related to the area is considered as Ayudha Puja.

On the day of Ayudha Puja, we worship useful equipment, weapons and all business-related items like vehicles, machines, tools etc. and are grateful towards them because they have great importance in our lives. Worshiping instruments on this day brings success in every task. This festival is a symbol of victory. Mata Saraswati is worshiped on this day in South India.

Method of celebrating Ayudha Puja

On this day, first of all, all the instruments, weapons and equipment are cleaned and purified by sprinkling Ganga water or holy water on them. These instruments are kept in front of the pictures of Mata Durga and Mata Saraswati. First, we worship Goddess Durga and Saraswati with devotion. Puja should be done according to their traditional method only. After completing the puja, apply Roli tilak on the instruments and equipment and tie Mauli on them. On this day, small things like pins, carriages, instruments, vehicles, machines, buses etc. are also worshipped. We pray to Goddess for their good performance.

Story

To defeat Mahishasura, all the deities had provided their weapons to Goddess Durga. To defeat a very powerful demon Mahishasura, the deities had to reveal all their powers together. Maa Durga appeared with her ten arms. She had a weapon in each arm. The war continued between Mahishasura and Devi for nine days. On the tenth day, Mata Durga killed Mahishasura. After the purpose of using all the weapons was accomplished, the time came to honor them. For this reason, worshiping weapons and equipment on this day is a symbol of victory and to remember this, Ayudha Puja is performed.

Importance of Ayudha Puja

Since ancient times, every human being is connected to devices and machines in some way or the other. We use them in some form or the other from morning till evening. Computer, laptop, bike, car etc. are many such devices which play a role in our livelihood. Through Ayudha Puja, we show our gratitude towards these equipment’s and thank them so that they always support us and work uninterruptedly throughout the year. We pray to Mother Durga and Mata Lakshmi on this day that it always remains useful for us.