Sheetala Ashtami

Sheetala Ashtami is celebrated on the Ashtami date of Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month. On this day, cold food, i.e. food prepared a day before is offered to Sheetala. Sheetala Mata loves stale and cold food very much. That is why Sheetala Ashtami is also called “Basoda”. Sheetala Mata is also called the goddess of smallpox. Because by worshiping Sheetala Mata, one gets relief from diseases like smallpox and by worshiping her properly, the Mata takes away poverty and family troubles from the house and frees one from all diseases. Therefore, this fast is considered a symbol of health and cleanliness.

Prayer Method

Prasad of Mata should be prepared one day before Ashtami of Chaitra month i.e. Saptami. You can prepare sweet rice, stale pua, curd, rabri etc. as Prasad as per your capacity because on this day the stove is not lit in the house, nor is any other food prepared. All the family members accept this as Prasad.

Get up before sunrise and take a bath with cold water. Then offer water to the idol of Mata Ji, make a lamp of flour, light a ghee lamp, offer Roli, Mehndi, Haldi, Akshat, Kalava etc. After this, offer cold food to Mata Rani i.e. food prepared at night. Then worship Mata Sheetala and listen to the story of the glory of Mata Sheetala.

Story

Once upon a time. It was summer. Brahm's daughter Sheetala Mata thought that let's go to the earth today and see who worships me? Mata came to earth in the form of an old woman. Mata started wandering in the streets of a village named Dungri. She saw that neither she had any temple in that village nor anyone worshiped her. Then someone threw boiling rice water on her, due to which blisters appeared on the Mata‘s body. No one helped her in that village. A lady potter was sitting sadly outside the house. The lady looked at her and said, “Mata, come, I will pour cold water on you.” So that you get relief from the blisters in your body. The effect of mata’s ulcers reduced after exposure to cold water. After this the mata asked for food. Lady potter said that today there is nothing at my house, the sweet rice prepared last night is kept there. The potter gave sweet rice to the mata to eat. Mata liked that sweet rice very much. Impressed by lady potter generous gesture, Sheetala Mata showed her real form to Lady. Seeing the divine form of Mata Sheetala, the potter was surprised and she bowed to the Mata. Then the potter, troubled by her pitiful condition, said to her Mata in an emotional state, “O Mata, my condition is so pitiful that there is no clean place in my house for you to sit.” To end the miserable condition of lady, Mata Sheetala took a broom in one hand and a pot in the other hand and swept away the all the dirt and poverty of her entire house, filled it in the pot and threw it outside in an open land with the help of a donkey present in potter’s house. Goddess Ahoi has given potter pure water to sprinkle on her house. Goddess said, everyone’s house will be on fire tomorrow except your house. Saying this, Mata disappeared. Lady potter did exactly as her Mata had said. Everyone's houses except her house caught fire. Seeing this, the villagers thought that she knew some witchcraft, that is why her house did not burn. Therefore, the villagers took that potter to the king. The potter told the king the glory of Sheetala Mata. Impressed by the words of the potter, the king announced that no one would cook food on the Ashtami date of Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month. All the women will pray to Maa Sheetala and all the people will offer food to Maa Sheetala on Saptami night and accept it as Prasad. In this way, by the grace of the potter Mata Sheetala, she became prosperous with all things and started living happily in the same village.