About Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan Puja
“Safeguard your family’s health and invite divine blessings with the sacred Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan!”
Maa Sheetla’s divine origin is rooted in Hindu mythology, where she is depicted as an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. She is often shown riding a donkey and carrying a broom, fan, bowl, and pitcher—symbols of cleanliness and health. Her name, “Sheetla,” translates to “cooling,” emphasizing her ability to calm fevers and heal diseases.
One prominent legend narrates how Maa Sheetla defeated the demon Jwarasura, who caused high fevers and epidemics among children. The goddess subdued him with her powers, bringing relief and health to the world. This victory established her as the protector against heat-related diseases.
Maa Sheetla is also associated with cleanliness and hygiene, as ancient Hindu texts advocate her worship to maintain a disease-free household. Devotees honor her as the guardian of health and prosperity, believing her blessings can keep illnesses at bay.
About Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan
Maa Sheetla, revered in Hinduism as the goddess of health and protection, is worshipped to guard against diseases such as smallpox, fevers, and skin ailments. Known for her cooling and healing powers, she ensures the well-being of her devotees and their families. Performing the Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan is a spiritual act that fosters physical health, environmental purity, and inner harmony. This powerful ritual not only dispels negativity but also invokes Maa Sheetla’s divine grace, creating a peaceful and healthy atmosphere at home.
On Chaitra Krishna Paksha Ashtami, worship and meditation of Sheetla Mata, one of the infinite forms of Mahashakti, has been done since ancient times. For householders, worshiping the mother provides relief from bodily ailments like fever, tuberculosis, infection and other viruses. Pleased with the meditation done on this day, Mother Sheetla blesses to be free from fever, smallpox, leprosy, burning fever, yellow fever, boils and other skin diseases.
Sheetla Saptami
Sheetla Saptami is a Hindu festival in which fasting and worship of Sheetla Mata is done. This is done in the next week after Holi. Usually the worship of SheetlaDevi starts from the Saptami Tithi of Krishna Paksha of Chaitra month, but at some places her worship is done on the first Monday or Thursday after Holi. The ritual of worshiping Bhagwati Sheetla is also special. A day before Sheetalashtami, stale (बासी) food is prepared as bhog to offer to her, i.e. Basoda. On the day of Ashtami, stale food is dedicated to the goddess as naivedya and later dedicated to the potter and then distributed among the devotees as prasad. For this reason, Sheetalashtami festival is famous as Basoda in the whole of North India. It is believed that after this day, eating stale food is stopped. This is the last day of the season when stale food can be eaten.
Benefits of Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan
Performing the Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan is believed to bring numerous blessings and benefits:
- Protection from Diseases: The ritual invokes Maa Sheetla’s divine energy to safeguard devotees from diseases like fevers, skin ailments, and epidemics.
- Environmental Purification: The sacred fire of the hawan purifies the atmosphere, removing negative energies and fostering a clean, healthy environment.
- Health and Well-being: Regular worship promotes physical and mental health, ensuring peace and harmony within the family.
- Spiritual Connection: The puja strengthens the devotee’s bond with Maa Sheetla, inviting her grace and divine blessings into their lives.
References in Hindu Scriptures
Maa Sheetla’s significance is deeply rooted in Hindu scriptures. The Skanda Purana describes her as the goddess who protects humanity from diseases, particularly epidemics like smallpox and fevers. She is revered as the divine force maintaining health and hygiene in communities.
Folklore and Vedic rituals highlight her connection to cleanliness and purity, emphasizing the role of devotees in upholding these values. Worship of Sheetla Devi is linked to traditions that encourage hygienic practices, such as avoiding cooking on Sheetala Ashtami, a day dedicated to her, to honor her aversion to heat and promote cooling energies in homes.
Things required for Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan
Keep pure cow’s curd aside for setting. Keep flour, maida, gram flour ready in advance to make pua, roti and mathri. Also buy roli, akshat, mauli, camphor, havan-puja samagri, turmeric knot and ground turmeric today itself. Also buy mehendi to offer to the goddess. Keep a garland like the ones made for Holika's day. Also keep clothes for donation etc.
Correct way to perform Maa Sheetla Puja and Hawan
- Order nine kandhawaras, one kulhar and one lamp from the potter a day in advance.
- Wake up early on the day of the puja. On this day you will have to take a bath with cold water.
- After this, take a plate. Put all the things prepared for bhog including kandwara in it.
- Take another plate. Put roli, rice, mehendi, kajal, turmeric, lachcha (moli), clothes, a garland of Holi badkule and coins in it.
- Then keep a pot filled with water for Shitala Mata.
- After this, make a lamp of flour. Keep in mind that this flour should be dirty and without salt. Then light a lamp of ghee. Do not light this lamp.
- Now all things have to be smeared with tilak. Apply roli and turmeric tilak on the puja thali, the Kandwars and all the members of the house.
- After doing all this, worship the Mother Goddess and say, O Mother, please accept my words and stay calm.
- You can also worship Shitala Mata at home.
- For this, first bathe the idol of the Mother Goddess and then apply roli and turmeric tilak.
- Then offer mascara, mehndi, lachcha, clothes, worship material, unlit lamp and garland of badbule to the mother.
- Sing the Aarti of Sheetla Mata.
- Offer water to the Goddess. Pour the flowing water into a pot, it is holy. Sprinkle it in every part of the house.
- Worship the place where you keep water. Whatever material is left over, donate it to a potter, a cow and a Brahmin.
Experience the divine blessings of Maa Sheetla by booking this sacred puja with Kashi Archan Foundation, where authentic rituals are performed with devotion and adherence to traditional Vedic practices.
Puja Benefits
1
Protection from Diseases
The ritual invokes Maa Sheetla’s divine energy to safeguard devotees from diseases like fevers, skin ailments, and epidemics.
2
Environmental Purification
The sacred fire of the hawan purifies the atmosphere, removing negative energies and fostering a clean, healthy environment.
3
Health and Well-being
Regular worship promotes physical and mental health, ensuring peace and harmony within the family.
4
Spiritual Connection
The puja strengthens the devotee’s bond with Maa Sheetla, inviting her grace and divine blessings into their lives.