Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 5: Chaitra Navratri began on April 9 this year, and ends on April 17 with the Ram Navami celebrations. After celebrating the fourth day of the nine-day-long festival of Chaitra Navratri, devotees of Maa Durga and her nine incarnations are preparing for Day 5 on April 13. On this day, Hindu worshippers seek blessings of Maa Skandamata. Know who is Maa Skandamata and the Day 5 significance, timings, shubh muhurat, rituals, colour, samagri, puja mantra, and more inside.
Chaitra Navratri 2024: Who is Maa Skandamata? Know significance
Maa Skandamata is the fifth form of the Hindu Goddess Durga and is worshipped on the fifth day of the Hindu festival of Chaitra Navratri. The word “Skanda” means Kartikeya, who is the son of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati and the brother of Lord Ganesha, and “mata” means mother. Maa Skandamata is therefore regarded as the mother of Lord Kartikeya or Skanda, who is also known as Murugan or Subramanya in different parts of India.
Maa Skandamata is depicted with four arms, holding her son Skanda or Kartikeya on her lap, and riding a lion. She holds the lotus flower in both upper arms, child Murugan in one of her lower right hands, and holds the other in Abhaya Mudra. She also sits on a lotus flower, hence Goddess Skandamata is also called Goddess Padmasana.
Meanwhile, Maa Skandamata is associated with the heart chakra, which represents love, compassion, and understanding. She also represents maternal love and fearlessness and blesses her devotees with protection and prosperity. According to beliefs, the planet Buddha is ruled by Goddess Skandamata. By worshipping Skandamata, devotees seek her blessings for protection, prosperity, and success in their endeavours. She is also believed to bestow knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment upon her devotees.
Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 5: Date, timing and shubh muhurat
Day 5 of Chaitra Navratri falls on April 13, this year. Here’s the shubh muhurat you need to keep in mind, according to Drik Panchang:
Panchami Tithi – Till 12:04 pm
Chaitra Shukla Panchami date starts – April 12, 1:11 pm
Chaitra Shukla Panchami date ends – April 13, 12:04 pm
Brahma Muhurat – 4:28 am to 5:13 am
Vijaya Muhurat – 2:30 pm to 3:21 pm
Ravi Yoga – 5:58 am to 9:15 pm
Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 5: Colour, puja vidhi, samagri and rituals
The colour for the fifth day of Chaitra Navratri is Slate Gray. To perform the puja for Maa Skandamata on Day 5 of Chaitra Navratri, devotees should wake up early and take a bath. Then, take a picture or idol of Goddess Skandamata, clean it with Gangajal, and place it in the worship area. Devotees should make offerings such as Gandham, Pushpam, Deepam, Sugandham, and Naivedyam along with a banana, banana prasad, other fruits, and six cardamoms. Worshipping Skandamata during the auspicious time of Brahma Muhurta in the morning is considered more effective, and requires bathing, wearing clean clothes, and offering flowers and bhog to the Goddess. Lastly, if one doesn’t have banana prasad readily available, you can also offer Batashe Ka Prasad.
Chaitra Navratri 2024 Day 5: Puja Mantra, Prathana, Stuti:
Mantra
Om Devi Skanda Matayai Namah.
Prathana
Simhasanagata Nityam Padmanchita Karadvay
Shubhadastu Sada Devi Skandamata Yashasvini
Stuti
Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu Ma Skandamata Rupena Samsthita
Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namah
