धनतेरस पूजा विधि और कथा

In ancient times there was a king named Hima. After long waiting, a son was born to him. Overjoyed, the king called the astrologers and had the boy's birth chart cast. They studied the grahas and their faces fell. 'King,' they said, 'this child is brilliant, but there is a grave yoga in his chart. In his sixteenth year, on the fourth day after his wedding, his death by snakebite is written.' It was a thunderbolt for the king and queen. They told no one and raised the boy with the greatest care.

The prince grew up handsome, brave and learned. When he turned sixteen the king thought that by not marrying him off, fate's writing might be turned aside. But the prince's marriage to a princess had already been settled, and that princess was wise, devout and brave. The wedding took place. Afterwards the king told his daughter-in-law, and in some tellings the prince himself, what the astrologers had foretold: 'The night of the fourth day is the night of danger.'

The young bride resolved that she would not lose her husband that night. As evening fell on the fourth day she set her plan in motion. At the door of the bedchamber she heaped up all her ornaments and her husband's, gold, silver and pearls, and coins from the royal treasury, in a pile so high that it blocked the doorway. Inside and outside the chamber she lit lamps beyond counting, until the whole room blazed like day. Then she seated her husband and said, 'Tonight you will not sleep. I will sing to you and tell you stories; only stay awake.'

The night wore on. The princess kept singing: songs of devotion, tales of heroes, riddles. Whenever her husband's eyelids grew heavy she began a new story. At midnight Yamaraj came as his law required, the god of death whose writ is never turned, and he took the form of a serpent and moved towards the prince's chamber. But as he reached the door, the blaze of the lamps and the glitter of gold and silver dazzled his eyes. The serpent could not see the doorway; it climbed onto the heap of ornaments and lay there coiled.

From within came the princess's sweet songs and stories. It is said that Yamaraj, in his serpent form, sat there and listened to them all night long; the songs were such that he forgot to go further. Meanwhile dawn broke in the east. The hour appointed for the prince's death had passed. The moment for which fate's writing had been made went by without a death. Yamaraj climbed quietly down from the heap and went back the way he had come. The prince lived, and the princess, by her wit, her vigil and her lamps, had saved her husband from death.

There is another form of the story, in which Yamaraj's messengers return to his realm and say, 'Lord, it grieves us to take anyone's life. Is there no way that untimely death might be avoided?' Then Yamaraj says, 'Whoever offers a lamp in my name on the evening of Kartik Krishna Trayodashi and keeps lamps burning in the house through the days of Diwali, untimely death will not enter their home.' From this came the custom of placing a lamp in Yama's name outside the house on the evening of Dhanteras: the Yama deepdaan.

The second story of Dhanteras is that of the churning of the ocean. When the gods and the asuras churned the ocean of milk, with Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope, fourteen treasures rose from it one after another: the wish-granting cow Kamadhenu, the elephant Airavata, the Kalpavriksha tree, the Kaustubha gem, the Moon, and the rest. On the day of Kartik Krishna Trayodashi, Lord Dhanvantari rose from the sea, a portion of Vishnu, with the pot of amrit in one hand and herbs and a conch in the other. He became the physician of the gods and gave the knowledge of Ayurveda to the world. That is why this day is Dhanvantari Jayanti, and physicians and all who work with medicine worship Dhanvantari on this day even now.

From the same churning, two days later on the new moon of Kartik, the goddess Lakshmi appeared; so the festival from Dhanteras to Diwali is bound by a single thread: first the pot of health, then the goddess of wealth. On Dhanteras, Kuber, the lord of riches, and Lakshmi are worshipped along with Dhanvantari, and new metal is brought into the house as a sign of the pot of nectar that rose from the sea on this day. And the lamp for Yama reminds us that the root of both wealth and health is life itself, which the princess saved with her vigil and her lamps.

What you need: pictures or images of Lakshmi-Ganesh, Kuber and Dhanvantari, a low stool with a red or yellow cloth, a kalash, clay lamps (at least thirteen, and one four-wicked lamp for the Yama deep), mustard oil and ghee, cotton wicks, roli, unbroken rice, turmeric, mauli, flowers and a garland, incense, camphor, betel leaf and nut, a coconut, whole coriander seeds, puffed rice and sugar drops (kheel-batashe), sweets, fruit, coins, and the new metal object bought that day.

In the morning clean the house. Dhanteras is the first day of preparing for Diwali, so put out old and broken things, wash the house, make a rangoli at the main door and tie a toran (a string of mango or ashoka leaves). Bathe and wear clean clothes. During the day bring home the new metal from the market, a utensil, a silver coin, gold, or whatever is within your means, and set it at the place of worship; begin using it after the Diwali puja.

The time for the puja is the pradosh period of the evening, roughly two and a quarter hours after sunset, and within it a fixed lagna (usually Taurus rising) is held best, because worship done in a fixed lagna keeps Lakshmi settled in the house. The window for New Delhi is shown at the top of this page. Sit facing east or north before you begin.

Spread the red or yellow cloth on the stool, place Ganesh and Lakshmi in the middle and the pictures or images of Dhanvantari and Kuber beside them. On the left set the kalash filled with water, with a betel nut, a coin, rice and mango leaves in it and a coconut on top. Light a ghee lamp in front. Also place on the stool the newly bought metal, the key of the safe, some coins and notes, and, for traders, the account book or ledger.

Take the vow: 'I perform the puja of Dhantrayodashi for the health, long life and prosperity of my family.' Then worship Ganesh first: offer water, roli, rice, durva grass, flowers, incense, lamp and modak or laddoo, with the name mantra 'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'. No puja begins without Ganesh.

Then worship Dhanvantari; this is the puja particular to Dhanteras. Offer water, yellow flowers, roli and rice, incense and lamp, and milk or panchamrit, with the name mantra 'Om Dhanvantaraye Namah'. If anyone in the house is ill, pray for their recovery by name. Many homes also worship a medicinal plant on this day, tulsi, amla or neem, since Dhanvantari is the lord of herbs.

Then worship Kuber, the treasurer of wealth. Draw a swastika in roli on the safe, the cupboard or wherever money is kept, offer flowers and rice to Kuber's picture and say the name mantra 'Om Kuberaya Namah'. Mark the new metal object with turmeric and roli and tie mauli around it. Offer whole coriander seeds to Kuber and Lakshmi; the custom is to sow them in the garden or a pot after Diwali, and the greener the plants that come up, the more prosperous the year is said to be.

Finally worship Lakshmi: water, roli, turmeric, rice, lotus or rose flowers, incense, lamp, and an offering of kheel-batashe and sweets, with the name mantra 'Om Mahalakshmyai Namah'. Those who know the Shri Sukta, the Lakshmi Ashtottara or the Kanakadhara Stotra may recite them; otherwise japa of the name and a heartfelt prayer are enough. Remember that the Lakshmi puja of Dhanteras is a prelude to the main puja of Diwali, which is done on the night of the new moon.

After the puja comes the offering of lamps. Light thirteen lamps around the house, in the kitchen, the puja room, at the main door, in the courtyard, at the tulsi, on the roof and in every room, and last of all, after sunset, place the four-wicked mustard-oil lamp for Yama outside the main door facing south; the method is given separately below. Then do the aarti and share the prasad. Fasting is not required on Dhanteras; those who wish to keep a vrat take fruit during the day and one sattvik meal after the puja.

The Yama deepdaan is the oldest custom of Dhanteras, a memory of the princess's lamps and the keeping of Yamaraj's word. After sunset, in the pradosh period, take a clay lamp with four wicks, fill it with mustard oil and place it outside the main door of the house facing south, the direction of Yama. Put a little grain or rice under the lamp. In many homes the eldest woman or eldest member of the family sets this lamp, and as it is placed a prayer is made for the long life of every member of the household and for protection from untimely death. It is best if the lamp burns all night. The Yama lamp is never kept inside the house, and it is not mixed with the other lamps of the puja.

The custom of buying new metal on Dhanteras goes back to the pot of nectar that rose from the sea, which is why the oldest custom is to buy a vessel: a kalash, lota, plate or bowl of brass, copper or silver. After that a silver coin or a silver image of Lakshmi-Ganesh, and gold if one can afford it. Many homes also buy a new broom on this day, since the broom is taken as a sign of Lakshmi and sweeps poverty out of the house, and coriander seeds, which are offered in the puja and sown later. By folk rule, iron objects, glass, black things and sharp objects are not bought on this day. Buying should never come from pressure or debt; a single silver coin or a small vessel fulfils the custom completely.

In the evening, in the pradosh period, Kuber and Lakshmi are worshipped as described in the method above. Traders bring new account books on this day, mark them with a swastika and the word 'Shri' in roli and set them on the stool; their main worship is on Diwali. Drawing a swastika on the safe or the place where money is kept, meditating on Kuber and placing the new metal there are part of this same puja. Those who could not buy gold or silver bring home on this day the clay images of Lakshmi and Ganesh that will be needed for the Diwali puja.

The thirteen lamps are for the thirteen of the trayodashi. At dusk, besides the Yama lamp, thirteen lamps are lit inside and outside the house: at the door, in the courtyard, the kitchen, the puja room, by the tulsi, on the roof and the stairs. In many homes lamps are lit every evening from this day until Diwali, and on the next day, Narak Chaturdashi (Choti Diwali), fourteen lamps are lit. The meaning of the lamps is the one in the princess's story: in the light, neither death nor poverty can find the door.

By tradition the Dhanteras puja is done for the family's health, long life and prosperity: the Yama lamp for protection from untimely death, the Dhanvantari puja for freedom from illness, and the Kuber-Lakshmi puja for wealth that stays. The message of the story is that fate's writing is hard, but vigil, wit, light and love can turn it aside. The princess neither fought Yama nor fled; she lit lamps and sang. The heap of wealth dazzled Yama's eyes, but it was the songs that held him till dawn.

Dhanteras reminds us that the first form of wealth is health: it was the pot of nectar that rose on this day, not gold. In Jyotish, Venus is the significator of wealth and enjoyment and Jupiter of prosperity, wisdom and protection; the second house of the kundli shows accumulated wealth and the eleventh house income and gain. Those whose kundli has a weak Venus or Jupiter, or an afflicted second or eleventh house, are said to gain most from the Dhanteras puja and from giving on this day. Giving matters on this day no less than buying: for physicians and medicine, and for those who need food.

The puja ends with the Lakshmi aarti 'Om Jai Lakshmi Mata', and with it in most homes the Ganesh aarti 'Jai Ganesh Deva' and the Vishnu aarti 'Om Jai Jagdish Hare', since Dhanvantari is a portion of Vishnu. Some homes also read a hymn to Dhanvantari. After the aarti share the prasad of kheel-batashe and sweets, and leave the Yama lamp burning through the night.