Navratri Day 8: The Significance of Maa Mahagauri and Ashtami Rituals

Ashtami — the eight day of the Hindu festival Navratri is here. This year, Ashtami is on Saturday, October 24. It is marked as the day when Goddess Mahagauri, an avatar of Goddess Durga, is worshipped.

On the penultimate day of Navratri, prayers and offerings are given to the eighth form of the Navdurga. It is the belief that Goddess Mahagauri governs the planet Rahu which is considered to be a malefic planet.

She is also known as Vrisharudha because she is depicted mounted on a bull. Maa Mahagauri is shown to have four arms — one of them with the weapon trishul. Her second hand has a damaru, third one is shown in Abhaya Mudra, while fourth is in Varada Mudra.

Navratri 2020 Maa Mahagauri Puja Muhurat 

The sunrise timing for Ashtami is 05:37 am and the sun will set at 5:04 pm. The Maha Ashtami tithi will start on October 23 at 6:57 am and will last till 6:58 am on October 24.

Navratri 2020 Day 8 colour 

The colour purple should be worn on Navrati’s eighth day, Ashtami. It is the colour of intelligence and peace and should be worn on the day of Maa Mahagauri.

Maa Mahagauri Vahan

The carrier of Maa Mahagauri is a bull. In her depiction, she is shown as mounted on a bull and thus, is also known as Vrisharudha.

Maa Mahagauri Puja Vidhi

For worshipping Maa Mahagauri on Ashtami, present white flowers (preferably jasmine) as an offering and recite mantras. On this day, young girls are invited home and offered an auspicious meal as a part of the puja. The prayer ritual is called Kanjak pujan.

Significance of Maa Mahagauri Puja

It is considered that praying to Goddess Mahagauri will take your troubles away. As she governs the malefic planet Rahu, praying to her can remove the planetary defects and a person will be blessed with growth and happiness in life. This is why the day Maha Ashtami is considered to be the day when devotees should pray for removal of sufferings from their life.