Margashirsha Guruvar – Puja Importance and Vidhi

Margashirsha in Hindu Calendar is a month to worship Lord Krishna. Margashirsha Guruvar is a Thursday for married women and they fast on every Margashirsha Guruvar for family, wealth and overall happiness in the family.

Every woman in a Hindu family or mostly Maharashtrian does this vrat for each Margashirsha Guruvar and it is for Shri Mahalakshmi or Vaibhav Lakshmi.

Ghat Sthapana – The 1st Margashirsha Guruvar – Dedicated to Ghat Sthapana and proper pooja ritual. I usually place it near the home mandir or inside it. A clean wood plank, a small table or chourang. The place should be all clean. Add a handmade table cloth or new cloth to this. Arrange a round base with the help of rice or wheat. Place the Ghat/Kalash on it. For Sthapana, a small copper Kalash with half water, 5 leaves of different trees like mango, guava, hibiscus, etc. One can use only the mango if there are no other leaves available. durva, supari, money in the form of 2 or 3 coins. Durva – Scutch grass used to offer Lord Ganesha and is sacred in any Hindu rituals. Supari is a betel nut. *Apply Swastik or Om with Haldi Kumkum on the Kalash before placing it on the table.

Coconut is kept on the Kalash. The market these days has readymade Pooja Vidhi stuff. Apply Haldi Kumkum on the coconut. Place a mukut/crown on the top of the coconut and the face below it as shown in the image.

Devi Oti – Oti Bharne is a ritual that takes place in every Hindu or Maharashtrian woman’s life. Whenever a newlywed or any married woman visits our place we do the same. The same way during Ghat Sthapana we need to do it for the Devi. On the same wooden table, place the Oti with a new blouse piece some rice grains.

Devi Idol or Photo – I have kept a laminated Lakshmi photo. One can place the Mahalakshmi Vrat Book as it has the same Devi image on it.

Other Important Things – Five Fruits on a betel leaf. Additionally, one vida (Supari and it’s leaf), Dry fruits – Kharik, Kaju, Manuka on a Betel Leaf. This is easily available in the market. Every good thing or festivity is incomplete without garland and rangoli. I place a flower on every fruit. Akhanda Jyot with two main Brass Samai in front of the Ghat.

The Margashirsha Guruvar Vrat Book should be read every Thursday post the Ghat Sthapana. Further placed on the pooja table. This day the woman of the family reads the book and every family member sits to hear the Mahalasksmi story. Puja and Aarti are performed. Naivedya is offered to the Devi and we break our vrat in the night.

Friday Morning, do the pooja and keep the things safe in a place for next Thursday. Kalash water goes to the tulsi plant. Additionally, the husband does the vrat with his wife 🙂 The Udyapan day (Margashirsha Guruvar) often married women invite seven or more small girls to have the prasad, touch their feet and give them one Mahalakshmi Vrat Pustak. One can invite a married woman as well. In conclusion, this vrat is done by almost every woman in India 🙂 If you happen to see it in any household please stop to listen to the Mahalakshmi Vrat Story.

Hope you loved reading the post 🙂