Navagraha Shanti Puja Vidhi

When to perform

On the eve of any major life event when the chart shows planetary afflictions; during Sade Sati or Saturn Mahadasha; for Mangal Dosha pre-marriage; for Kaal Sarp Dosha; on each planet's specific weekday for targeted remedies.

Significance

Navagraha Shanti is the classical Vedic puja for pacifying the nine planets — the Sanskrit word 'shanti' here means peace, and specifically the pacification of malefic planetary influences indicated in the birth chart. Where the Jyotshi reads the chart and identifies the affliction, the Purohit performs the shanti to address it.

The nine planets in Vedic astrology are: Surya (Sun), Chandra (Moon), Mangal (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Brihaspati / Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), Rahu (north lunar node), and Ketu (south lunar node). Each planet has its own beeja mantra, its own weekday, its own colour, its own offering, and its own remedy approach. A full Navagraha puja invokes all nine in sequence and offers each its specific samagri.

The puja is most often performed: pre-marriage when one or both charts show Mangal Dosha; during Sade Sati or Saturn Mahadasha; for those born under Kaal Sarp Dosha; before major life undertakings (business launch, surgery, long journey) when the planetary period is unfavourable. The full classical form includes a homam (fire ritual) — but a shorter daily form can be performed at home.

Samagri checklist

• Nine separate small heaps of samagri — one per planet. Each heap on coloured cloth matching the planet:
• Surya: red cloth, ruby/copper coin, wheat, red flowers, jaggery
• Chandra: white cloth, pearl/silver, raw rice, white flowers, kheer
• Mangal: red cloth, coral/copper, masoor dal, red flowers, jaggery
• Budha: green cloth, emerald/bronze, moong dal, green/yellow flowers, kheer
• Brihaspati: yellow cloth, yellow sapphire/gold, chana dal, yellow flowers, ghee laddoo
• Shukra: white cloth, diamond/silver, white rice, white flowers, kheer with cardamom
• Shani: black cloth, blue sapphire/iron, urad dal/sesame, blue flowers, sesame oil dish
• Rahu: black/grey cloth, hessonite/lead, urad dal, dark flowers, milk-rice
• Ketu: smoky/multicolour cloth, cat's eye/iron, kulthi dal, mixed flowers, kheer
• Common items: kalash, mango leaves, coconut, akshat, kumkum, chandan, mauli, agarbatti, camphor, ghee, navagraha yantra (paper or copper)

Step-by-step procedure

1. Consult Jyothshi Ji or a chart-aware Pandit first to identify which planet(s) need primary pacification. Perform a full Navagraha puja or a focused single-planet remedy as advised.
2. Bathe and wear clean clothing — white is the safe default; otherwise the colour of the principal planet being pacified.
3. Set up the puja area with a chowki covered in white cloth. Place the Navagraha yantra (paper print or copper plate) at the centre.
4. Lay out the nine heaps of samagri in the classical Navagraha layout: Surya at centre, Chandra to his south-east, Mangal to his south, Budha to his north-east, Brihaspati to his north, Shukra to his east, Shani to his west, Rahu to his south-west, Ketu to his north-west.
5. Begin with Ganesh Vandana to remove obstacles.
6. Perform Sankalpa: state your full name, birth date and time, gotra, current address, the specific dosha being addressed (Mangal, Sade Sati, Kaal Sarp, etc.), and the intention.
7. Invoke each planet in sequence with its beeja mantra. Offer the corresponding samagri at each station — flowers, akshat, dhup, deep, naivedya specific to that planet.
8. For each planet, chant the beeja mantra 108 times if performing a full puja, or 28 times if a brief form. Use a tulsi or rudraksha mala.
9. If a homam is included: light the havan kund and offer the prescribed samagri (samidhas, til, ghee) into the fire while chanting each planet's mantra.
10. Conclude the planetary invocations with the Navagraha aarti.
11. Perform Pushpanjali — offer flowers in cupped hands while reciting a closing prayer for general planetary peace.
12. Distribute prasad. Donate food, cloth, or money in the name of the principal planet being pacified — daan (charity) is considered an essential complement to graha shanti.
13. Continue any planetary practices recommended by Jyothshi Ji — wearing a gemstone, fasting on the planet's weekday, lighting a diya, or chanting daily for 40 days (mandala).

Mantras

Frequently asked questions

Plan this puja with Purohit Ji

Purohit Ji helps you choose the muhurat, prepare the samagri, and walk through the procedure — so the puja is grounded rather than rehearsed.