WHEN: Karthik (October/ November)

Amla Navmi falls on the ninth day of Shukla Paksh in the month of Karthik. Women celebrate this for the well-being of their family.

HOW:

Preparation for the puja

• If the Amla tree is not in the vicinity of the house, a small branch of the tree is brought to the house and either put in a mud pot or a kalash of water for puja
• Amla
• Water in a kalash, milk Roli, moli, chawal
• Jaggery, batasha, raw white thread, moli
• Doop, deepak, matchstick
• Money for offering
• Saree, blouse-piece and dakshina for Brahminis (optional)
• Blouse piece (either red, yellow or pink in colour)

Method of performing the puja

• In the morning, face east and perform puja by offering water to the amla tree. Water, milk, moli, roli, chawal, jaggery, batasha, amla, blouse piece and some money are offered to the amla tree.
• Dhoop & deepak are lit.
• The women performing the puja put tikka on their foreheads.
• Women go around the amla tree either 8 or 108 times. While doing the parikrama, they wrap the raw white thread or red moli around the amla tree.
• After this, one reads or listens to the katha of Amla Navmi, few grains of rice are kept in the hand while listening to the katha and they are later placed in the kalash of water which is put in the amla tree. Then, Bindaayakji ki katha is read.
• After the Brahmini has eaten, clothes and dakshina are given to her (optional).
• On this day, one should eat amla.

Amla Navmi ki Katha 

There was a Raja who used to give away 40 kgs of amla made of gold to the Brahmins every day and then only ate his food. One day his son objected to his generosity saying that they will be left with nothing if the Raja continued his charity. The Raja felt very unhappy and along with his Rani left the palace to live in a jungle. A week passed by. As the Raja could not offer amla to the Brahmins, he did not eat. On seeing the plight of the Raja, God was worried that the Raja might die without eating. That night He told the Raja in his dream to have his food assuring him that everything will be made alright.

In the morning with the blessings of God the Raja found lots of wealth and a tree of Amla with fruits made of gold. The Raja along with his Rani gave away the gold fruits to the Brahmins, performed the puja and took his meals.

The news about the generous Raja spread in the surrounding villages. In the meanwhile, the Raja’s son and daughter-in-law had lost their kingdom and were very unhappy. After hearing about the generosity of the Raja, they came to him looking for some work. The Rani recognised them instantly, but the son did not know that the generous Raja was his father. Rani told the ministers to employ them with high salary but instructed them to assign very little work to them.

One day Rani called her daughter-in-law to give her a bath. As she was giving Rani the bath the daughter-in-law started crying. On inquiring, she said that Rani has a black spot on the back which was similar to that of her mother-in-law whom she and her husband had insulted. Rani told her that she indeed was her mother-in-law. The son and daughter-in-law were very remorseful and asked for forgiveness. Raja, Rani, son and the daughter-in-law all started living happily together and daily gave amla to Brahmins.

Hey Almighty, as you blessed the Raja and the Rani by giving them wealth and happiness, so also bless the narrator of the katha, listeners of the katha and the followers of the katha along with their family.

Bindaayakji /Ganeshji ki Katha is read after one reads the festival katha. A few grains of rice are kept in the hand while listening to the katha. After completion of the katha, the rice grains are left in the water of the kalash, kept for puja. 

Bindaayakji (Shri Ganesh) ki Katha (1)

There was a blind old woman who had a son and a daughter-in-law. The old woman used to worship Ganeshji every day and everytime Ganeshji would encourage her to seek a boon. Every day she would say “I don’t know how to ask” and Ganeshji would respond “Take advice from your son and daughter-in-law”. The old woman asked her son as to what she should ask from Ganeshji. The son advised her to ask for lots of wealth. Not satisfied with this, she went to her daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law requested her to ask for a grandson. Still not satisfied, she went to her neighbour. The neighbour told her that she should request Ganeshji for good health. The old woman was still not completely satisfied. She wanted to please everyone. Next day Ganeshji again told her to ask for a boon. The old woman said, “I should be able to see my grandson drinking milk from a cup made of gold”. Ganeshji said, “You are a very wise woman. In one wish you have asked for everything.” Saying this Ganeshji disappeared, and the old woman got wealth for her son, a child for her daughter-in-law and eyesight and good health for herself.

Bindaayakji, as you have blessed the old woman, so also bless the narrator of the katha, the listeners of the katha and the followers of the katha along with their families.

Bindaayakji (Shri Ganesh) ki Katha (2)

A young boy had a fight with his family and left his home saying he will return only after meeting Ganeshji. As the boy reached a dense forest, Ganeshji thought to himself that the boy has left home taking his name, so no wild animal should harm him. Ganeshji took the form of an old Brahmin and went to the boy. He asked the boy as to where he was going. The boy replied that he was going to meet Ganeshji. The Brahmin told the boy that he was Ganeshji and told him to ask for one boon. The boy thought for a while and then said, “I would like to have lots of wealth and sumptuous food served to me by a girl who is as beautiful as a rose flower”. Ganeshji said, “You will get whatever you have desired”. On reaching home, to his delight, the boy found a beautiful young girl in a palatial home waiting for him with sumptuous food. The boy told his parents that he got all this wealth with the blessings of Ganeshji.

Bindaayakji , as you blessed the boy, so also bless the narrator of the katha, the listeners of the katha and the followers of the katha along with their families.

Bindaayakji (Shri Ganesh) ki Katha (3)

Bindaayakji, in the guise of a man, went around with a few grains of rice and a spoonful of milk requesting one and all to make kheer for him. Everyone laughed at him and said it was not possible to make kheer with such little quantity. Finally, one old woman agreed to make the kheer. She got a very small vessel to cook. Bindaayakji asked her to bring a large vessel. The old woman got a big kadhai. As soon as she put the kadhai on fire and poured the spoonful of milk with rice in it, the kadhai became full. Bindaayakji told the old woman to make kheer and keep it ready till he came back.

The kheer was ready but there was no sign of Bindaayakji. The old woman got tempted to eat the kheer. She took out a bowl full of kheer, cooled it. She hid behind the door, saying, “Jai Bindaayakji” offered it as prasad to Bindaayakji and ate it. When Bindaayakji came back, the old woman offered the kheer to Him. Bindaayakji said that He had already eaten the kheer when she had offered it to Him as prasad. Bindaayakji blessed the old woman with lots of wealth that would last her for her seven generations.

Bindaayakji, as you have blessed the old woman, so also bless the narrator of the katha, the listeners of the katha and the followers of the katha along with their families.