Maa Brahmacharini Mantra, Katha, Aarti and Bhog: Navratri Day 2 Puja Vidhi

Who is Maa Brahmacharini? (Brahmacharini Devi Meaning & Form)

"Brahmacharini" combines brahma, meaning penance or the pursuit of truth, and charini, one who practises or walks that path. She is the second of the Navdurga, worshipped on Day 2 as the form of the Devi devoted entirely to tapasya (austerity).

She's shown walking barefoot, dressed in white, holding a japa mala (rosary) in her right hand and a kamandalu (water pot) in her left. The rosary stands for constant meditation, the kamandalu for simplicity and detachment, and her bare feet for humility.

Pratham Shailputri, Dwitiya Brahmacharini: Which Devi on Day 2?

प्रथमं शैलपुत्री च द्वितीयं ब्रह्मचारिणी।

Pratham Shailputri Cha, Dwitiyam Brahmacharini

"First is Shailputri, second is Brahmacharini."

This is the second line of the Navdurga shloka, the Sanskrit verse that names all nine forms of Durga in the order they're worshipped. Dwitiya means second, and it's why Maa Brahmacharini's day falls right after Shailputri's.

Maa Brahmacharini Mantra & Beej Mantra (with Meaning)

Brahmacharini mata mantra:

ॐ देवी ब्रह्मचारिण्यै नमः॥

Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah

"Salutations to Goddess Brahmacharini."

Suitable for daily puja and jaap.

Beej (seed) mantra, used in havan:

ॐ ऐं नमः स्वाहा॥

Om Aim Namah Swaha

This compact beej mantra invokes Saraswati's seed syllable "aim," tied to Brahmacharini's association with knowledge and the pursuit of truth.

Dhyana mantra, describing her form:

दधाना करपद्माभ्यामक्षमालाकमण्डलू। देवी प्रसीदतु मयि ब्रह्मचारिण्यनुत्तमा॥

Dadhana Kara Padmabhyam Akshamala Kamandalu, Devi Prasidatu Mayi Brahmacharinyanuttama

"O Goddess Brahmacharini, who holds the rosary and water pot in her lotus hands, be gracious to me."

Brahmacharini Mata ki Katha

As Parvati, daughter of Himavan, the young Devi had one resolve: to marry Lord Shiva, her husband from her earlier life as Sati. On the advice of Sage Narada, she understood this could only happen through severe tapasya, and she left the comforts of her father's home for the forest.

Her penance was extreme even by the standards of sages. She lived first on fruit, then only on dry bilva leaves, and eventually gave up even that, earning her the name Aparna, "one without leaves." She stood through searing heat, pouring rain and bitter cold, her mind fixed entirely on Shiva, who remained deep in meditation, undisturbed by the world.

Shiva himself, moved by her resolve, once appeared before her disguised as a wandering ascetic and tried to dissuade her, listing all the reasons she shouldn't want him as a husband. Parvati refused to waver. Pleased beyond measure by a devotion that could not be shaken, Shiva finally revealed his true form and accepted her.

This fierce, unwavering phase of Parvati's life, before she won Shiva, is what Navratri honours on Day 2 as Maa Brahmacharini.

Maa Brahmacharini Puja Vidhi on Navratri Day 2

1. Continue the daily puja. Keep the kalash and barley watered, as established on Day 1.
2. Place her image or idol. Set Maa Brahmacharini's photo, ideally dressed in white, near the kalash.
3. Offer the dhyana mantra. Recite "Dadhana Kara Padmabhyam..." while visualising her in meditation, rosary in hand.
4. Chant her mantra. Say "Om Devi Brahmacharinyai Namah" with flowers and a lit diya.
5. Offer sugar or mishri. This is her traditional bhog, offered simply.
6. Close with the aarti. End with the Devi aarti, given below.

This is the structure followed in the Hinglaj Mata Manokamna Siddhi Paath with Navgrah Havan at Pushkar, performed by temple Pandits on Day 2 for those who'd like the worship done at a temple.

Day 2 · Hinglaj Mata, PushkarNavratri Hinglaj Shaktipeeth Manokamna Siddhi Paath with Navgrah HavanManokamna Siddhi Paath with Navgrah Havan, performed by temple Pandits in your name.Hinglaj Mata Mandir, PushkarBook this puja

Maa Brahmacharini Bhog & Colour

Sugar or mishri is offered to Maa Brahmacharini on Day 2, with prayers for a long, peaceful life, matching the simplicity of her own ascetic days. The colour for her day is white, chosen for the purity and renunciation at the heart of her story.

She's also said to be fond of jasmine (chameli) and hibiscus flowers, which make a fitting offering alongside the bhog.

Brahmacharini Mata ki Aarti

As with Shailputri on Day 1, there's no aarti written specifically for Brahmacharini. The same Durga aarti, Jai Ambe Gauri, is sung for her and for every devi across all nine days of Navratri:

जय अम्बे गौरी, मैया जय श्यामा गौरी। तुमको निशिदिन ध्यावत, हरि ब्रह्मा शिवरी॥

Jai Ambe Gauri, Maiya Jai Shyama Gauri, Tumko Nishidin Dhyavat, Hari Brahma Shivari.

"Victory to Mother Gauri, who is meditated upon day and night by Hari, Brahma and Shiva."

The full aarti continues for several more verses and is sung after the evening puja each day.

Benefits of Worshipping Brahmacharini Devi

• Discipline and focus. Her tapasya is held up as the model for sustained effort toward a goal, whatever form that goal takes.
• Governs the Swadhisthana chakra. In yogic tradition, she's linked to the sacral chakra, associated with creativity and emotional balance.
• Patience through hardship. Devotees pray to her for the resolve to keep going through a difficult period without giving up.
• Strength to fast with intention. Many begin the stricter days of their Navratri vrat from Day 2 onward, drawing on her example of austerity.

Navratri 2026 · 11 – 19 October

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