Ayudha Pooja: Date, Muhurat, Rituals

 Ayudha Pooja is celebrated as part of Navratri, a 9-day festival that honors the Divine Mother. Ayudha Pooja falls on the 9th day of Navratri and is more popular in southern states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. On this auspicious occasion, people worship their work tools, machinery, and instruments. For instance, a farmer may worship his plow, while a sculptor may worship his hammer and chisel. Students worship their books, pens, laptops, and other study tools.

 

Ayudha Pooja in Hindu Mythology

This day has associations with many important events in Indian mythology.

 

Slaying of Mahishasura: The most popular legend behind Ayudha Pooja is Goddess Durga’s slaying of the demon Mahishasura. The Navaratri festival commemorates the nine-day battle between Durga and Mahishasura, culminating in Durga’s victory. It is said that after killing the demon, Durga laid down her weapons. The gods and humans worshipped these weapons to express their gratitude to Durga. On the day of Ayudha Pooja, people worship tools and weapons to celebrate her victory, which symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.

 

Arjuna Retrieves His Weapons: Ayudha Pooja is also linked to an incident from the Mahabharata epic. During their 13-year exile period, Arjuna hid his weapons – many of which had divine provenance - in a Shami tree. On Vijaya Dashami, he retrieved the weapons and prayed to them for victory against the Kauravas. Ayudha Pooja evolved from this act of Arjuna. Later, people began to worship not only weapons but also work tools. In some regions, the Shami tree is honored on Dussehra.

 

Warrior Traditions in South India: In ancient times, Ayudha Pooja was a day for warriors to clean and worship their weapons before they went into battle. This tradition was very common in southern regions, where rulers and warriors expressed gratitude to their arms and prayed for victory. Over the years, people began to include tools used in daily life as well.

 

When is Ayudha Pooja 2025: Date & Time

∙ Ayudha Puja Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025

∙ Ayudha Puja Vijaya Muhurat – 02:28 PM to 03:16 PM

∙ Navami Tithi Begins – 06:06 PM on Sep 30, 2025

∙ Navami Tithi Ends – 07:01 PM on Oct 01, 2025

 

How is Ayudha Pooja Celebrated?

Ayudha Pooja celebrations feature many rituals. Let us see what they are:

∙ Clean the home or office well, as well as the equipment and tools used for work. Clean both personal and professional vehicles.

∙ Apply horizontal streaks of sandal paste on the idols of deities, utensils, and vehicles. Also apply crimson vermillion tilaks on top of the sandal paste. 

∙ Clothe the idols of goddesses Saraswati and Lakshmi in white and red sarees, respectively.

∙ Use plantain stems, leaves, and floral garlands to decorate your vehicles. String Mango leaf torans on the front door of the house. 

∙ Decorate the idols of deities with fresh flowers. 

∙ Arrange books, pens, laptops, etc., in front of the deities.

∙ Offer puffed rice with jiggery and fried peanuts, sundal, sweet dumplings, white pumpkins, and fruits as Neivedya.

∙ Use the tools once after the Pooja, as the Gods have blessed them with success.

∙ Perform Arati to your vehicles with camphor placed on a lemon, coconut, and pumpkin. Dash them open on the ground and then take the vehicles for a short trip.

∙ Do not use the tools for the remainder of the day. Leave them in the Pooja area.

 

What are the Traditions of Ayudha Pooja?

People clean their tools, weapons, and implements, such as pins, pens, knives, daggers, spanners, bows, and arrows, and worship them. Businessmen clean their shops and factories and worship their machines, vehicles, metal items, equipment, etc., which are essential for their industry. 

 

Devotees keep the tools before the Goddess, who is decorated with flowers and other offerings. The belief is that the Goddess blesses the tools and makes them more efficient. 

 

In this manner, people express respect and gratitude towards the instruments that contribute to their livelihood. 

 

In Mysore, the festival is a royal affair of the Wodeyars and has great

cultural and historical significance. The entire palace is beautifully illuminated with thousands of bulbs. At the Mysore Palace, there are special rituals to invoke blessings for success and protection. Rituals include Chandika homa to honor Goddess Chandika, followed by traditional Poojas. The current king does Pooja to the ancient weapons, including swords, spears, and shields, in the royal collection. These weapons were once used by the Wodeyars in battle and represent the family's legacy.

 

When the Pooja ends, the royal weapons are ceremoniously placed in a golden palanquin and taken in a grand procession to the Bhuvaneshwari Temple in the palace precincts. The royal family takes part in the procession, with the king riding in a silver palanquin.

A special Pooja is performed for the royal elephants, horses, cows, etc., as well as the royal vehicles, some of ancient vintage. On Vijayadashami, there is a procession of royal elephants called Jumbo Savari.

 

In South India, Saraswati Pooja is observed along with Ayudha Pooja. People worship Goddess Saraswati for success in the arts, education, and career. Students worship their study materials, while artists worship the tools they use, such as musical instruments, pens, paintbrushes, hammers, and chisels.

 

What is the Spiritual Significance of Ayudha Pooja?

Ayudha Pooja is about gratitude and reflection. It has great spiritual importance for the following reasons:

 

Gratitude for Work Tools: It reminds us to appreciate the tools we use and makes us realize that success is not only due to our efforts, but also the instruments that aid us.

Honoring Our Abilities: Ayudha Pooja is also about inner tools, like knowledge, skills, and intellect. It is a thanksgiving for the god-given abilities that help us succeed.

The Need for Purification: Cleaning and decorating tools indicate the importance of purity in thought and action.

Harmony between Material and Spiritual Aspects: The festival reveals that spirituality isn't divorced from the material aspects of life.

Importance of Hard Work: Ayudha Pooja reminds us of the value of hard work.

Celebrating Knowledge: Students honor books and learning materials on this day. Knowledge and education are the tools that help them design their futures.

Respecting all Forms of Work: It teaches us to respect all work and value everyone’s contributions. For instance, without a farmer and his plow, we will face starvation.

 

Conclusion

Ayudha Pooja is a festival that reminds us of the importance of work and the tools that help us to work efficiently. Tools and weapons may be inanimate objects, but divine grace empowers us to make the best use of them and excel in our work. When we work with efficiency and dedication, we are honoring the divine. By showing respect and reverence toward our work tools, we express our gratitude to the divine energy that works through them to help us succeed.

 

Underlying Ayudha Pooja is a philosophy that is cultural, spiritual, and practical. It teaches us to approach life with a spirit of gratitude, humility, and respect. The festival signifies the harmony between work and worship, between material achievements and spiritual well-being.