Durga Puja Pushpanjali: Flower-Offering Mantras to the Goddess
Durga Puja Pushpanjali (दुर्गा पूजा पुष्पांजली) - Sanskrit Text
Prathama (First) Pushpanjali
ॐ जयन्ती, मङ्गला, काली, भद्रकाली, कपालिनी ।
दुर्गा, शिवा, क्षमा, धात्री, स्वाहा, स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
एष सचन्दन गन्ध पुष्प बिल्व पत्राञ्जलिः ॐ ह्रीं दुर्गायै नमः ॥
Dwitiya (Second) Pushpanjali
ॐ महिषघ्नी महामाये चामुण्डे मुण्डमालिनी ।
आयुरारोग्यविजयं देहि देवि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
एष सचन्दन गन्ध पुष्प बिल्व पत्राञ्जलिः ॐ ह्रीं दुर्गायै नमः ॥
Tritiya (Third) Pushpanjali
ॐ सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके ।
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ १ ॥
सृष्टिस्थितिविनाशानां शक्तिभूते सनातनि ।
गुणाश्रये गुणमये नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ २ ॥
शरणागतदीनार्तपरित्राणपरायणे ।
सर्वस्यार्तिहरे देवि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ ३ ॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
oṁ jayantī maṅgalā kālī bhadrakālī kapālinī, durgā śivā kṣamā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namo'stu te ॥
eṣa sa-candana gandha puṣpa bilva-patrāñjaliḥ oṁ hrīṁ durgāyai namaḥ ॥
oṁ mahiṣaghnī mahāmāye cāmuṇḍe muṇḍa-mālini, āyur-ārogya-vijayaṁ dehi devi namo'stu te ॥
oṁ sarva-maṅgala-māṅgalye śive sarvārtha-sādhike, śaraṇye tryambake gauri nārāyaṇi namo'stu te ॥
Meaning
These are the three offerings of flowers (pushpanjali) made during Durga Puja. The first salutes the Goddess by her many names - Jayanti, Mangala, Kali, Bhadrakali, Kapalini, Durga, Shiva, Kshama, Dhatri - with the offering of sandal-scented flowers and bilva leaves. The second hails her as the slayer of Mahishasura, the great Mahamaya, Chamunda garlanded with skulls, praying: "Grant long life, health and victory, O Goddess." The third is the universally beloved invocation: "Salutations to Narayani, the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious, the refuge, the three-eyed Gauri who fulfils every aim; you who are the eternal power behind creation, preservation and dissolution; you who are devoted to rescuing the distressed and the helpless who take refuge in you - O Devi, remover of all suffering, salutations to you."
About these Mantras
The Durga Puja Pushpanjali is the sequence of mantras chanted while devotees offer flowers to the Goddess, most prominently on the mornings of Saptami, Ashtami and Navami during Sharadiya Navaratri (Durga Puja). The verses are drawn largely from the Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmya) - the "Sarvamangala Mangalye" and "Srishti-sthiti-vinashanam" verses are among the most famous prayers to the Goddess in all of Hindu worship. The offering of bilva leaves and flowers (pushpanjali) is the climactic act of collective devotion in the Durga mandap.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
Offering the pushpanjali with these mantras is believed to bestow long life, health, victory, prosperity and the removal of all suffering. It is an act of complete surrender to the Divine Mother as the refuge of the distressed. Participating in the collective pushpanjali during Durga Puja is held to grant the Goddess's blessings for the whole family and to cleanse accumulated sins and sorrows.
Astrological Relevance
Durga, as the supreme Shakti, governs the Moon (the mind) and commands the energies of Mars (courage, victory over enemies) and the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu. The prayer for "ayur-arogya-vijayam" (long life, health, victory) makes the pushpanjali a powerful remedy during malefic dashas and for those seeking protection, success over adversaries, and relief from chronic difficulty. Worship of the Mother is the foremost upaya for an afflicted Moon and for dispelling negative or obstructive energies in life.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Hold flowers and a bilva leaf in folded hands. Following the priest or chanting yourself, recite each pushpanjali mantra and offer the flowers to the Goddess at "esha sachandana... durgayai namah." Three rounds of anjali are offered. Bathe beforehand, face the deity, and maintain a fasting or sattvic state on the puja days.
Best Day & Time
The pushpanjali is offered chiefly on the mornings of Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami during Sharadiya Durga Puja (autumn Navaratri). Ashtami morning is the most important. It is also offered on Fridays and Ashtami throughout the year in Devi worship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pushpanjali in Durga Puja?
It is the ritual offering of flowers and bilva leaves to the Goddess, accompanied by these mantras, performed collectively during Durga Puja, especially on Ashtami morning.
Where do these verses come from?
They are drawn largely from the Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmya), including the famous "Sarvamangala Mangalye" prayer to Narayani.
What do devotees pray for?
For long life, health, victory, the fulfilment of all aims, and the removal of all suffering, surrendering to the Mother as refuge of the distressed.
Flowers, bilva leaves, and the devotional heart of Durga Puja's climax
The Pushpanjali - the flower offering - is one of the most visually and emotionally powerful moments in the cycle of Durga Puja, transforming individual worshippers into a collective expression of love and longing. When devotees gather with cupped hands filled with flowers and bilva leaves on Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami, and recite the Pushpanjali mantras together, the ritual becomes more than a formal offering: it becomes a surrender of beauty to Beauty itself. The mantras accompanying this gesture move through layers of Devi's identity, from her most universal and protective form to her most tender maternal aspect, creating a devotional arc that the ritual body experiences even before the mind has fully absorbed the words. The beloved Sarvamangala Mangalye prayer, woven into this sequence, is perhaps the most widely known Devi mantra in Bengal and across devotional India, its cadence immediately evoking the Goddess as the auspiciousness underlying all of creation.
The three days of Saptami, Ashtami, and Navami each carry their own spiritual emphasis - from the Goddess in her creative aspect to her ferocious warrior form on Ashtami and her benevolent maternal grace on Navami - and the Pushpanjali mantras reflect these shifts in mood. Devotees who participate in this ritual, even those who are not scholars of Sanskrit, often describe the experience as one of the most emotionally complete moments of their devotional year. In the Jyotish tradition, Durga is linked with the Shakti that pervades all nine planets, and the Ashtami offering is considered especially powerful for those seeking her protective grace during difficult planetary periods.