1. DHANTERAS PRAYERS - To be performed 2 days before Diwali at 8.00pm

Items required:
a) Buy a new utensil
b) Some loose flowers
c) A small garland
d) Agarbatti
e) Some fruits

Cook some prashad and leave it in the new utensil. You can also use fruits or cashewnuts/almonds or even raisins as the prashad. Do the pooja to Bhagwan Ganesh and offer the prashad to Him. Light a jyoth and offer some agarbatti to Him. Place some flowers at His feet. Then pray to the Lord to remove all obstacles and to bring good fortune into your lives. After the pooja and aarti, distribute the prashad to family members.

The Mantra to be chanted is 'AUM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAH' (108 times).

2. KALI CHAUDAS - NARAK CHAUDAS - To be performed 1 day before Diwali at 8.00pm

Items required:
a) Diya
b) Mustard oil
c) Jyoth

Light the jyoth using mustard oil at 8.00pm, leave it outside your house, and pray to Yamraj. This helps to remove one's sins and converts a life full of darkness to a life full of light.

The Mantra to be chanted is 'AUM YAMAYE NAMAH' (11 times).

3) DIWALI PRAYERS - To be performed on Diwali Day at 7.30pm

Items Required:
a) 1 metre red cloth (to be cut into two halves)
b) 1 whole coconut
c) Mango leaves
d) Uncooked rice (500grams)
e) 1 Kalash pot
f) 1 silver coin or RM1.25 in coins
g) Pictures of Ganesh and Lakshmi
h) Agarbatti
i) Akhand jyoth
j) 1 garland
k) Some loose flowers

Take half a piece of the red cloth and spread it on the floor. Spread the uncooked rice on it. Then put the Kalash pot on it. Fill it up with water. Drop the coins into the Kalash and top it up with the mango leaves. Next put the coconut on top of the mango leaves. The coconut must have a swastika sign on it. Place the other half of the red cloth as a vastra on the coconut. Then put a garland on top of it. Light the jyoth using ghee. Place a picture of Ganesh and Lakshmi in front of the Kalash. Offer prashad using the utensil bought for the Dhanteras pooja. Let the jyoth last the whole light. Chant a Lakshmi Mantra and perform Pooja to invoke Goddess Lakshmi's blessings.

Next morning, take the cloth, the garland and the mango leaves and immerse them in the river. The blessed coconut is to be cut open and distributed as prashad to family members. The water from the Kalash is to be sprinked around the home and office. The coins are to be kept in your wallet, cash register or in the temple. The rice is to be mixed with the other rice that you have at home to be consumed by all at home.

The Mantra to be chanted is 'OM MAHALAKSHMYE NAMAH' (108 times).


Pandit Dinesh Kumar Semalty