Your selected day · Baru
2026-11-12 · local time
- Sunrise
- 12 Nov, 06:56 am
- Rahu Kaal
- 12 Nov, 01:28 pm – 12 Nov, 02:46 pm
- Shukla Tritiya · tithi interval
- 11 Nov, 03:54 pm – 12 Nov, 06:10 pm
- Shukla Chaturthi · tithi interval
- 12 Nov, 06:10 pm – 13 Nov, 08:43 pm
Third Navadurga · Maa Chandraghanta worship
The bell-shaped crescent gives Chandraghanta her name. Her protective, armed image is balanced by a composed expression and a gesture of reassurance. Worship centres on courage guided by care: the strength to protect others while keeping one’s own attention calm.
Prepare your puja
Set out flowers, water, a lamp and a fresh household offering. If a bell accompanies your household aarti, place it within reach. Keep the volume comfortable for children, elders and neighbours.
Simple home puja vidhi
Read more · step-by-step home worship
- Prepare a calm shrine
Arrange the image and offerings. Spend a moment noticing the blessing gesture before beginning the prayer.
- Invoke the protective form
Begin with your usual opening prayer and offer flowers. Remember the courage and composure expressed by Maa Chandraghanta.
- Read and recite
Recite the name invocation below, followed by a familiar Durga hymn or Saptashati passage. Let everyone join or listen at a comfortable pace.
- Conclude with aarti
Offer bhog and perform aarti in your household manner. Ring the bell if customary, share prasad and leave the prayer area orderly.
Read more · The bell and the blessing gesture
The crescent in her name is described through the shape of a bell. A household bell may accompany worship, but the name does not make bell-ringing compulsory. The weapons express protection in the devotional image; the open palm keeps reassurance central.
Questions about this observance
Do I need a separate bell for this worship?
No special purchase is required for this simple prayer. Use the items already part of your household practice.
Can children join this reading?
Yes. Explain the image through protection and courage, allow them to listen and keep lamps and other prayer items safely supervised.
A protective presence, a composed heart
The third form pairs a protective presence with a composed face. Her bell-shaped crescent gives her name, while the open palm offers reassurance among the weapons. Devotees remember courage that protects rather than intimidates.
Chandra refers to the Moon and ghanta to a bell. The crescent on Chandraghanta’s crown is described as bell-shaped. She is the third form in the familiar Navadurga sequence, remembered through imagery of readiness and reassurance.
Her ten arms hold weapons and prayer objects; two hands offer protection and blessing. A tiger is her mount in this illustration. The combination of a calm face and an armed form makes protection central to the image, rather than anger for its own sake.
Dhyana · contemplation
Notice the open palm among the weapons. Pause with that gesture of reassurance before reciting the name prayer. Allow courage and gentleness to occupy the same moment of attention.
A guided reflection by PanchangSaathi.
Japa · name mantra
ॐ देवी चन्द्रघण्टायै नमः॥
Oṃ Devī Candraghaṇṭāyai Namaḥ.
Salutations to Goddess Chandraghanta.
Recite at a comfortable pace, following your family’s practice.
Clothes, colours & flowers
Navratri colour sequences vary with the year, region and local custom. Wear the colour followed by your family or community, or choose clean, comfortable clothes for home worship. A published day-colour list is not a fixed colour rule for a Devi form.
Read more · planning your Navratri prayer
When should I begin?
For a daily reading, choose a quiet time you can return to. If you perform a timed ceremony, open the local festival timings using the date and place you selected.
How much should I recite?
Start with the name mantra and a familiar passage. A longer recitation can be divided into comfortable sessions. There is no compulsory repetition count in this household reading guide.
What can the whole family do?
One person can read aloud, another can prepare the offering, and others can listen or join the name prayer. Finish by sharing prasad and a prayer for everyone’s wellbeing.
Where can I read further?
Open the linked Saptashati collection for its thirteen chapters and companion stotras, or move to the next Navadurga reading below.
Carry the meaning into your day
Before a demanding responsibility, take a quiet moment to gather yourself. Consider which action is fair, what needs protecting and what can be handled calmly. Let the reading lead into a deliberate response. A devotional practice can accompany practical preparation without promising that difficulties will disappear.
Continue your Navratri reading
Reading reference
Traditional name invocation; original explanations and guided reflections by PanchangSaathi. Image credit appears with the illustration. Traditional text and iconography reference.