The worship of Sree Sree Ma Jagad-dhatri puja has been carried out in Arabinda Mukherjee’s family for over 160 years. About five generations ago Sri Sarada Mukherjee first started this puja in his native village of Kagram, Murshidabad. This puja is still carried out in the village of Kagram but Arabinda Mukherjee has been worshiping and performing this puja in England for over the last 20 years. He has a temple in his own house and he carries out the puja in the most authenticated way as he learned the puja from his Guru Sri Swami Chidananda Maharaja. He procures all the necessary flowers and leaves in as perfect a condition as possible. He offers 108 Lotus flowers to the Goddess and also 108 flawless bel-leaves with the houm. The auspicious date usually falls in November, and is on the 9th day after the New Moon of Kali Puja / Diwali.
Sree Sree Ma Jagadhatri Puja is the last puja of the Hindu Puja season in the Autumn. The Hindu Puja Season begins with Durga Puja, which are held on the 7th, 8th and 9th days of the festival of Navaratri.
Sree Sree Ma Durga who is the Sakti, takes the shape of Mahisasuramardini, by taking all the powers of all the Gods, who had been oppressed by the demon Mahisasura. Ma Durga armed with formidable weapons given by all the Gods and riding on a Lion, challenged the Demon Mahisasura and destroyed him along with his army. But the demon was not completely destroyed so the Ma Durga became the supreme power, the Goddess Ma Kali. Ma Kali eventually destroyed the demon. Ma Kali is the Supreme Truth and once the destruction was completed then there was rejoicing and which is the ceremony of lights i.e. the Diwali Ceremony.
Then at this stage Ma Kali changed to become Sree Sree Ma Jagad-dhatri. Ma Jagad-dhatri is the matured Goddess with all the knowledge and the greatest power. She is the Goddess of the Universe. She is the combination of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati with the supreme power of all three Gunas i.e. Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. She is the power inscrutable, by which the whole Universe is permeated and energized. She is the personification of all wealth, power, beauty, and virtues. She is the embodiment of Yajna [sacrifice], Paravidya [the highest knowledge concerning spirit] as well as Aparavidya [knowledge of secular science]. It is she who bestows wealth – both material and spiritual- dispels difficulties, and annihilates the evil ones. Her beauty as well as her valour, is incomparable. She is the one who sustains the world.
Ma Jagad-dhatri Puja is extremely difficult to perform, in the sense that all the three days of Puja for Ma Durga are carried out in one day for Ma Jagad-dhatri. So it requires extreme discipline and devotion.
Dr Arabinda Mukherjee prepares for this devotional prayer day, by performing a nine day fast during Navaratri. This is the purascharan yoga. The purascharan is the worship of a deity [in this case Sree Sree Ma Jagad-dhatri] with Tantra, Mantra and Chanting with complete discipline and fasting. A particular quantity of chanting is required for the acquisition of purified Mantra + Mind during this fasting period of nine days. Having completed this purascharan yoga one month before the Sree Sree Ma Jagadhatri Puja, Dr Arabinda Mukherjee continues to spend the next month preparing mentally and physically for the puja ahead.
On the day of Ma Jagd-dhatri Puja, the worship begins early in the morning, at about 8am, and finishes late at about 10pm. Dr Mukherjee performs the three pujas in one sitting, and makes many offerings of flowers, garlands, brass utensils, saris, perfumes, money, fruits and cooked fish of seven varieties, many varieties of cooked vegetables and several dishes of a most beautifully cooked meal. In the evening, he makes a sacred fire, the houm, and offers 108 flawless bel-leaves with ghee which are specially brought in from India on the day. He also makes an offering of 108 Lotus flowers during the day which are also specially brought in from India that day. He also offers over 500 of the most beautiful roses and exotic flowers which mainly grow on the bank of the Ganges in India. The atmosphere becomes purely divine. At the end of the puja he recites the special Mantra and sings songs of praise of Sree Sree Ma Jagadhatri.
A large number of devotees come and worship at this puja during the day and evening, and are able to get the blessings and eat the blessed food in the evening after it is over. All devotees are welcome who have faith and desire to see the worship.