Ahoi Ashtami 2019: Timings, Puja Vidhi, Muhurat & Vrat Katha

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The auspicious Ahoi Ashtami is celebrated every year on the Ashtami of Kartik Krishna Paksha throughout India, four days after Karvachauth and 8 days before Diwali. This year, Ahoi is falling on the auspicious Punavasu Nakshatra till 05:32 pm which is considered a very fortunate constellation. 

According to mythological belief, worshipping Goddess Parvati on this day, every wish is fulfilled. This fast is kept for the longevity of the child.

Puja Timings: 

Ashtami Tithi begins at: 21st of October morning 06:44 am

Ashtami Tithi ends at: 22nd of October morning 05:25 am

Puja muhurat: 21st October evening 05:42 pm to 06:59 pm.

Total time: 1 hour 17 minutes

Star watching time: Evening 06:10 pm 

Moonrise time: 21st October 2019 evening 11:46 pm.

Puja Vidhi:

On this day women wake up early in the morning and have a bath. They resolve to fast for the long and happy life of their child. Goddess Parvati averts the mishaps in the life, thus she is worshipped in the Puja rituals. Before starting the Puja rituals, the picture of Goddess Ahoi is made on the wall using mud. Nowadays, readymade stick-on pictures are also available in the market. The seven kids of porcupine are also painted on the wall. A bowl full of rice, radish, water caltrop (Singhada) are kept before the Goddess. The lamp is lighted and Goddess Ahoi is remembered with reverence. The story behind Ahoi Ashtami is read aloud to all the members of the family. Few grains of rice are taken in hand and after completion of Puja rituals, they are tied in a cloth. 

In the morning, water is kept in the vessel. Keep in mind, that the same Karva is used which was used in Karva Chauth. Using this Karva (Pot) water is sprinkled through entire house on Diwali. Offer 14 puri and 8 pudi to the Goddess. A separate food platter is kept for the Goddess which contains 14 puris or ‘mathri’. You can also keep cashewnuts as well. The water in the vessel is offered to the moon god in the evening. In another set of rituals, silver statue of Ahoi is also used. Then it is worshipped with rice, milk, vemillion, etc. After completing the 

Vrat Katha

In ancient times there was a moneylender, who had seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. The moneylender also had a daughter who came to her maternal home from her in-laws in Deepawali. On Diwali, seven of the daughters-in-law went to the forest to bring mud to the house, and the sister also went with them. The moneylender's daughter lived in the place where the soil was cut by Syahu (Sahi) with her children. A child of Sihu died of accidental injury to the moneylender's daughter's hoof while cutting mud. For which reason Sahi became angry and cursed her to bind her womb.

The moneylender's daughter is horrified to hear this and begs her seven sister-in-laws one by one to get their womb tied instead. The youngest sister-in-law agrees to put her womb in lieu of sister-in-law. After this, whatever children the younger sister-in-law has, they die after seven days. After the death of seven sons in this way, he called the Pandit and asked the reason for this. Pandit advised serving surhi cow.

Surhi is pleased with the service and takes it to Sahi. Both stop to get rest on the way. Suddenly the moneylender's younger daughter-in-law goes to one side, she sees that a snake is going to sting Garuda Phanni's child and she kills the snake. At this point, Garuda Phanni comes there and seeing the blood-splattered, she feels that the younger daughter-in-law has killed her child, on which she starts bending the younger daughter-in-law.

The younger daughter-in-law says that she has saved the life of her child. Garuda Phanni is happy at this and brings them to Sahi, including Surhi. There, Sahi is pleased with the service of the younger daughter-in-law and blesses her to have seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. With the blessings of Sahi, the younger daughter-in-law is blessed with sons and they live happily ever after.