Ayudha Puja, also called Shastra Puja or Astra Puja, is one of the most unique and meaningful festivals celebrated in South India. While Navratri is usually linked with Goddess Durga and her nine forms, this special day is dedicated to honouring the tools, vehicles, books, and instruments that help us live, learn, and earn.

Traditionally meant for worshipping weapons, Ayudha Puja has now become a celebration of gratitude. From cars and bikes to laptops and textbooks, every tool that supports life and livelihood is respected and blessed. In many ways, this festival reminds us that divinity is not only in the temple but also in the things we use every single day.

Ayudha Puja 2025 Date and Time

Every year, Ayudha Puja is observed during the Navami Tithi of Navratri. In 2025, it falls on October 1. In some traditions, however, the rituals are also performed on the Dashami Tithi (10th day), as it coincides with Vijayadashami. This shows the cultural diversity in how the festival is observed across regions. Before exploring the rituals, let’s first look at the auspicious timings (muhurat), since choosing the right time is considered essential for receiving the full blessings of this sacred day:

Ayudha Puja Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Ayudha Puja Vijaya Muhurat: 02:02 pm to 02:50 pm

Duration: 48 minutes

Navami Tithi Begins: 6:06 pm on September 30, 2025

Navami Tithi Ends: 7:01 pm on October 1, 2025

Mysore Dasara: October 2, 2025

These timings mark the most spiritually potent periods for puja. Devotees are encouraged to complete their rituals in the Vijaya Muhurat for maximum blessings.

What is Ayudha Puja?

Ayudha Puja literally means the ‘worship of instruments.’ In earlier times, it was mainly about honouring weapons, especially for warriors who prayed to the goddess for victory in battle. Over the years, the meaning has expanded. Today, it is a festival for everyone: students, professionals, craftsmen, and families, reminding us to show gratitude for the tools that make our lives possible. It brings:

• Respect for livelihood tools: Craftsmen and workers worship their tools, machines, and instruments.

• Gratitude for knowledge: Students place their books before the goddess and seek blessings for wisdom.

• Prayers for safety: Vehicle owners decorate and worship their cars, scooters, and bikes.

• Harmony with tradition: Families come together to celebrate, linking devotion with daily life.

Rituals of Ayudha Puja 2025

The rituals of Ayudha Puja are simple but deeply symbolic. They show us how even the most ordinary objects can carry divine significance. Here’s what is usually done on this day:

• Cleaning and decoration: Tools, books, vehicles, and instruments are cleaned thoroughly. They are then decorated with turmeric, kumkum, sandalwood paste, mango leaves, banana saplings, and flower garlands.

• Vahana Puja: Vehicles are worshipped as part of Ayudha Puja. Cars, scooters, and motorbikes are adorned, and in many households, a white pumpkin decorated with vermilion and turmeric is smashed in front of the vehicle. This act is believed to remove negativity and ensure protection on the roads.

• Kalash Puja: A Kalash (sacred pot) is installed, filled with water, and decorated with mango leaves and a coconut. It symbolises the cosmic womb and invokes divine energy into the puja.

• Offerings: Fruits, flowers, sweets, and special naivedyam are offered to the goddess. Prasad is then shared with family members.

• Mantra chanting: You can chant the Saraswati Mantra for wisdom and learning, and the Durga Beej Mantra for protection and inner strength. Reciting these sacred sounds while worshipping tools, books, or vehicles is said to infuse them with positive energy and divine grace. For guided chanting, you can listen to these mantras on AstroSure.ai and deepen your practice.

• Saraswati Puja: In many households, Saraswati Puja is also performed along with Ayudha Puja. Children keep their textbooks near the goddess, praying for wisdom and success in studies.

Ayudha Puja and Vahana Puja

In modern life, Ayudha Puja has naturally expanded into Vahana Puja (the worship of vehicles). For families, vehicles are not just machines but essential partners in daily journeys. On this day, vehicles are polished, decorated, and blessed to keep accidents and negativity away. The smashing of the white pumpkin is especially symbolic. It is seen as an offering to drive away bad omens, accidents, and hidden dangers on the road. This small act carries a powerful meaning: protection through surrender to divine grace.

The Deeper Significance of Ayudha Puja

While rituals are important, Ayudha Puja carries hidden spiritual lessons. It tells us that devotion is not limited to temples or idols. It flows into our daily life, our work, and even the objects we depend upon.

• Gratitude: By worshipping tools, vehicles, and books, we acknowledge the role they play in our success.

• Purity: Cleaning and decorating them shows the importance of respect and mindfulness in work.

• Safety and protection: Vahana Puja ensures not only physical safety but also symbolic protection from negativity.

• Knowledge and wisdom: Saraswati Puja on this day reminds us that true success comes only when knowledge and devotion walk hand in hand.

In today’s busy world, it is very easy to overlook the things we use every day. Ayudha Puja reminds us to pause, appreciate, and honour them. Whether it is a laptop that connects you to the world, a scooter that takes you to work, or the books your children study from, each tool is sacred when used with respect and awareness. Celebrating Ayudha Puja 2025 is about realising that divinity is woven into everyday life.

Ask Agastyaa on Astrosure.ai: Honour your tools, honour your destiny