Shitala Mata Chalisa
॥ दोहा ॥
जय-जय माता शीतला,तुमहिं धरै जो ध्यान।
होय विमल शीतल हृदय,विकसै बुद्धि बलज्ञान॥
॥ चौपाई ॥
जय-जय-जय शीतला भवानी।जय जग जननि सकल गुणखानी॥
गृह-गृह शक्ति तुम्हारी राजित।पूरण शरदचन्द्र समसाजित॥
विस्फोटक से जलत शरीरा।शीतल करत हरत सब पीरा॥
मातु शीतला तव शुभनामा।सबके गाढ़े आवहिं कामा॥
शोकहरी शंकरी भवानी।बाल-प्राणरक्षी सुख दानी॥
शुचि मार्जनी कलश करराजै।मस्तक तेज सूर्य समराजै॥
चौसठ योगिन संग में गावैं।वीणा ताल मृदंग बजावै॥
नृत्य नाथ भैरो दिखरावैं।सहज शेष शिव पार ना पावैं॥
धन्य-धन्य धात्री महारानी।सुरनर मुनि तब सुयश बखानी॥
ज्वाला रूप महा बलकारी।दैत्य एक विस्फोटक भारी॥
घर-घर प्रविशत कोई न रक्षत।रोग रूप धरि बालक भक्षत॥
हाहाकार मच्यो जगभारी।सक्यो न जब संकट टारी॥
तब मैया धरि अद्भुत रूपा।करमें लिये मार्जनी सूपा॥
विस्फोटकहिं पकड़ि कर लीन्ह्यो।मुसल प्रहार बहुविधि कीन्ह्यो॥
बहुत प्रकार वह विनती कीन्हा।मैया नहीं भल मैं कछु चीन्हा॥
अबनहिं मातु, काहुगृह जइहौं।जहँ अपवित्र सकल दुःख हरिहौं॥
भभकत तन, शीतल ह्वै जइहैं।विस्फोटक भयघोर नसइहैं॥
श्री शीतलहिं भजे कल्याना।वचन सत्य भाषे भगवाना॥
विस्फोटक भय जिहि गृह भाई।भजै देवि कहँ यही उपाई॥
कलश शीतला का सजवावै।द्विज से विधिवत पाठ करावै॥
तुम्हीं शीतला, जग की माता।तुम्हीं पिता जग की सुखदाता॥
तुम्हीं जगद्धात्री सुखसेवी।नमो नमामि शीतले देवी॥
नमो सुक्खकरणी दुःखहरणी।नमो-नमो जगतारणि तरणी॥
नमो-नमो त्रैलोक्य वन्दिनी।दुखदारिद्रादिक कन्दिनी॥
श्री शीतला, शेढ़ला, महला।रुणलीह्युणनी मातु मंदला॥
हो तुम दिगम्बर तनुधारी।शोभित पंचनाम असवारी॥
रासभ, खर बैशाख सुनन्दन।गर्दभ दुर्वाकंद निकन्दन॥
सुमिरत संग शीतला माई।जाहि सकल दुख दूर पराई॥
गलका, गलगन्डादि जुहोई।ताकर मंत्र न औषधि कोई॥
एक मातु जी का आराधन।और नहिं कोई है साधन॥
निश्चय मातु शरण जो आवै।निर्भय मन इच्छित फल पावै॥
कोढ़ी, निर्मल काया धारै।अन्धा, दृग-निज दृष्टि निहारै॥
वन्ध्या नारि पुत्र को पावै।जन्म दरिद्र धनी होई जावै॥
मातु शीतला के गुण गावत।लखा मूक को छन्द बनावत॥
यामे कोई करै जनि शंका।जग मे मैया का ही डंका॥
भनत रामसुन्दर प्रभुदासा।तट प्रयाग से पूरब पासा॥
पुरी तिवारी मोर निवासा।ककरा गंगा तट दुर्वासा॥
अब विलम्ब मैं तोहि पुकारत।मातु कृपा कौ बाट निहारत॥
पड़ा क्षर तव आस लगाई।रक्षा करहु शीतला माई॥
॥ दोहा ॥
घट-घट वासी शीतला,शीतल प्रभा तुम्हार।
शीतल छइयां में झुलई,मइया पलना डार॥
1. Who was Shitala Mata?
Shitala Mata is a Hindu goddess revered as the deity of diseases, healing, and protection. Her name translates to “the Cooling One,” symbolizing her power to cure fevers and ailments like smallpox, chickenpox, and skin diseases. Often depicted riding a donkey, she carries a broom (to sweep away germs) and a pot of healing water. Originating from ancient folk traditions, she is mentioned in texts like the Skanda Purana. Devotees worship her to seek relief from epidemics and to purify their homes. Her worship is prominent in North India, especially during Sheetla Ashtami, where stale food is offered to honor her.
2. What is the significance of Shitala Devi?
Shitala Devi embodies the duality of disease and cure. She is both feared as the bringer of illnesses and revered as their healer. Her significance lies in her role as a protector against epidemics, emphasizing the balance between human suffering and divine intervention. Rituals dedicated to her, such as offering cold foods and avoiding cooked meals, reflect her association with cleanliness and cooling energies. Her stories in the Skanda Purana highlight her power to purify devotees’ lives, making her a symbol of resilience and faith in overcoming health crises.
3. Why is Sheetla Mata celebrated?
Sheetla Mata is celebrated primarily during Sheetla Ashtami, a festival observed in spring (March/April). Devotees honor her to ward off diseases and ensure family health. The ritual involves offering stale food (basī bhojan), symbolizing her preference for simplicity and rejection of excess heat (linked to illness). Temples host processions, and families clean their homes to invite her blessings. The celebration stems from agrarian traditions, where seasonal changes brought disease risks. By appeasing her, communities seek protection from outbreaks, reflecting her enduring role as a guardian of public health in Hindu culture.
4. What is the power of Shitla Mata?
Shitla Mata’s power lies in her control over heat-related ailments like fevers, rashes, and infectious diseases. She is believed to both inflict and cure these illnesses, teaching humility and caution. Devotees chant her Chalisa to invoke her healing energy, described in verses as capable of “cooling the fiercest flames of suffering.” Her iconography—holding a broom and pot—symbolizes her ability to cleanse physical and spiritual impurities. By worshipping her, followers seek not just physical healing but also mental peace, believing she shields them from misfortune and negative energies.
5. What is the disease of Shitala Mata?
Shitala Mata is traditionally linked to smallpox (called Mātā or “mother” in some regions), chickenpox, and skin diseases. These illnesses are seen as her manifestations, where she “visits” households to test devotion. However, she is also the cure: rituals like bathing her idol with milk or water aim to pacify her wrath. In modern times, her association extends to all contagious diseases, reflecting her role as a cosmic force balancing health and suffering. This duality underscores the belief that diseases are divine tests, and faith in her can transform pain into healing.
6. Who is the husband of Sheetla Mata?
In some traditions, Shitala Mata is considered the consort of Lord Shiva, the destroyer in the Hindu Trinity. However, regional variations exist. For instance, in Bengal, she is linked to the folk deity Jvarasura (the fever demon), whom she controls. Other legends describe her as an independent goddess without a consort, emphasizing her autonomy. Her marital status is less emphasized than her maternal role; devotees often address her as Mātā (Mother), highlighting her nurturing aspect as a protector of children and families.
7. What to offer to Sheetla Mata?
Offerings to Sheetla Mata include stale food (prepared a day before), cold dishes like curd-rice, and sweets such as basī halwa. Devotees avoid hot or freshly cooked meals, as heat symbolizes disease. Other items include neem leaves (for purification), mustard oil, and water-filled pots. During Sheetla Ashtami, families also offer silver or clay idols of her donkey vehicle. These offerings symbolize humility, cleanliness, and surrender to her cooling energy. Temples may perform abhishek (ritual bathing) of her idol with milk or sandalwood paste to invoke healing blessings.
8. What is the vehicle of Shitala Devi?
Shitala Devi’s vehicle (vahana) is a donkey (gadha). The donkey symbolizes her ability to traverse harsh terrains to reach devotees in need. Mythologically, it also represents humility and endurance, as donkeys are associated with bearing burdens. In art, she is shown seated sideways on the donkey, broom in hand, ready to sweep away impurities. The donkey’s inclusion underscores her connection to rural life and folk traditions, where animals play a role in disease prevention (e.g., donkeys were historically used to carry medicinal herbs).
9. Which goddess sits on a donkey?
Shitala Mata is the primary Hindu goddess depicted riding a donkey. This imagery highlights her role as a protector who travels to remote areas to heal devotees. The donkey’s resilience mirrors her ability to endure and eradicate suffering. In some regional traditions, the Buddhist deity Marichi is also shown on a donkey, but Shitala’s association is more widespread in Hinduism. Her mount reinforces her identity as a grassroots deity, accessible to all, especially in agrarian communities vulnerable to disease.
10. Is Sheetla Mata a Shakti Peeth?
Sheetla Mata is not traditionally listed among the 51 Shakti Peethas, sacred sites where parts of Goddess Sati’s body fell. However, some regional temples, like the Sheetla Mata Mandir in Gurgaon, claim Shakti Peeth status locally. These claims often blend folk traditions with mainstream Shaktism. While she is worshipped as a form of Divine Feminine energy (Shakti), her primary identity remains distinct as a folk deity of healing, separate from the classical Shakti Peeth narrative.
11. Who is the goddess of disease in Hinduism?
Shitala Mata is the primary goddess of disease in Hinduism, specifically linked to fevers and poxes. Another deity, Mariamman (in South India), shares similar attributes, reflecting regional variations. Shitala’s role is dual: she causes and cures illnesses, teaching devotees to respect natural forces. In the Atharva Veda, goddess Nirriti is associated with decay and sickness, but Shitala’s worship is more personalized, blending Vedic and folk traditions. Her narratives emphasize that diseases are not punishments but divine interventions to restore balance.
12. Which day of the week is Sheetla Mata?
Sheetla Mata is specially worshipped on Sundays and during Sheetla Ashtami, which falls on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha (waning moon) in Chaitra (March/April). Mondays, dedicated to Shiva, also see prayers to her in regions where she is considered his consort. Devotees observe fasts, avoid cooking, and visit her temples on these days. The lunar calendar governs her rituals, aligning with seasonal health risks in ancient India, where spring marked the onset of epidemics.
15. Why is chicken pox called amma?
In parts of India, chickenpox is called “Amma” (Mother) or “Mātā” due to the belief that diseases like smallpox and chickenpox are manifestations of Shitala Mata. Naming the disease “Mother” reflects a cultural practice of personifying illnesses to seek mercy and healing. By addressing the disease as a goddess, devotees aim to pacify her wrath through rituals, turning a frightening experience into an act of devotion. This tradition underscores the spiritual view of suffering as a divine test.