Navratri Day 2: Maa Brahmacharini (ब्रह्मचारिणी), Story, Mantra & Puja

On day 2 of Navratri, the Dwitiya tithi, devotees worship Maa Brahmacharini (माँ ब्रह्मचारिणी), the second of the nine forms of Goddess Durga. In 2026 her day falls on Monday, 12 October 2026.

The story of Maa Brahmacharini

Brahmacharini means “the one who practises devotion and austerity”. Born as Parvati, the young goddess resolved to win Lord Shiva, who was lost in meditation after Sati’s death. The sage Narada told her it would take tapasya, and she went to the forest to perform it.

For thousands of years, the Puranas say, she lived on fruits and flowers, then only on bel leaves, and finally gave up even those, earning the name Aparna, “the one without even a leaf”. The gods and sages marvelled at her resolve, and in the end Shiva himself came, tested her devotion, and accepted her. Brahmacharini is Parvati in this time of penance: gentle, determined and unshakeable.

Her form and what it means

She walks barefoot, dressed in white, holding a japa mala (rosary) in her right hand and a kamandalu (water pot) in her left. There is no vahana and no weapon: her strength is her discipline.

Day two is about tapasya and patience: the quiet effort that comes before any reward. Students, and anyone working steadily towards a goal, pray to Brahmacharini for the strength to keep going.

Dhyana mantra

दधाना करपद्माभ्यामक्षमालाकमण्डलू।
देवी प्रसीदतु मयि ब्रह्मचारिण्यनुत्तमा॥

May the supreme goddess Brahmacharini, who holds a rosary and a water-pot in her lotus hands, be pleased with me.

How to worship Maa Brahmacharini on day 2

1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes, and sit before the kalash and the goddess’s picture.
2. Offer water to the kalash, and fresh flowers, kumkum and akshat to the goddess.
3. Light the diya (or tend the akhand jyoti) and incense.
4. Offer her bhog: sugar or mishri, and sweets made from it.
5. Chant ॐ देवी ब्रह्मचारिण्यै नमः 108 times, and recite the Durga Chalisa or a chapter of the Durga Saptashati.
6. Sing the aarti “Jai Ambe Gauri” and share the prasad with your family.

The nine days

← Day 1: Maa Shailaputri · Day 3: Maa Chandraghanta →

See all nine days, the dates, Ghatasthapana and fasting rules in our Navratri 2026 guide.

Artwork: the goddess riding a lion, chromolithograph, Wellcome Collection, CC BY 4.0.