Can women do pūjā during menstruation?

many families traditionally pause formal pūjā for a few days as rest; others do not — the family tradition and the woman herself decide, and prayer of the heart is never barred.

In many traditional homes, women step away for three or four days from touching the mandir, cooking for pūjā and visiting temples. Dharmaśāstra texts describe this observance, and many women experience it as a welcome time of rest from household and ritual duties. It is not meant as a judgement on a woman’s worth.

It is also true that menstruation is honoured as sacred in several traditions: the Ambubācī Melā at the Kāmākhyā temple in Assam celebrates the Goddess’s own cycle, and some communities mark a girl’s first period with joy. Many families today, and many teachers, see no bar to prayer, japa or reading scriptures during these days, and some see no bar to pūjā at all.

There is no shame either way. Mental prayer, nāma-japa and listening to bhajans are open to everyone at all times. Beyond that, your family tradition and you yourself decide.

Kāmākhyā’s Ambubācī Melā honours the Goddess’s cycle · Source: dharmaśāstra texts; family custom

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