"Shashthi Devi: The Guardian of Children and Fertility"

"Shashthi Devi: The Guardian of Children and Fertility"

Picture a moonlit night in a village home: a mother whispers a prayer, cradling her newborn, as the scent of mustard oil and turmeric fills the air. A small clay idol, draped in red cloth and surrounded by fruits and rice, glows softly under a banyan tree. With each murmured word, a name echoes - “Shashthi.”

Who is Shashthi Devi, a goddess invoked with tender hope by mothers and families, yet often overshadowed by grander deities? She wields no thunderbolt, commands no armies, yet her presence guards the cradle of life. Meet Shashthi Devi, an emanation of Adi Parashakti herself, the divine protector of children, nurturer of fertility, and gentle custodian of life’s fragile beginnings.

Shashthi’s tale begins with a king’s devotion. In the Devi Bhagavat Puran (Book 9, Chapter 46), Suta narrates to the sages of Naimisha Forest how Priyavrata, son of Svayambhuva Manu, performed penance to secure his lineage’s continuity. Pleased with his austerity, the Supreme Goddess, Adi Parashakti, manifested Shashthi Devi on the sixth lunar day (Shashthi Tithi), radiant and tasked with safeguarding progeny. Her name, “Shashthi,” binds her to the critical sixth day after childbirth, a moment she shields with divine care. The Brahma Vaivarta Puran (Prakriti Khanda, Chapter 45) calls her a daughter of Brahma, her essence tied to this auspicious day. The Matsya Puran (Chapter 154) celebrates her as a protector of infants, while the Padma Puran (Srishti Khanda, Chapter 12) hails her as a nurturer of fertility.

Her guardianship shines in tales of compassion. The Brihaddharma Puran (Madhya Khanda, Chapter 13) tells of her descent to Earth, moved by mothers’ grief over lost children. Disguised as a humble woman, she taught rituals—offerings of rice, milk, and six grains—to ward off harm. The Skanda Puran (Book 6, Nagara Khanda) links her to Kartikeya’s infancy, her blessings ensuring his survival under the six Krittikas’ care. The Markandeya Puran (Chapter 78) exalts her as a deity of healthy births and thriving progeny.

Scriptures echo her role. The Agni Puran (Chapter 121) prescribes offerings of sweets, fruits, and yellow flowers on Shashthi Tithi. The Bhavishya Puran (Uttara Parva, Chapter 23) depicts her radiant, holding a child, flanked by cats—a detail enriched in later lore. The Devi Bhagavat Puran (Book 9, Chapter 47) specifies her rites further: mothers offer milk, rice, and fruits to invoke her protection, a practice born of Priyavrata’s plea.

Shashthi lives on in tradition. Bengal’s Shashthi Mangal tales cast her on a black cat, guarding against Yakshas and the evil eye. Folk stories warn of her turning into a cat to steal neglected infants, returning them when parents repent—a call to cherish the young. In North India’s Chhathi rites, mothers fast on the sixth day post-birth, praying by rivers or trees. South India’s Shashti Vratam sees childless couples tie threads on banyan trees, seeking her favor. Bengal’s Jamai Shashthi feast honors her with sweets, tying her to family prosperity. Villagers craft clay idols near wells or trees, singing “Shashthi Mata Ki Jai” in lullabies.

She dwells in simplicity, a fierce yet tender spirit watching over life’s dawn. The next time you see a thread on a banyan tree or hear her name in a village song, feel her presence—an aspect of the eternal Feminine, born of the Supreme Goddess’s will.

A beautiful stotram from the Devi Bhagavat Puran (Book 9, Chapter 46), chanted by Priyavrata, seeks her blessings for healthy offspring and protection from misfortune. Reciting it invokes her grace, ensuring the safety and prosperity of one’s lineage.

A simple mantra to chant in gratitude: “Om Hreem Shashthi Devyai Swaha”—a quiet ode to the eternal mother of beginnings, born of Priyavrata’s penance.