Which Puja to Do for Depression, Anxiety and Mental Illness — Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap and Chandra Shanti

For depression and anxiety, the puja tradition names first is the Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap — Shiva’s mantra for protection from illness and untimely death, chanted by pandits with the sankalp in the patient’s name and gotra. Where the kundli shows the Moon (Chandra) afflicted, that planet’s own shanti is added. Both are prayers made alongside medical treatment, never instead of it.

In Jyotish the Moon is the mind (manas). A Moon that is weak, joined by Rahu or Ketu (Grahan Yoga) or by Saturn (Vish Yoga), or under Sade Sati, is the traditional reading for anxiety, low mood and disturbed sleep. That does not mean everyone with depression and anxiety has an afflicted Moon (Chandra): whether the planet is involved is read in the person’s own kundli. You can check it free in Find Your Puja — enter the birth details and the problem, and the kundli is read for it. If it is involved, the remedy is Chandra Shanti Puja.

11,000 for anxiety, stress or sleeplessness; 51,000 for long-running depression or a hospitalisation; for someone in crisis, the first step is always immediate medical help. A larger count is a larger prayer by more pandits; no count is a guarantee of recovery. The sankalp can be given by a family member — the patient need not be present.

Nothing in the tradition asks anyone to stop, delay or change treatment for depression and anxiety. Follow every instruction of your doctor; the puja is a prayer for strength and for the treatment to go well. For an emergency, an ICU stay or an operation, see which puja when someone is in the ICU or has surgery tomorrow. To book: Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap in Ujjain.