Which Puja to Do for Skin Disease — Maha Mrityunjaya Jaap and Budh Shanti

For skin disease, 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 Mercury (Budh) afflicted, that planet’s own shanti is added. Both are prayers made alongside medical treatment, never instead of it.

Jyotish gives the skin and the nervous system to Mercury, and long-lasting or unexplained skin conditions are also read under Ketu. An afflicted Mercury, or Mercury joined by Rahu or Ketu, is the traditional sign looked for. That does not mean everyone with skin disease has an afflicted Mercury (Budh): 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 Budh Shanti Jaap.

11,000 for most skin conditions; 51,000 for a severe, spreading or long-standing one. 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 skin disease. 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.