CM Bhajan Lal Greets Rajasthan on Navratri Day 5
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
On the fifth day of Navratri, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma invoked the blessings of Skandamata — the fifth form of Goddess Durga, revered as the embodiment of maternal love — for the people of the state, posting a Sanskrit shloka and a heartfelt prayer on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
The Chief Minister opened with a classical Sanskrit verse: 'Simhasanagata nityam, padmashritakaradvaya' — describing Skandamata as eternally seated on her lion throne, hands resting on lotuses — before offering 'kotishaha pranam' (a million salutations) at her feet. He prayed that the divine mother bring happiness, peace, prosperity, and good health to every resident of Rajasthan.
Skandamata, whose name means 'mother of Skanda (Lord Kartikeya)', is worshipped on the fifth night of the nine-night festival as a symbol of a mother's fierce yet tender protection. Her iconography — seated on a lion, cradling the infant Kartikeya — makes her one of the most emotionally resonant forms of the nine Durgas.
Navratri, observed twice a year across India with its most prominent edition in the autumn, draws millions of devotees in Rajasthan through temple processions, garba and dandiya gatherings, and community jagrans. BJP leaders in particular have made festival outreach on social media a consistent feature of their public communication, using platforms like X to speak directly to constituents in culturally familiar registers.
For Sharma, who took charge as Chief Minister in December 2023, devotional greetings during Navratri are part of a broader pattern of staying publicly visible during major Hindu festivals — a tradition long embedded in the political culture of Rajasthan, a state where religious observance shapes community calendars and public sentiment alike.