Guru Stories
Annual Festival of Mother Tara: Chokkhudaan and Preparations
📅 March 9, 2026
🗣️ Gupta Sadhak Shyama Khyapa
⏱ 3 min read
Source: YouTube video | Bengali to English Translation
📺 Watch Original Bengali Video
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Narrator:
Tomorrow is Mother's annual festival. In honor of this occasion, the temple has been beautifully decorated, as you can see. Right now, the devotees are performing devotional songs.
Narrator:
Like every year, everyone has gathered and stayed awake for Mother's worship this year as well. Everyone is overwhelmed with the joy of the festival. I hope you will stay with us and join the celebration.
Narrator:
Greetings, Gurudev. Tomorrow is Mother's annual festival.
Gurudev:
Yes, tomorrow is the annual festival.
Narrator:
The preparations are almost complete, aren't they?
Gurudev:
Yes, almost complete. We haven't organized anything too grand this time, but we have invited those who are essential. The MLA, the local police station, and the SP will be attending. A few others will also come. I'm not doing it on as large a scale as in previous years. This is the Mother's foundation—Bapan's foundation. The Chokkhudaan (ritual of painting the deity's eyes) will take place tonight. From tomorrow, the main puja and the Homa (fire ritual) will begin. Currently, as it is evening, our usual musical performance is taking place. That is all.
Spiritual Insight
The annual festival of Mother Tara at Shantikunj represents a sacred time of renewal and devotion. The Chokkhudaan ritual—painting the deity's eyes—symbolizes awakening the divine consciousness and inviting the Mother's presence to reside fully in her form. Preparations include beautiful temple decorations, devotional music with traditional drums (Dhak), and the gathering of devotees who stay awake through the night in vigil. While Gurudev has scaled back the grandiosity of the celebrations, the essential elements remain: the Homa fire ritual, the presence of honored guests including local officials, and the joyful participation of the community. This foundation, built by "Bapan" (the elder/predecessor), continues to serve as a beacon for spiritual seekers who come to experience the living presence of the Divine Mother.