Maa Skandamata
Mother of Skanda — nurturing love and a mother's strength.
- Vahana
- The lion
- Bhog (offering)
- Banana
- Flower
- Red flowers, especially hibiscus
- Colour
- Green
Significance
Skandamata is the mother of Skanda — Kartikeya, commander of the divine armies, born to end Tarakasura. She is shown holding him as an infant on her lap, and it is the only Navadurga form that includes a second figure.
The fifth night is about what is protected rather than what protects. The classical descriptions call her Padmasana, seated on a lotus, and give her a gentleness the earlier forms do not have. It is the night families with children keep most carefully, and the one on which the vrata is often kept specifically for a child's wellbeing.
How she is shown
Four arms; the infant Skanda seated on her lap
What is done on this day
Offer bananas. The day is kept for the health of children, and in many households the preparation for kanya puja begins here. Worship of Skanda alongside her is usual.
The nine colours are widely published as if fixed, but they are not — the sequence is assigned from the weekday Navratri begins on, so it shifts every year. The colour shown here is the one most commonly associated with this form; follow your own community's list where it differs.
ॐ देवी स्कन्दमातायै नमः