What it addresses
Navagraha Shanti is a remedial homa performed to pacify difficult planetary positions in a birth chart — Sade Sati, a Mangal dosha, a Rahu-Ketu axis affliction, or an adverse mahadasha.
It begins with the chart
A meaningful Navagraha Shanti is not generic. The purohit reviews the birth chart first to identify which graha requires attention, and the homa is weighted accordingly: the afflicted graha receives its specific samidha, its number of ahutis, its colour, grain, metal and daana. Share your birth date, time and place at booking so this review can happen before the day.
Structure of the rite
Ganapati pooja, Punyahavachanam, kalasha sthapana with nine kalashas, Navagraha japa (the count depends on the graha), the homa itself, purnahuti, and finally the daana — the giving away of the items associated with the graha.
Daana
Each graha has its associated offering: wheat and copper for Surya, rice and silver for Chandra, red lentils for Mangala, green gram for Budha, chana dal and turmeric for Guru, white cloth for Shukra, black sesame and iron for Shani, and specific offerings for Rahu and Ketu. The Standard and Elaborate packages include these.
What to expect
A Navagraha Shanti takes 3 to 5 hours. The person for whom it is performed fasts until the homa concludes and should be present throughout. The space needs ventilation for the homa.