The Shami Leaf Upay for DussehraWhy Families Keep Shami Leaves in the Tijori, and the Mantra That Goes With It

Of all the small customs of Dussehra, this is the one most families still keep. After the afternoon Shami puja on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, a few Shami leaves are brought home, wrapped in red cloth and put in the tijori, the cash box or the almirah where money and jewellery are kept. There they stay for a year, until the next Dussehra.

The belief is that this keeps the home's wealth safe and growing, and the headline promise you will see everywhere is that money will never run short. It is worth being honest about what the custom is: a prayer you keep in your locker, not a guarantee. But it has deep roots, a clear method and a mantra of its own, and done with understanding, it is a meaningful way to begin the year's finances. Here is all of it.

Why Shami, of all trees?

The Shami (Prosopis cineraria) is a hardy, thorny tree of dry country, known as khejri in Rajasthan, where it is the state tree. It stays green in desert heat when little else does, and that hardiness is part of how it came to stand for protection and endurance. Three strands of tradition meet in it.

The Pandavas' weapons

In the Virata Parva of the Mahabharata, the Pandavas had to live their thirteenth year in exile undiscovered. Before entering King Virata's city in disguise, they tied all their weapons, Arjuna's Gandiva bow among them, high in a Shami tree outside the town. The tree kept them safe for a full year. When the year ended, Arjuna took them down and won the battle that followed. So the Shami is the tree that keeps strength safe until it is needed, which is exactly what you ask of it for your savings. The full story and the Shami puja are in our Shami and Aparajita puja vidhi.

Raghu and the rain of gold

Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha tells how King Raghu, having given away everything in a great sacrifice, still would not send away the student Kautsa empty-handed, and how gold fell from the sky into his treasury overnight. In Maharashtra the story is told with the gold falling on Shami and apta trees on Vijayadashami. That is where the idea of the leaves as "gold" comes from, and why the leaves end up beside your money. The Raghuvamsha itself says only that the gold fell into the treasury; the tree version is the regional retelling. Both are in our story of Dussehra.

Shani and Ganesh

In jyotish the Shami is associated with Shani Dev, and its leaves are a favourite offering to Ganesh. A tree linked with removing obstacles and with steadying Saturn's hard periods is a natural choice for a household asking that its money not be lost to troubles. For offering water to the Shami on Saturdays, see Shami Jal Arpan.

Why red cloth?

Red is the colour of the Devi and of auspicious beginnings: it is the colour of kumkum, of a bride's chunri and of the cloth on which the Navratri kalash stands. Wrapping the leaves in red marks them as consecrated, not just leaves picked up on the way home. Many families use yellow instead, the colour associated with Guru (Jupiter) and with prosperity, and both are traditional. What matters is that the cloth is new or freshly washed, and that you keep the bundle respectfully, not stuffed in among old receipts.

How to do the Shami leaf upay, step by step

1. Worship the tree first. Do the Shami puja in the afternoon of Dashami, between 1:14 and 3:30 pm (aparahna) and ideally in the Vijay muhurat, 1:59 to 2:45 pm. These timings are for New Delhi. Offer water, roli, akshat, a flower and a lamp, and walk around the tree.
2. Recite the Shami mantra (below) with folded hands.
3. Take the leaves. Families follow one of two customs. Many take only the leaves that have fallen beneath the tree after the puja, as the tree's blessing. Others pluck a few by hand after the puja. Either way, take only a handful; an odd number such as 5, 7 or 11 is common, though no text fixes the count. Never break branches.
4. Offer them at home. Place the leaves before your deity or in the puja place, with a pinch of roli or haldi and a few grains of akshat. Some families first offer a few to Ganesh.
5. Make the bundle. On a square of red (or yellow) cloth, put the leaves, a few grains of akshat and one coin. Some add a whole supari or a piece of haldi. Tie it with moli.
6. Put it in place. Keep it in the tijori, locker, cash box or shop's galla, or wherever the household keeps its money and jewellery. Many keep the locker on the north side of the house, the direction of Kubera, the treasurer of the gods.
7. Leave it for the year. Don't open it to check on it. The leaves will dry, which is expected.

The Shami mantra

शमी शमयते पापं शमी शत्रुविनाशिनी।
अर्जुनस्य धनुर्धारी रामस्य प्रियदर्शिनी॥
करिष्यमाणयात्रायां यथाकालं सुखं मया।
तत्र निर्विघ्नकर्त्री त्वं भव श्रीरामपूजिते॥

Shami shamayate papam shami shatruvinashini, arjunasya dhanurdhari ramasya priyadarshini. Karishyamanayatrayam yathakalam sukham maya, tatra nirvighnakartri tvam bhava shriramapujite.

Meaning: "The Shami quells sin; the Shami destroys enemies. You bore Arjuna's bow, and you are dear to Shri Ram. O Shami, worshipped by Shri Ram, in the journey I am about to undertake, grant me happiness in due time and remove every obstacle."

Notice what the mantra asks for. Not riches, but a journey (yatra) free of obstacles: the mantra belongs to the old custom of setting out on Vijayadashami, whether a king on a campaign or a trader on the year's first journey. For a household today, the "journey" is the year ahead, and the upay asks for it to go without obstacles. Small variations in wording exist between regions, with the same meaning.

What to do with last year's leaves

On the next Dussehra, after your new Shami puja, take out the old bundle. Thank the tree, then return the old leaves to nature: into flowing water, into the soil of a plant pot, or at the root of a tree. The coin can go back into the new bundle or into your puja place. The leaves should never go in the bin; they were consecrated.

Shami or apta? Don't mix them up

In Maharashtra the leaves exchanged as "sona" on Dasara are usually apta leaves (Bauhinia racemosa), not Shami. The two are easy to tell apart. An apta leaf is a single leaf split into two rounded lobes, like a camel's hoof. A Shami leaf is feathery, made of many tiny leaflets, on a thorny branch. In Karnataka, Shami leaves themselves (banni) are exchanged. Both customs are traditional; just know which tree your family's custom uses.

Keep a Shami at home

If there is no Shami tree near you, a potted plant serves the puja just as well. Nurseries sell them cheaply, and they need sun and very little water. Many families keep one by the entrance or on a sunny terrace and offer water to it on Saturdays. It also spares the town trees, which are often stripped bare around Dussehra.

What the upay really asks of you

The Pandavas' weapons stayed safe in the Shami, but it was Arjuna who had to take them down and fight. The tree kept his strength; it didn't do his work. The custom is best understood the same way: a reminder, every time you open the locker, that what you keep there should be earned honestly and spent with care. Many families pair it with another Dussehra custom, gupt daan, giving quietly to someone in need, so that the year's money begins with both a prayer and a gift.

Frequently asked questions

On which day and at what time should the Shami leaves be taken?

On Vijayadashami, Tuesday 20 October 2026, after the Shami puja in the afternoon. The best window is the Vijay muhurat, 1:59 to 2:45 pm in Delhi, within the aparahna of 1:14 to 3:30 pm. Avoid Rahu Kaal, roughly 3:00 to 4:30 pm on a Tuesday.

Should the leaves be fallen ones or plucked?

Both customs exist. Many families take only fallen leaves, as the tree's blessing; others pluck a few by hand after the puja. Follow your family's practice, take only a handful, and never break branches.

Red cloth or yellow cloth?

Either is traditional. Red is the Devi's colour of auspiciousness; yellow is associated with Guru and prosperity. Use new or freshly washed cloth and tie it with moli.

Can I keep Shami leaves in my wallet instead of a tijori?

Yes. Many people keep one or two leaves in their wallet or purse, often alongside the bundle at home. Fold them in a small piece of red paper or cloth so they don't crumble.

There's no Shami tree near me. What can I do?

Many temples have a Shami tree, and you can do the puja there. You can also buy a potted Shami plant before Dussehra and do the puja at home; fallen leaves from it work just as well.

Can I use apta leaves instead of Shami?

Apta is the tree of the Maharashtrian "sona" custom, and many families there keep apta leaves the same way. If your family's custom is Shami, use Shami; they are different trees with different stories.

Will this upay really end money problems?

No custom replaces honest work and careful spending. The Shami upay is a prayer and a reminder: that your wealth be protected as the Pandavas' weapons were, and that it serve dharma. Kept in that spirit, it is a good way to begin the year.