Chopda Pujan and New Account Books: Vastu for the Business New Year

Chopda Pujan is the worship of a business's new account books on Diwali, during or after Lakshmi Puja, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 8 November according to most panchangs. It is also called शारदा पूजन (Sharda Pujan, worship of Goddess Sharada, a form of Saraswati), because knowledge and wealth are honoured together.

The word चोपड़ा (chopda, the traditional red cloth-bound account book) gives the ritual its name. For many Gujarati and Marwari trading families, and for businesses across Mumbai's markets, Diwali marks the start of the business new year: old books are closed and new ones are opened with a prayer for an honest, steady year. Muhurat trading also takes place on the stock exchanges that evening.

Customs vary between communities and families. Treat what follows as Vastu guidance on the space, and follow your own tradition and priest for the ritual itself.

Your family priest or a trusted panchang decides the muhurat, and you should confirm it with them rather than relying on times passed around online. Muhurat times change with the city, and different traditions follow different calculations.

Many businesses perform it in the evening with Lakshmi Puja. Muhurat trading timings are announced by the stock exchanges each year, so check their official notice. This article does not offer any financial or trading advice.

Do Chopda Pujan in the North-East or the North of the office or shop, with the person performing the puja facing North or East. The ईशान्य (Ishanya, the North-East) is the traditional zone for worship, and the North belongs to कुबेर (Kubera, the guardian of wealth), which makes it especially fitting for a ritual about accounts.

In a compact Mumbai shop or a small office, the North-East corner may be taken up by a counter or a rack. A clean, uncluttered spot in the North or East is a perfectly good alternative. What matters more is a solid wall behind the chowki, no toilet door beside it, and space for the family or staff to sit without stepping over anything.

For the direction to face and where diyas go, see Lakshmi Puja direction and diya placement. The same principles apply at the shop.

Place the new account books on a clean red or yellow cloth on the chowki, beside or just in front of the images of Lakshmi and Ganesha, so that they are part of the worship. Old books from the closing year are kept to one side, closed and tidy.

Many offices now keep accounts in software rather than a chopda. In that case, families often place the laptop used for accounts, a printed ledger, a new notebook or a new cheque book on the chowki instead. Close all other tabs, keep the screen clean, and set it on a stable surface away from diyas and incense.

The स्वस्तिक (swastik, the symbol of auspiciousness and well-being) and the words शुभ लाभ (Shubh Labh, auspicious gain) are marked on the first page of the new book to invite good fortune and honest profit. They are usually drawn with kumkum, sindoor or haldi paste.

Shubh and Labh are traditionally associated with the sons of Ganesha, which is why they appear together with his symbol. Many families also write 'Shri' at the head of the page, and some write the name of their family deity or the business. The exact marks, their order and who draws them differ by community, so follow your elders or priest.

The same marks are often drawn at the shop entrance and on the cash box. If you mark the cash locker, keep the locker itself in the South or South-West, opening towards the North — see cash counter and locker Vastu.

Clean the cash counter completely before the puja: empty the drawer, wipe it out, remove old receipts and broken items, and return only what belongs there. A cluttered counter is easy to overlook in the festival rush.

Make the first entry after the puja, at the time your priest or elders suggest, using the new pen and writing slowly and clearly. Many families write the name of the deity or 'Shri' first, then a small symbolic amount or the first genuine transaction of the year.

In software, it might be a real sale or receipt made by the owner. The spirit is the same: begin with a clean, honest, correctly recorded entry.

After the festival, keep the books and the accounts desk orderly. Our guide to accounts department Vastu explains where finance teams and records sit well, and Kubera and the North covers keeping the wealth zone light through the year.

Consult a Vastu expert when you are opening a new shop or office, rearranging the counter and accounts area, or when the workplace keeps feeling cluttered and stuck despite good systems.

Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar offers commercial Vastu consultations from VastuKimaya in Andheri East and on-site across Mumbai, and distant consultations using your floor plan and photographs. Remedies are non-structural, so they suit rented shops and offices. Vastu supports a calmer, more organised workplace; it does not replace sound business decisions or professional accounting and financial advice.