Vat Purnima Vratवट पूर्णिमा व्रत
Devoted to Savitri, Satyavan, and the Vat (Banyan) tree as Trimurti · Annually on Jyeshtha Purnima (May-June), primarily in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Karnataka
Significance
Vat Purnima honors the legendary devotion of Savitri who reclaimed her husband Satyavan from Yama, the lord of death. Married women circumambulate the sacred banyan tree, which is believed to embody Brahma in its roots, Vishnu in its trunk, and Shiva in its branches. The vrat invokes long life, marital harmony, and protection for the husband across seven future births.
Who Observes
Married Hindu women, particularly in Western India, who pray for the longevity, prosperity, and well-being of their husbands and the sanctity of the marital bond.
Fasting Rules (Upvas Niyam)
- •Observe nirjala fast from sunrise through the day of Purnima
- •Some women take only fruits and milk if nirjala is not possible
- •Avoid grains, salt, and cooked food until the vrat is completed
- •No consumption of onion, garlic, or non-sattvic substances
- •Maintain purity of thought, speech, and conduct throughout
- •Break fast after evening puja with prasad and water
Rituals (Puja Vidhi)
- Bathe early, wear traditional saree with full solah shringar bridal adornments
- Visit a vat vriksha with puja thali containing kumkum, haldi, akshat, and flowers
- Tie a sacred red or yellow thread seven times around the banyan trunk
- Circumambulate the tree 7, 27, or 108 times while reciting Savitri katha
- Offer water, soaked chana, fruits, and a hand-fan to the tree
- Listen to the Savitri-Satyavan story narrated by an elder woman
Prasad
Soaked chana, jaggery, mango, jackfruit, coconut, and traditional puran poli
Benefits (Phal)
The vrat is believed to grant the husband a long, healthy, and prosperous life across seven incarnations. It strengthens the marital bond, removes doshas affecting the relationship, brings harmony to the family, blesses the couple with capable children, and surrounds the household with the protective shakti of Savitri. Women who observe it with sincere bhava are said to never face widowhood and to enjoy unbroken saubhagya.
Primary Mantra
Vrat Katha (Story Origin)
Princess Savitri, daughter of King Ashwapati, chose Satyavan as her husband despite sage Narada warning he would die within a year. When Yama came on the appointed day and bound Satyavans soul beneath a banyan tree, Savitri followed relentlessly. Impressed by her wisdom, devotion, and unflinching dharma, Yama granted three boons. Through clever requests, she secured her father-in-laws sight, her own progeny, and finally Satyavans life. The banyan witnessed this triumph of pativrata dharma and became eternally sacred to married women.
Book a pandit for Vat Purnima Vrat udyapan or katha
Concluding ceremony, havan, or full katha recitation at your home or remotely with video proof.