Vrat & fasts

What a vrat is

A vrat is a vow of disciplined observance, usually tied to a tithi, a weekday, or a solar event. It is not only a fast. Depending on the tradition and the household, a vrat can include a sankalpa (a stated intention), a specific puja, a restricted diet, night vigil, and a closing ritual. The observances listed on this page range from the fortnightly to the annual, and from the widely kept to the regional.

Who keeps a vrat varies. Some are kept by married women for the well-being of the family, some by householders of either sex, some by those seeking a particular deity's grace, and some by anyone who chooses to take up the vow. Custom, region, and family practice decide far more than any single rule. Where Smarta and Vaishnava practice differ, or North Indian and South Indian usage differ, the differences are usually in the tithi reckoning, the deity invoked, or the food permitted — not in the idea of the vow itself.

Monthly and weekly vrats

Weekly vrats attach to a weekday: Somvar Vrat to Monday, Mangalvar Vrat to Tuesday, Guruvar Vrat to Thursday, Shanivar Vrat to Saturday. Monthly vrats follow the lunar calendar and repeat each month. Among them are Ekadashi, which falls twice a month; Pradosh Vrat; Purnima and Amavasya; Sankashti Chaturthi and Vinayaka Chaturthi; Masik Shivaratri; Masik Durgashtami; Skanda Shashti; Kalashtami; and Sankranti, which marks the sun's movement into a new sign.

Others are annual or seasonal: the named Ekadashis from Utpanna through Pausha Putrada, including Nirjala Ekadashi and Devshayani Ekadashi; Sheetala Ashtami; Vat Savitri Vrat and Vat Purnima Vrat; Kajari Teej; Hal Shashti; Rishi Panchami; Jivitputrika Vrat; Ahoi Ashtami; Sakat Chauth; Varalakshmi Vratam; Santoshi Mata Vrat. Solar and lunar eclipses — Surya Grahan and Chandra Grahan — are also observed. A vrat may be kept for a single occasion or carried as a continuing vow.

Udaya tithi and parana

The day a vrat is kept is generally decided by the tithi prevailing at sunrise, called udaya tithi. Because tithis shift against the clock, the same vrat can fall on different Gregorian dates in different months. This is why a panchang is consulted rather than a fixed date.

Parana is the breaking of the fast. Its timing is traditionally linked to the tithi's end and to the sunrise that follows, and the details differ by vrat. For your own observance, follow your family's practice or consult a qualified jyotishi, and read the specific page for each vrat.