Vat Purnima Vrat falls on Jyeshtha Purnima and this year it is being celebrated today on Tuesday, June 14. On this day married Hindu women observes fast for the long life of their husbands. The Vat Purnima Vrat tithi began from 9:02 PM on June 13 and will go on till 05:21 PM on June 14. Most women belonging to Gujarat, Maharashtra, and south Indian states keep this vrat.
The auspicious timings for puja is from 9:40 AM to 6:32 PM.
This fast is very similar to the Vat Savitri Vrat which falls on Jyeshtha Amavasya. In fact, the reason behind observing the fast is also the same.
As per Hindu mythology, Savitri had tricked Lord Yama (the God of death) in a way that he had no option but to return the life of her husband named Satyawan. This incident became famous and married women started praying in a similar fashion for the long lives of their husbands.
Those women who observe this fast take bath early in the morning and get dressed in new clothes. They do their shringaar with sindoor and bangles. Many women also prefer putting henna on their hands and wear heavy jewellery on the occasion. As per belief, those who are keeping this fast also need to maintain celibacy for the day.
During the day’s shubh muhurat, the women perform puja under a banyan tree. They place idols of Satyavan and Savitri and offer vermillion, fruits and other things as a part of the ritual. Then flowers, rice, water, gram seeds and some special dishes made for the occasion are offered to the banyan tree.
After the puja is done, the fasting ladies tie the yellow and red thread around the tree trunk while doing parikrama. They, then, recite or listen to the story of Satyavan and Savitri to complete the day’s puja. Later on, prasad is distributed among people.
