Vat Savitri Vrat

About

Vat Savitri Vrat is a day of fasting and prayer kept mostly by married women for the health, long life and happiness of their husbands. The vat (banyan tree) is the centre of the day, and the story told is that of Savitri, a woman remembered for her devotion, intelligence and courage.

The date depends on which calendar your family follows. In North India, where months run from Purnima to Purnima (the Purnimanta system), the vrat falls on Jyeshtha Amavasya, the new moon day. In Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of South India, where months run from Amavasya to Amavasya (the Amanta system), it is kept on Jyeshtha Purnima, the full moon day, and is often called Vat Purnima. Because of this difference the two observances fall about a fortnight apart. In Amanta terms, the North Indian Amavasya belongs to Vaishakha Krishna paksha. Traditions vary; follow your family's custom or your priest's guidance.

Significance and stories

The story comes from the Mahabharata. Savitri, a princess, chose Satyavan as her husband even though a sage warned that he was destined to live only a year. When the day came, Satyavan fell lifeless while cutting wood. Yama, the lord of death, arrived to take his soul. Savitri followed Yama, speaking with such wisdom and persistence that he was moved. He granted her several boons, and through her careful wording the last boon could only be honoured by returning Satyavan to life.

The banyan is honoured because it is long-lived and spreads its roots and branches widely, which people take as a symbol of lasting family bonds. In some tellings Satyavan revived beneath a banyan tree. Many families also see the day as a celebration of marital partnership and a tribute to Savitri's resolve.

How to observe (puja vidhi)

1. Wake early, bathe and wear fresh clothes. Many women wear red, yellow or green and traditional ornaments such as bangles and sindoor.
2. Take a sankalpa (a stated intention) to keep the vrat for the wellbeing of your husband and family.
3. Go to a banyan tree, or set up a small picture or clay image of Savitri and Satyavan at home if no tree is reachable.
4. Clean the base of the tree, offer water, and apply turmeric, kumkum and rice.
5. Offer flowers, fruits, soaked gram and a lamp, and light incense.
6. Tie a raw cotton thread around the trunk while walking around it, commonly seven or 108 times. Traditions differ on the number.
7. Listen to or read the story of Savitri and Satyavan.
8. Offer fruits and sweets, then seek blessings from elders. Many women also give a small gift to a married woman or a priest.
9. Break the fast after the puja as your family custom directs, often with fruit and then a simple meal.

Puja items (samagri)

• Pictures or clay images of Savitri and Satyavan (and Yama if your family includes him)
• Raw cotton thread or kachcha sutra
• Water in a lota, rice, turmeric, kumkum
• Flowers, incense, a lamp with ghee or oil
• Soaked whole gram, seasonal fruits (mango is common), sweets
• Bamboo fan or small hand fan, in some customs
• Items for the suhag (married woman's offerings): bangles, sindoor, a small mirror

Fasting and food

Many women fast through the day, some without water, some with only fruit and water, and some take a single meal after the puja. A partial or fruit fast is just as valid. People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast. The fast is generally broken after the puja, often with soaked gram, fruit and a simple vegetarian meal without onion and garlic.

Regional customs

In Maharashtra and Gujarat the day is Vat Purnima and women tie the thread around the banyan together, often at a local temple grove. In parts of Odisha the observance is known as Savitri Brata and has its own set of rituals. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh follow the Amavasya date with group worship under trees. Details of what is offered, how many rounds are taken and which hymns are sung vary from household to household.

Celebrating in the USA

Banyan trees are rare in most of the USA, so many families use a picture, a branch brought from a temple or a drawing of the tree on a clean board, and perform the circumambulation around it. Many temples hold a group puja where a symbolic banyan is arranged. Because the day often falls on a working day, you can do the puja early in the morning or in the evening after work. Raw cotton thread, turmeric and kumkum are easy to find at Indian grocery stores. If you cannot find soaked gram, a handful of chickpeas soaked overnight works well. Check with your local temple for any community gathering. Keep lamps and incense safe near smoke alarms in apartments.