Karwa Chauth Puja
The day's fast, the evening katha and breaking it at moonrise
Common way — most homes
Karwa Chauth, Krishna Chaturthi of Ashwina (Amanta). The puja is in the evening and the fast ends at moonrise, which Muhurtha shows for your city.
A day's fast; about 30 minutes for the puja
Married women, and many couples together now, keep this fast for each other's long life. Sargi is eaten before dawn, the women gather in the evening for the katha, and the fast is broken after offering water to the Moon. If a mantra is hard, "Om Namah Shivaya" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›
Get ready
The day before
- Prepare the sargi: fruit, sweets, dry fruit and something filling, traditionally sent by the mother-in-law.
- Buy a karwa (small spouted pot), a sieve, and mehndi if you apply it.
On the day
- Eat the sargi before sunrise and drink water.
- Dress in the evening, and check the moonrise time for your city in the app.
What you need
For Karwa Chauth
- 1Picture of Gauri, Shiva and Ganesha, or the Karwa Mata print
- 1 or 2Karwa filled with water
- 1Sieve (channi)
- 1Baya thali: mathri, sweets and a small gift
- As you wearSindoor, bangles and mehndi
- 1 glassWater and a sweet for breaking the fast
For the altar
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Sargi before dawn
Before sunrise, eat the sargi and drink water, then make the intention for the fast. The strict form takes no food or water until moonrise.
Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Gather for the katha
In the evening, sit with the other women around the thali. One reads or tells the story of Veeravati while the others listen with a little rice in hand.
Pass the thali
Pass the thalis around the circle seven times, as your family's song directs. Offer the rice to the Gauri picture and bow to the elders, giving the baya to your mother-in-law or an elder.
Dhyana — invite the deity
Close your eyes and picture the deity before you. Offer a pinch of akshat as you invite them to be present.
ōm namaḥ śivāya. dhyāyāmi, āvāhayāmi.Pushpa — flowers
Offer the flowers at the deity's feet, one or a few at a time.
ōm namaḥ śivāya. puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi.Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm namaḥ śivāya. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm namaḥ śivāya. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Naivedya — food
Place the food before the deity. Sprinkle a little water around it, and offer it with folded hands. Wait a moment, as if it is being received.
ōm namaḥ śivāya. naivēdyaṁ nivēdayāmi.Moonrise — arghya
When the Moon is up, look at it through the sieve, offer water from the karwa, then look at your husband through the sieve.
Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Break the fast
Your husband gives you the first sip of water and a bite of sweet. Then eat a light meal together. If you are unwell at any point, drink water and eat; the app's moonrise time may differ a little from what you see if clouds or buildings hide the Moon.
Fasting
Traditionally no food or water from sunrise to moonrise. Those who are pregnant, unwell, diabetic or on medicine should not fast without water; a fruit-and-water fast, or none, is entirely acceptable.
Good to do
- Fast together, if your husband wishes to; many now do.
- If clouds hide the Moon, go by the time shown and face its direction.
Tradition avoids
- Do not push through dizziness or faintness; stop and drink water.
- Do not let this become pressure on anyone; the fast is a choice.
The day is about care between two people. A shared meal at the end is as much the point as the fast.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.