Sharad Purnima

The Purnima of Ashwin, the one night of the year on which the moon is held to rise complete in all sixteen kalas and to rain amrit down with its light. Kheer is cooked, set out under the open night sky, and eaten in the morning as prasad. It is also Kojagara — from "ko jagarti", who is awake — the night Lakshmi is said to walk the earth and enter the homes she finds lit and awake; and it is Raas Purnima, the night of Krishna's Maharaas in Vrindavan. The entire parv belongs to the hours after moonrise, not to the day.

Next date: 2026-10-25

vidhi

Bathe in the morning, clean the house and the puja space, and take the sankalp for the evening Lakshmi puja and the night's jagran.,In the evening, spread a red or white cloth on a chowki, place Lakshmi's murti or picture on it, and light a ghee lamp.,Cook kheer of cow's milk, rice and mishri on a slow flame, with dry fruits — in as clean a vessel as the house has, silver if available.,After moonrise, offer arghya to the moon from a copper lota.,Do the Lakshmi puja with white flowers or lotus, kheel-batasha, kamalgatta, dhoop and deep, and recite the Shri Sukta or the Kanakadhara Stotra.,Set the kheer under the open sky where the moonlight falls directly on it, and cover it with a thin muslin cloth.,Keep jagran at least till midnight with bhajan, kirtan or japa of the Lakshmi mantra.,In the morning, offer that kheer to the devi, then take it as prasad and share it with family and neighbours.

katha

On this one night of the year, tradition holds, the moon rises complete in all sixteen kalas, and what pours down with its light is amrit. That is why kheer — milk, rice and mishri cooked slowly — is set out under the open sky, covered with a thin muslin, and eaten in the morning as prasad into which the moon's nectar has descended. The night carries a second name: Kojagara, from "ko jagarti" — who is awake? It is said that Lakshmi comes down and walks the earth this night asking exactly that, and enters the homes where lamps are burning and people sit awake in her bhajan. The jagran is not a vigil against anything; its whole meaning is simply to be found awake. And in Vrindavan this is Raas Purnima. On this full moon Krishna's flute sounded on the Yamuna's bank and the Maharaas was danced — the Bhagavata says the night itself was stretched to the length of a night of Brahma, so that it would not end. Amrit, Lakshmi and Raas: three reasons, one night — and all three belong to the hours after moonrise, not to the day.

mantra

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samagri

A Lakshmi murti or picture, with a red or white cloth for the chowki,Cow's milk, rice, mishri and dry fruits for the kheer,A clean vessel for the kheer — silver if the house has one — and thin muslin to cover it,White flowers, lotus where available, and kheel-batasha,Ghee lamp with a cotton wick, dhoop and camphor,A kamalgatta mala for the japa,A copper lota for the moon arghya,Pan-supari and dakshina

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