How to keep the Monday vrat: Shiv puja, food rules and udyapan
Quick answer: The Monday vrat is kept for Lord Shiv and Mata Parvati. Devotees bathe in the morning, offer water, milk and bel leaves on a Shivling, chant 'Om Namah Shivaya' and read the Somvar vrat katha. They eat fruit during the day or a single simple meal, often after the evening puja. People keep it every Monday, on the Mondays of Shravan, or as a series of sixteen Mondays (solah somvar).
At a glance
- Deity
- Lord Shiv and Mata Parvati
- Types
- Regular Monday, Shravan Monday, sixteen Mondays
- Food
- Fruit, or one simple meal
- Start
- Shravan, or the first Monday of a bright fortnight (common practice)
How to keep the Monday vrat
- Bathe in the morning, wear clean (preferably white or light-coloured) clothes and take the sankalp.
- At a temple or home, offer water, then milk, then water again on the Shivling; offer bel leaves, dhatura, white flowers and akshat.
- Worship Mata Parvati and Ganesh ji too.
- Chant 'Om Namah Shivaya' and read or hear the Somvar vrat katha (or the Solah Somvar katha).
- In the evening, light a lamp again and do Shiv ji's aarti.
- After the puja, eat one simple meal or fruit.
Sixteen Mondays and the udyapan
In the Solah Somvar vrat, the fast is kept on sixteen Mondays in a row. In many families a prasad of wheat flour, jaggery and ghee (churma) is made and divided into three parts. On the seventeenth Monday the udyapan (closing rite) is done: puja, havan or katha, and food and gifts for a priest or someone in need. Ask your family priest for the method.
Do
- Offer bel leaves in sets of three, untorn.
- Keep a calm mind and speak kindly.
- In Shravan, try to visit a temple each Monday, and be patient in the crowd.
Don't
- No meat, eggs, alcohol, onion, garlic or intoxicants.
- Don't offer tulsi, the ketaki flower or turmeric on the Shivling (common tradition).
- Many devotees avoid salt or use only rock salt on this day; follow your family's rule.
- Don't keep a strict fast if your health is not good.
Monday vrat rules differ by family and region. Follow your tradition. KathaMantra does not promise that any wish will be fulfilled.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start the Monday vrat?
The first Monday of Shravan is most popular. Many people also start on the first Monday of the bright fortnight of Chaitra, Vaishakh, Kartik or Margashirsha.
What can I eat on the Monday vrat?
Fruit, milk, sabudana, makhana, or one simple meal in the evening. Salt rules differ by family.
Can unmarried girls keep the Monday vrat?
Yes, many girls, and boys too, keep this vrat out of devotion to Shiv.
What if I miss a Monday in the sixteen?
If it is missed due to illness or need, add one more Monday at the end. You can also ask your priest.