Vat Savitri Vrat Puja Vidhi: Know how to perform all the rituals

Pic credit: istockphoto. Vat Savitri Vrat Puja Vidhi: Know how to perform all the rituals 

Married Hindu women who hail from North India observe the Vat Savitri Vrat on the Amavasya Tithi of Jyeshtha month. The celebrations concur with Shani Jayanti, a day dedicated to Shani Dev, the embodiment of planet Saturn (Shani). However, the Vat Savitri Vrat is dedicated to Devi Savitri, who made Yama Raj (the God of death) infuse life into her dead husband's body. Therefore, Savitri is honoured as a devout wife who braved and tricked Yama Raj to save her spouse, Satyawan's life. This year, Vat Savitri Vrat will be observed on June 10. Read on to know the Vat Savitri Vrat puja vidhi, and check out these links for the puja samagri and the vrat rules.

Vat Savitri Vrat Puja Vidhi

Since the pandemic caused due to the coronavirus hasn't ended yet, it would be best to perform the puja at home. The puja vidhi may vary from one region to the other, but the main rituals are as follows:

• After taking a bath and making all the puja preparations, get dressed in your best finery and adorn yourself with solah shringar.
• Assemble all the puja items in a bamboo or cane basket.
• It would be best to get a small banyan plant pot so that you can perform the puja at home in the same manner.
• The Banyan tree represents the Hindu trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The tree's roots symbolise Brahma, the creator; the trunk is Vishnu, the protector and the canopy, Mahesh, the destroyer. Therefore, even if you have images or idols of the three deities, you can place them on the altar and perform the puja.
• Then light a lamp with oil or ghee. 
• Offer your salutations to Lord Ganesha before beginning the puja. 
• If you have the Banyan plant in a pot, place the idols of Savitri and Satyawan near it and start offering your prayers. Then, begin the puja by seeking the blessings of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.
• Subsequently, offer water to the Banyan plant pot and offer Haldi, Kumkum, Akshat, Roli and Kalava to the pot.
• Follow this step by gently moving the hand fan (pankha) to and fro over the banyan plant pot.  
• Then offer Gandham (chandan), Pushpam (flowers), Deepam (lamp), Dhoop (Incense), Naivedhyam (food and other preparations - in this case, soaked Chana and gud/jaggery, batasha and pooris etc.). 
• After you complete these steps, do the parikrama of the Banyan plant pot while tying the kaccha soot (raw white cotton threat or red kalava) around its stem seven times. The number of parikrama too may vary from region to region.
• Subsequently, offer paan, supari, coconut, fruits and dakshina. 
• In the end, sit near the Banyan plant and read the vrat katha. 
• Conclude the puja by doing namaskar or bowing before the deities.