Karwa Chauth Vrat माँ पार्वती (गौरी)
The nirjala fast to Maa Gauri-Parvati for the long life of the spouse — broken at moonrise.
Vrat mantra
ॐ शिवायै नमः
Om Shivayai Namah (to Maa Gauri-Parvati)
What you can eat — and what to avoid
✓ You can have
- Sargi (before sunrise only): seviyan / pheni, fruits, dry fruits, mathri, sweets, water / tea
- After moonrise: water from the spouse's hands first, then a full festive meal
✗ Avoid
- After sunrise: no food and no water at all — the vrat is nirjala till moonrise
- Heavy, fried or very salty sargi (it increases thirst through the day)
- Non-vegetarian food, alcohol — the whole day is kept sattvik
Step-by-step vrat vidhi
Sankalpa — the vrat morning
Wake early, bathe and wear clean clothes. With water, akshat and a flower in the right palm, state your name, the vrat (Karwa Chauth Vrat), its count if it is a series, and your prayer — then release the water.
Morning puja
Before sunrise take the sargi (sent by the mother-in-law) — seviyan/pheni, fruits, dry fruits, mathri and water — then take the sankalpa of the nirjala vrat at dawn.
Keep the fast through the day
Keep the fast as prescribed — nirjala — sunrise to moonrise (sargi before dawn). Spend free moments in japa of "Om Shivayai Namah (to Maa Gauri-Parvati)", and keep the mind sattvik: no anger, gossip or harsh speech.
Katha & evening puja
In the late afternoon/evening, women gather to worship Maa Gauri and the karwa (spouted pot) with sringar items, hear the Karwa Chauth katha and exchange the karwas; do the Gauri-Ganesha puja before moonrise.
Chandra darshan & arghya
When the moon rises, offer arghya from the karwa, view the moon through the chhalni, then turn the chhalni to see the spouse — the fast is then broken.
Paran — breaking the fast
At moonrise — offer arghya to the moon, view the moon (and spouse) through the chhalni (sieve), then drink water from the spouse's hands and take the meal.
Daan & prasad
Share the prasad with everyone present and give some daan (food, fruit or dakshina) as per capacity — the vrat is completed by giving.
Special rules for this vrat
- Solah sringar (full adornment) is traditional — the vrat is festive, not austere in appearance.
- Pregnant or unwell women traditionally keep a phalahar form instead of nirjala — the bhava matters, not hardship.
- Moonrise time differs city to city — check your local Panchang before the evening puja.
Family and regional traditions (parampara) vary — where yours differs, follow your parampara. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and anyone unwell or on medication should keep a softened vrat (fruit and milk) or skip it — a vrat is bhakti and restraint, never hardship to the body.
Choose another vrat
What is a Vrat Vidhi?
A vrat vidhi is the procedure for keeping a sacred fast — from the morning sankalpa (vow), the deity's puja, the discipline of the fast through the day, the katha (vrat story) and aarti, to the paran (breaking of the fast) at its proper time. Each vrat has its own food rules: most allow phalahar (fruits, milk, sabudana, kuttu and singhara flour, samak rice, with sendha namak only), some are kept nirjala (without even water, like Karwa Chauth), and a few carry one defining rule — no grains on Ekadashi, nothing sour on the Santoshi Mata vrat, no salt on the Ravivar vrat.
Pick a Dev or Devi to see the complete vidhi of their vrat — the day, the fast type, what you can eat and what to avoid, the paran rule, mantra, katha and aarti — and use the linked samagri checklist where one exists. A vrat is bhakti and self-restraint, never hardship: children, the elderly, pregnant women and the unwell should keep a softened form, and family traditions (parampara) always come first.