Purnima Vrat: Significance, Satyanarayan Puja and the 12 Purnimas of the Year
Why the full moon matters in Hindu tradition, how to keep the Purnima fast and Satyanarayan puja, and the festival attached to each month's Purnima.
Purnima, the full moon, closes every Shukla Paksha. On this tithi the Moon is fully illuminated and, in Jyotish, at its strongest. It is one of the most auspicious days of the month for worship, charity and holy bathing. Check the next Purnima date for your city.
What Purnima means astronomically
Purnima is the 15th tithi, when the Moon is between 168° and 180° ahead of the Sun. The exact full moon happens at the end of Purnima tithi, at 180°. Since tithis vary in length, Purnima can begin in the morning, afternoon or night, which is why the vrat date sometimes differs from the date printed as "full moon" in Western calendars.
How to keep the Purnima fast
- Morning: bathe, ideally before sunrise, and take a sankalpa.
- Puja: worship Lord Vishnu as Satyanarayan, or your family deity. Offer fruit, panchamrit, Tulsi and a lamp.
- Satyanarayan Katha: many families read the five chapters of the katha from the Skanda Purana and distribute prasad, often in the evening.
- Moon offering: after moonrise, offer water (arghya) to the Moon, then break the fast.
- Charity: giving food, clothes or grain on Purnima is considered especially meritorious.
Close the puja with the Vishnu Aarti or Lakshmi Aarti from SpiritualMarg.
The 12 Purnimas and their festivals
| Month | Purnima known as | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Chaitra | Hanuman Jayanti (in North India) | Birth of Hanuman; see the Hanuman Jayanti guide |
| Vaishakha | Buddha Purnima | Birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha; see Buddha Purnima |
| Jyeshtha | Vat Purnima | Married women worship the banyan tree (in Maharashtra and Gujarat) |
| Ashadha | Guru Purnima | Honouring teachers and Vyasa; see Guru Purnima |
| Shravana | Raksha Bandhan | Sisters tie rakhi; see Raksha Bandhan |
| Bhadrapada | Bhadrapada Purnima | Start of Pitru Paksha the next day |
| Ashwin | Sharad Purnima | Moonlit kheer, Kojagari Lakshmi puja |
| Kartika | Kartika Purnima / Dev Deepawali | Lamps on the ghats of Varanasi, Guru Nanak Jayanti |
| Margashirsha | Dattatreya Jayanti | Birth of Lord Dattatreya |
| Pausha | Pausha Purnima | Holy dips; start of Magh Mela at Prayagraj |
| Magha | Magha Purnima | Holy bathing and charity |
| Phalguna | Holi (Holika Dahan) | Bonfire on Purnima night; see Holi |
Purnima at sunrise or at moonrise?
Our Purnima calendar lists the day on which Purnima prevails at sunrise, the most common convention. Some families keep the fast on the previous day when Purnima tithi is present at moonrise that evening, because the moon offering is the heart of the vrat. If the two differ, follow your family tradition. You can see the exact Purnima start and end time for any date in the daily panchang.