Santoshi Mata Udyapan Vidhiसंतोषी माता उद्यापन विधि

The udyapan is the closing ceremony of the Santoshi Mata Vrat. It is done once, when the resolved number of Fridays is complete, and according to tradition the vrat is not considered finished without it. The heart of the udyapan is simple: after the usual Friday puja, eight boys are fed a meal with nothing sour in it and given a small gift. The popular katha gives this day special weight, because it is at the udyapan that the vow is broken when the boys buy something sour, and later kept again properly.

The method below follows the common practice in the vrat booklets. Customs differ between families and regions, so follow your elders where they have a settled way.

When to do the udyapan

The udyapan is done on the last Friday of the sankalp (for example the 16th Friday) or on the Friday right after it. Some families wait for a convenient Friday soon afterwards, such as one in Shukla Paksha. If the vrat was kept until a wish was fulfilled, the udyapan is done on a Friday after that. It is done in the daytime, after the morning puja.

Who are the eight boys

Tradition asks for eight boys (balak) to be fed. They are often boys of the family or the neighbourhood, such as nephews, cousins or the children of friends. Some customs say Brahmin boys should be invited. Where eight boys cannot be found, families sometimes include boys from a nearby home or temple, and some customs allow fewer, but eight is the standard number. Invite them a day or two in advance, and tell their parents that the meal will have nothing sour and that the boys should not eat anything sour that day.

The menu: nothing sour

The meal for the boys, and for the whole household that day, must contain nothing sour. A typical menu is:

• Kheer (rice cooked in milk with sugar or jaggery)
• Puri
• Chana sabzi or a dry vegetable such as potato, cooked without tomato, lemon, amchur or tamarind
• Halwa (suji or atta)
• Gud and chana prasad

Leave out curd, raita, kadhi, pickles, chutneys, lemon wedges, amchur and sour fruits. In many homes tomato is also left out. Check the spices and any ready-made items, since some contain dry mango or citric acid. The vrat niyam page lists what is commonly counted as sour.

Gifts, not cash, and why

After the meal the boys are given a gift (dakshina). The custom is to give a thing, not money: fruit such as bananas, clothes, a book, stationery or another small useful item. The reason comes straight from the katha. On the heroine's first udyapan, her jealous sisters-in-law taught the boys to ask for money; the boys took the coins, bought tamarind and ate it, and the vow was broken. Giving a gift instead of cash means no boy can buy anything sour that day. Many families also give each boy a little gud and chana.

Udyapan step by step

1. Bathe early, wear clean clothes and clean the home and kitchen. Cook the meal without anything sour.
2. Set up the puja as on every Friday: chowki with a red cloth, picture of Santoshi Mata, kalash of water with a bowl of gud and chana on its mouth, ghee diya, incense, red flowers, roli and akshat.
3. Do the usual puja, holding gud and chana in your hand while the katha is read. The steps are on the vrat vidhi page.
4. Perform the aarti "Jai Santoshi Mata, Maiya Jai Santoshi Mata".
5. Offer the meal to the Mother as bhog: kheer, puri, sabzi, halwa and gud-chana.
6. Seat the eight boys respectfully, wash their feet or hands if that is your family custom, and apply a tilak.
7. Serve them the meal with love, and let them eat their fill.
8. Give each boy his gift and some gud-chana prasad, and see them off respectfully with folded hands.
9. Offer the gud and chana from your hand to a cow, sprinkle the kalash water in the home and pour the rest on a tulsi plant.
10. Distribute gud-chana prasad to the family and neighbours, then take your own meal.
11. Pray to Santoshi Mata in your own words for your wish and for the well-being of all, and ask forgiveness for any mistake made during the vrat.

After the udyapan

Nothing sour should be eaten or given in the home on the udyapan day. Many devotees keep the picture of Santoshi Mata in the home shrine and continue to remember her on Fridays. If you wish, the vrat can be taken up again later with a fresh sankalp. The items needed for the day are listed on the puja samagri page.

Health note

If the devotee is pregnant, unwell, elderly, diabetic or on medication, the udyapan can be done with a lighter fast or none, after a doctor's advice; the puja and the feeding of the boys are what matter. This is not a substitute for medical advice; if you feel unwell, consult a doctor.

Frequently asked questions