Santoshi Mata Vrat Vidhiसंतोषी माता व्रत विधि

The Santoshi Mata Vrat is one of the simplest Friday fasts in Hindu household worship. It needs no priest, no costly items and no elaborate ritual: a picture of the Mother, a kalash of water, a little gud (jaggery) and chana (roasted gram), the katha and the aarti. What matters most, according to tradition, is faith, cleanliness and one firm rule: nothing sour (khatta) is eaten or given to anyone on the vrat Friday.

This page explains the vidhi step by step, as it is followed in the popular vrat booklets. Customs differ a little between families and regions, so if your elders follow a particular way, it is fine to keep to it.

When to keep the vrat

The vrat is kept on Fridays, traditionally for 16 consecutive Fridays (solah shukravar). Some devotees keep it until a wish is fulfilled, or for a number of Fridays they resolve on at the start. The vrat is usually begun on a Friday of Shukla Paksha (the bright fortnight of the moon). Many families avoid beginning it during Kharmas or while Venus (Shukra) is combust. For suitable dates, see the vrat start date page.

Women, men and girls all keep this vrat. It is especially popular among women in North and Central India.

The sankalp on the first Friday

On the first Friday, after bathing, sit before the picture of Santoshi Mata, take a little water, rice and a flower in your right hand, and make a sankalp (resolution) in your own words. State your name, that you are beginning the Santoshi Mata Vrat, the number of Fridays you will keep it (for example 16), and your wish or prayer. Then release the water at the feet of the Mother. The sankalp is made only once, at the start; on later Fridays you simply do the puja.

Preparing on Friday morning

1. Wake early, bathe and wear clean clothes. Many devotees prefer red, orange or yellow.
2. Clean the puja place. Set up a low wooden stool (chowki) and cover it with a red cloth.
3. Place a picture or idol of Santoshi Mata on the chowki.
4. In front of the picture, place a kalash filled with clean water. Set a small bowl (katori) on its mouth and fill the bowl with gud and chana.
5. Keep ready a ghee diya, incense, red flowers, roli or kumkum, akshat (unbroken rice) and a little gud and chana for your hand.

The full list of items, with what each is for, is on the puja samagri page.

Step-by-step puja

1. Light the ghee diya and the incense. Fold your hands and remember Lord Ganesha first, as is customary at the start of any puja.
2. Offer roli or kumkum and akshat to the picture of Santoshi Mata, and apply a tilak to the kalash.
3. Offer red flowers to the Mother.
4. Take a little gud and chana in your hand. Keep it in your hand while the katha is read.
5. Read or listen to the Santoshi Mata Vrat Katha with full attention. If others are present, they too may hold gud and chana and listen. The katha is on the katha page (an English version is also available).
6. At the end of the katha, say "Jai Santoshi Mata" (or "Bolo Santoshi Mata ki Jai") together.
7. Perform the aarti "Jai Santoshi Mata, Maiya Jai Santoshi Mata" with the diya. The full text is on the aarti page.
8. Offer the gud and chana from your hand to a cow. If no cow is nearby, set it aside respectfully and give it to a cow later, or place it at the foot of a tree.
9. Distribute the gud and chana from the bowl as prasad to the family and to anyone present.
10. Sprinkle a little of the kalash water around the home, and pour the rest on a tulsi plant.

Pray to the Mother in your own words for peace, contentment and your wish, and ask forgiveness for any mistake made in the puja.

The fast during the day

Most devotees take one meal on the vrat day, after the puja. Some take only fruit and milk during the day and a meal in the evening. The food is simple and sattvic. In many homes onion and garlic are avoided, and meat and alcohol are never taken.

The essential rule is that nothing sour is eaten, and no sour food is given to anyone, on that Friday. In many homes the whole family avoids sour things for the day. Lemon, tamarind, curd, buttermilk, pickles and sour fruits are the usual examples; customs vary on items such as tomato. The details are on the vrat niyam page.

A short daily-life note

Devotees try to keep the day calm: speaking gently, avoiding quarrels and harsh words, and doing small acts of kindness. Contentment (santosh) is the heart of this vrat, and many devotees see the day as practice in being satisfied with what one has.

Health note

Pregnant women, the sick, the elderly, diabetics and anyone on regular medication should take a doctor's advice before fasting. They may keep a lighter vow, such as eating normally but avoiding sour food and doing the puja with devotion. This is not a substitute for medical advice; if you feel unwell, consult a doctor.

Completing the vrat

When the resolved number of Fridays is complete, the vrat is closed with an udyapan, which includes feeding eight boys a meal without anything sour. See the udyapan vidhi page for the method.

Frequently asked questions