A Note on the Timings:

• The Purnima tithi continues into the morning of 26 October, but moon-related rituals and Kojagari puja will be observed on the night of 25 October.

• Do check your local Panchang before performing time-sensitive rituals.

Sharad Purnima is the full-moon day of the Ashwin month. In many parts of eastern India, it is known as “Kojagari Purnima,” when devotees worship “Maa Lakshmi” and stay awake at night. In Braj, the day is associated with Bhagwan Shri Krishna's Raas Leela, while in Gujarat, it is celebrated as “Sharad Poonam” with Garba and Raas. In Odisha, it is known as “Kumar Purnima,” when unmarried girls pray for a good life partner. 

Across these regions, preparing “kheer” and placing it under the moonlight is a common tradition. As per Hindu beliefs, the moon shines with all “sixteen kalas” (divine qualities) on this night, and its rays carry Amrit, the nectar of the gods. So, devotees place kheer under the moonlight, believing that it absorbs the divine blessings of the moon. 

A wealthy merchant had two daughters. Both took up the Purnima fast, but not in the same spirit. The elder kept every rule from start to finish. The younger? She would get partway, then break the fast before the rituals were done.

In time, both were married. The elder sister’s children were healthy and lived long lives. The younger sister lost every child soon after birth. Heartbroken, she went to a wise saint to learn why this kept happening. The saint’s answer was plain. Her half-kept Purnima fasts were the cause.

So she tried to put it right. When Sharad Purnima came, she kept the vrat the proper way, leaving nothing out. Yet her newborn died all the same. This time she did something different. She laid the baby on a small stool, spread a cloth over it, and asked her elder sister to sit there. The elder sister sat down, with no idea what lay beneath. The instant her clothes touched the infant, the baby cried out and was alive again.

The elder sister was terrified. She thought she had killed the child. Then the younger sister told her everything. In her eyes, this was her elder sister’s doing, the result of a fast kept with sincerity. After that day, she and the other people of the town kept the Sharad Purnima vrat with greater faith.

The Puja vidhi may vary from one family to another depending on regional traditions. So, here are the common steps:

• Wake up early, take a bath and wear clean clothes

• Clean the puja area and place the idols or pictures of Maa Lakshmi and Bhagwan Shri Krishna

• Light a ghee diya and offer flowers, fruits, sweets and incense to the deities

• Chant “Om Hreem Shreem Lakshmibhyo Namah” while worshipping Maa Lakshmi

• Chant “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” while worshipping Bhagwan Shri Krishna

• Read or listen to the “Sharad Purnima vrat katha”

• Prepare kheer and place it under the moonlight

• Perform Maa Lakshmi Puja at night if observing Kojagari Purnima

“Chandra Darshan,” or viewing the moon, is an important part of Sharad Purnima observances. After moonrise, devotees may offer water to “Bhagwan Chandra Dev” and pray as per their family traditions. This year, in Delhi, the moon is expected to rise at around 5:00 PM on 25 October. As exact timing may differ city by city, do check your local Panchang.

• Cook the kheer with clean ingredients and utensils

• Offer the cooked kheer as Bhog to Maa Lakshmi

• After moonrise, place the kheer in a clean, covered vessel where it can receive moonlight (Do not leave milk-based kheer outdoors for several hours or overnight)

• Offer the kheer to your family after the ritual

Point to Consider: The duration and exact method may differ from one household to another. Hence, follow your family tradition.

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