Somvar Vrat Vidhi: Shiva Puja, Katha, Rules and How to Keep the Solah Somvar Vrat
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How to keep the Monday (Somvar) vrat: the Shiva puja vidhi, abhishek with water and bel leaves, the vrat katha, food rules, Solah Somvar and the importance of Sawan Mondays.
Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Moon. The tradition is to worship Shiva and keep a vrat on this day. The Monday vrat is simple, with no complicated rules, and anyone can keep it. Many people keep it for sixteen Mondays in a row (Solah Somvar), and the Mondays of the month of Shravan are regarded as especially meaningful.
**Key Takeaways** - Day: Monday, the day of Shiva and the Moon - Puja: abhishek of the Shivling with water, milk and bel leaves, chanting Om Namah Shivaya and the Shiv aarti - The vrat means fruit or one meal through the day, according to your capacity - The Solah Somvar vrat is the tradition of keeping 16 Mondays in a row - The Mondays of Shravan are regarded as special
Somvar Vrat Vidhi
- 1.Bathe in the morning, take the vrat sankalp and wear white or clean clothes.
- 2.Go to a Shiva temple or sit before a Shivling or an image of Shiva-Parvati at home.
- 3.Perform abhishek with water, raw milk and bel leaves. The method is in How to Offer Water on a Shivling.
- 4.Light incense and a lamp and offer flowers.
- 5.Chant Om Namah Shivaya, at least one mala. How to turn the mala is in Japa Mala Rules.
- 6.Hear the Somvar vrat katha and perform the Shiv aarti.
- 7.Eat fruit through the day. In the evening, after the puja, take one sattvic meal.
Food Rules
By tradition, fruit, milk and sabudana are taken in place of grains on this day, and many people eat once in the evening after the puja. Choose the vrat's food according to your health. A waterless fast is not mandatory.
The Solah Somvar Vrat
In the Solah Somvar vrat the fast is kept on 16 Mondays in a row, with udyapan on the 17th Monday, which includes a special puja and distribution of prasad. By tradition it is kept with the wish for a good life partner or family happiness. Treat it as a practice of devotion and restraint, not a guarantee of any outcome.
Sawan Mondays
The month of Shravan is regarded as dear to Lord Shiva, so its Mondays are given special importance. Shiva temples see crowds of devotees during this time and the tradition of jalabhishek continues.
Other Vrats Linked to Shiva
See which deity is worshipped each day of the week in Which God Is Worshipped on Each Day. Shiva's other major vrat is the Pradosh Vrat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whom is the Monday vrat kept for?
Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Moon, so the vrat is kept for Shiva worship.
What should be eaten during the Somvar vrat?
By tradition fruit, milk and sabudana are taken, and many people eat one sattvic meal in the evening after the puja. Choose according to your health.
What is the Solah Somvar vrat?
A vrat kept on 16 Mondays in a row, with udyapan on the 17th Monday.
What should be offered to Shiva on Monday?
Abhishek is done with water, raw milk and bel leaves, and flowers, incense and a lamp are offered.