Hindu · 14 October 2027
Sharad Purnima
शरद पूर्णिमा
The brightest full moon of the year; kheer is left in the moonlight overnight.
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Why it is celebrated
On Ashwin Purnima the moon is said to shine with all sixteen kalas (phases), and its rays are believed to carry healing nectar.
The story behind it
On this night Krishna played his flute in Vrindavan and danced the Maha Raas with the gopis — so it is also called Raas Purnima. Goddess Lakshmi is believed to roam the earth asking “Ko jagarti?” — “who is awake?” — and to bless those who stay awake; hence Kojagari Purnima in Bengal and Maharashtra.
How to celebrate
- Keep kheer under the moonlight and eat it the next morning
- Stay awake and worship Lakshmi (Kojagari puja)
- Sit in the moonlight; offer water (arghya) to the moon
- Hear the Raas Leela
Vrat katha
Sharad Purnima Vrat Katha
In a certain town lived a moneylender with two daughters. Both kept the Purnima fast, but the elder kept it fully and correctly, while the younger always left it incomplete.
Both were married. The elder had lovely children and her home prospered, but every child born to the younger died soon after birth. In her grief she asked the pandits why. They said, “You have always left the Purnima fast unfinished; that is the cause. Keep the Sharad Purnima fast now with full faith and every rite.”
The younger daughter kept the Sharad Purnima fast perfectly. In time a son was born to her, but he too died after a few days. She laid the baby on a low stool, covered him with a cloth, and called her elder sister, offering her that stool to sit on.
As the elder sister began to sit, the hem of her skirt brushed the baby — and he began to cry. Startled, she said, “Did you want to blame me? He would have died if I had sat down!” Weeping, the younger said, “Sister, he had already died; it is the power of your fasts and your goodness that has given him life.”
From then on the whole town kept the Sharad Purnima fast with every rite. On this night kheer is left in the moonlight, for it is believed that the moon’s rays rain nectar. Goddess Lakshmi asks, “Ko jagarti?” — “Who is awake?” — and blesses those who keep vigil.
O Moon God and Mother Lakshmi, as you blessed the moneylender’s daughters, keep your grace on all.
॥ Here the katha ends ॥
More from this calendar
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