Somvati Amavasya: Fasting for Health, Wealth, and Harmony
Somvati Amavasya is a religious festival dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the supreme divine beings in the Trinity of Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar. Mata Parvati is also worshipped on this day alongside Lord Shiva. One of the reasons why, on Somvati Amavasya usually, married women offer prayers and keep fasts for Lord Shiva is to seek blessings for their family and husband, as it is an opportunity to pray to the divine lord to attain the boon of peace and happiness, fortunes, fame, and mostly the longevity of husbands. The festival is considered very auspicious because Lord Shiva blesses his devotees, showering them with divine privileges, including making them endeared to the Lord Himself and Mata Parvati.
The religious Somvati Amavasya Significance is that devotees observe a whole day of somvati Amavasya fast and perform somvati Amavasya rituals associated with the festival to attain peace, happiness, and other benefits fitness, including financial happiness, and spiritual refinement of their husband. The objective behind most married women observing Somvati Amavasya vrat is to please the divine lord Shiva and deity Parvati to attain the boon of longevity for their husbands.
Somvati Amavasya in 2025 Date and Time
Somvati Amavasya in 2025 falls on a new moon day of a Monday that will occur on May 26th, 2025, with the Amavasya Tithi beginning at 12:11 PM and ending at 8:31 AM on May 27th. This day is best for Lord Shiva’s Worship and to honor your ancestors. You can perform rituals like Pitru Tarpan, Pitru Puja, and Pind Daan to please your ancestors, seek blessings, and ward off negative energies.
Somvati Amavasya Katha
According to the Somvati Amavasya Katha, there was a poor Brahmin’s daughter was cursed with poverty, hindering her marriage prospects. A sage advised her to serve a washerwoman’s family to remedy her fate. The obedient daughter did so, and the washerwoman, Sona, upon discovering her identity, asked why she was serving them. The daughter of the Brahmin replied with honesty. Sona tried to help the girl by applying her husband’s vermilion, but it led to the unexpected death of her husband. However, on Somvati Amavasya, Sona’s unintentional observance of the vrat and her parikrama around a Peepal tree miraculously revived her husband’s life. Since then, the festival of Somvati Amavasya has remained a ritual for married women to pray for their husbands’ longevity.
Significance of Somvati Amavasya
Somvati Amavasya is an auspicious day, as it is also associated with Lord Shiva. Many devotees visit sacred places like Gaya, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar, and Rameswaram to perform rituals, taking a sacred dip in the holy rivers that can cleanse sins and purify the soul. On this auspicious day of Somvati Amavasya, people not only offer prayers to the Lord Shiva but also seek blessings from their ancestors, conducting a Pitru Puja.
The importance of Somvati Amavasya has also been explained in the conversation between Bhishma Pitamah and Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata epic, where the legend Bhishma Pitamah advised Yudhishthira to observe Somvati Amavasya Vrat to fulfill his wishes. At the behest of his grandfather, Yudhishthira kept a fast on Amavasya to get rid of all his worries. He did that only to find all the answers to his worries at the end.
Rituals and Practices on Somvati Amavasya
In order to get Amavasya Fasting benefits, you need to keep a Somvati Amavasya vrat and offer prayers, seeking health, wealth, and long life for your family. Here are the rituals that you should follow by immersing yourself in the spiritual energy of Shiva, chanting the Somvati Amavasya mantra:
1. Observing a Sacred Fast (Vrata)
The importance of Somvati Amavasya is in its fasting. You should keep a vrat on this auspicious day and abstain from consuming food and water until sunset as a mark of devotion and self-discipline.
2. Offering Tarpan and Shraddha
You should perform the ritual of tarpan, visit holy rivers, and offer water mixed with sesame seeds to ancestors.
3. Worship of Peepal Tree
Devotees perform a parikrama around the Peepal tree 108 times while offering milk, water, and flowers, which go to the abode of deities and ancestors.
4. Donations and Charity
Try to involve in acts of charity, by donating food, clothes, or money to people in need, and feeding Brahmins and animals is also considered good Karma.
What Not to Do on Amavasya?
While there are certain things that you must do while keeping a fast on this auspicious day of Somvati Amavasya Puja. There are certain things that you should avoid doing to steer clear of ancestral curses:
- Do not disrespect your elders or any women on this day.
- Refrain from having any non-vegetarian food on Amavasya.
- It is deemed inauspicious to consume gram, masoor dal, mustard greens, and radish on theoccasion of Somvati Amavasya.
- Try not to initiate any new venture, business, or journey on this day.
- Do not engage in any auspicious or marital activities on this day.
- Avoid buying new materialistic things or taking part in holistic cultural activities like marriages.
- Additionally, steer clear of plucking leaves from the Peepal tree and Tulsi plant, as it tends to dissatisfy the Gods.
- Avoid any actions that might lead to Pitru Dosha, karmic ancestral curses, on this day.
On Somvati Amavasya, it is essential to worship Lord Shiva following the Somvati Amavasya remedies. Try to observe a special fast dedicated to Monday, where you make a vow and donate specific items to receive the blessings of your ancestors. Since it falls on a Monday, chanting the Somvati Amavasya Mantra is highly encouraged on this day to connect with the realm of Hindu Gods.
Due to the Amavasya, feeding fodder to cows is considered a virtuous practice that can please the Lord. You can also walk clockwise around the peepal Tree, maintaining a peaceful, meditative mind at a slow pace while showering special offerings on Amavasya. Worshipping Goddess Baglamukhi on this day, maintaining the somvati amavasya puja vidhi is believed to bring unique Amavasya fasting benefits for women praying for a longer life for their husbands.