❄️ Paush Purnima (Shakambhari Jayanti) Puja Vidhi — step by step
This is the household vidhi — a dawn bath and the Magh-bath vow, fast and charity in the day, Shakambhari/moon puja in the evening.
How to do Paush Purnima (Shakambhari Jayanti) — the steps
- Bathe in Brahma Muhurat (time above) in a river/pond or at home with Gangajal and sesame in the water; arghya to the Sun; the vow of the Magh bath — 'I will bathe and give charity every day from Paush Purnima to Magha Purnima.'
- Sankalp of the Purnima fast; fruit/one meal in the day; worship of Vishnu-Lakshmi — yellow flowers, Tulsi, panchamrit; the Satyanarayan katha (if possible).
- Shakambhari puja (evening): arrange seasonal vegetables and fruit (carrot, radish, peas, spinach, brinjal, cauliflower, ber, apple, orange) on a seat before the picture of Durga/Shakambhari Devi; roli, akshat, flowers, lamp; 'Om Shakambharyai Namah' / the Shakambhari episode of the Durga Saptashati (11th chapter).
- Charity: sesame, jaggery, blankets/woollens, ghee, grain — and especially vegetables and fruit (shaak) to the needy/a temple/a gaushala; the charity of this day is imperishable.
- At moonrise (time above) arghya of milk and water to the moon; bhog of kheer; break the fast.
- Durga Chalisa or Vishnu bhajans at night; cook and share the vegetables offered to Shakambhari as prasad the next day.
Puja samagri checklist
Seasonal vegetables and fruit are the main samagri of this day — whatever is at home.
- Gangajal, sesame, copper lota (bath and arghya)
- Picture of Vishnu-Lakshmi and Durga/Shakambhari, wooden seat, red-yellow cloth
- Seasonal vegetables and fruit: carrot, radish, peas, spinach, fenugreek, cauliflower, brinjal, ber, apple, orange, sugarcane
- Roli, akshat, flowers, mauli, Tulsi, panchamrit
- Lamp, incense, camphor, aarti thali
- Charity: sesame-jaggery, blankets/woollens, ghee, grain, vegetables and fruit
- Kheer (moon bhog), panjiri and banana if the Satyanarayan katha is held
- Durga Saptashati/Durga Chalisa book
Purnima kheer and Shakambhari's vegetables
The bhog of this day is seasonal vegetables, fruit and kheer; a mixed sabzi of the vegetables offered to Shakambhari is the prasad the next day. Dishes of sesame, jaggery and carrot in the winter.
- Kheer (moon bhog), carrot halwa, sesame-jaggery laddoos, peanut-jaggery
- Shakambhari prasad: a mixed sabzi of the offered vegetables (no onion-garlic), fenugreek-spinach poori, radish-carrot salad, ber-apple
- Bengal: Poush pitha (patishapta, dudh-puli), date-jaggery payesh; Odisha: pitha-manda, arisa
- Fast: fruit and milk, sabudana; paran after the moon arghya
- Set aside the vegetables and fruit for charity before the bhog
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- A dawn bath and the vow of the Magh bath — a month-long rule
- Charity of vegetables, fruit and grain — the essence of Shakambhari; blankets/woollens too
- The Purnima fast, arghya at moonrise, kheer
- The Satyanarayan katha (if possible)
- Cook the offered vegetables as prasad the next day — do not throw them away
❌ Don't
- Elders, children and the unwell should not bathe in the river in the cold — Gangajal at home suffices
- Meat, alcohol, quarrels, cutting hair and nails on Purnima
- Disrespect or waste of food and vegetables — specially forbidden on Shakambhari day
- Do not pluck Tulsi leaves in the evening
- No tamasic food in the fast
Vrat katha
In the Puranas — there was no rain for a hundred years and famine came; the sages and creatures praised the Goddess. She brought forth a thousand eyes from her body, watered the earth with tears of compassion, and grew v… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is Paush Purnima in {Y}?
The date at the top is this year's Paush Purnima — from panchang calculations; the Delhi times for Brahma Muhurat (bath) and moonrise are shown too.
What is the Magh bath/Kalpavas?
A river bath at dawn, charity and restraint (one meal, satsang) every day from Paush Purnima to Magha Purnima — also valid at home with Gangajal; living in a hut at the Sangam of Prayag for this period is called Kalpavas.
Who is Shakambhari Devi and how is she worshipped?
The form of Durga who grew vegetables and fruit from her own body to feed the world in a famine; in the puja seasonal vegetables and fruit are arranged on a seat and offered, and eaten and shared as prasad the next day; charity of vegetables, fruit and grain is the main thing.
What is the link between Paush Purnima and Makar Sankranti?
Both in January, a few days apart — the Sankranti by the Sun (around 14 January), the Purnima by the lunar tithi; both have charity of sesame, jaggery and blankets and a bath — the meritorious fortnight of winter.
Can the Satyanarayan katha be held on this day?
Yes — as on every Purnima, on Paush Purnima too; the custom is to take the Magh-bath vow along with the katha.
🏠 Paush Purnima (Shakambhari Jayanti) 2026 — date, muhurat, full page · All vrat & festivals