🌕 Sharad Purnima (Kojagari) Puja Vidhi — step by step
This is the household vidhi — a day's fast, arghya at moonrise, Lakshmi puja at night and kheer in the moonlight.
How to do Sharad Purnima (Kojagari) — the steps
- Bathe in the morning and take the sankalp — 'I keep the Sharad Purnima vrat for Lakshmi's grace and the family's prosperity.' Take fruit during the day.
- In the evening clean the home temple or puja place; install an idol/picture of Lakshmi and of Krishna/Radha-Krishna on a red or yellow cloth.
- Cook kheer of milk, rice and sugar (with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits) — in a brass or silver vessel, without a lid, covered with a fine cloth or mesh.
- At moonrise (time above) offer arghya of water and milk to the moon from the terrace/courtyard and show the lamp; chant 'Om Som Somaya Namah' or the Chandra mantra.
- Place the kheer vessel on an open terrace or courtyard where direct moonlight falls; cover with mesh so insects and birds stay away. At least until midnight, traditionally the whole night.
- Lakshmi puja at night: lamp, flowers, lotus (if available), kheel-batasha, white sweets, perfume; recite Shri Sukta, Lakshmi Chalisa or chant 'Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah'. Keep doors and windows open and lamps lit.
- Vigil (jagran): bhajan-kirtan, katha, or at least stay awake till midnight remembering Lakshmi — the 'ko jagarti' tradition.
- In the morning (or after midnight) offer the moonlit kheer first to Lakshmi and the moon, then share it as prasad in the family and break the fast. Give it to the sick, children and elders too.
Puja samagri checklist
A clean metal vessel and a mesh cover for the kheer are the most important items.
- Kheer: milk (cow's milk is best), rice, sugar/mishri, saffron, cardamom, almonds-cashews-raisins, makhana
- Open brass/silver/steel vessel + fine cloth or mesh (to cover)
- Picture/idol of Lakshmi and Radha-Krishna, red-yellow cloth
- Ghee lamp, incense, camphor, agarbatti
- Flowers — lotus/rose, garland
- Kheel-batasha, white sweets (barfi/peda), fruit
- Roli, akshat, turmeric, mauli, sandalwood, perfume
- Copper/silver lota for the moon arghya, milk and water
- Shri Sukta / Lakshmi Chalisa book, aasan
- Paan, betel nut, cloves, cardamom, coconut
Moonlight kheer — recipe and fasting food
Kheer is the prasad of this festival. Thicken the milk, add rice, sugar, saffron-cardamom and dry fruits; cool it and keep it in the moonlight in an open vessel covered with mesh. Do not use plastic or aluminium — brass, silver or steel is best.
- Fasting day: fruit, milk, sabudana khichdi or singhara halwa; rock salt
- Kheer (for 4): 1 litre milk, 50 g rice (soaked), 80-100 g sugar, 5-6 saffron strands, 4 cardamoms, 2 tbsp chopped dry fruits — 40 minutes on a low flame
- Bengal-Odisha: on Kojagari, prasad of chira (flattened rice), coconut, khoi-batasha, milk and makhana
- Braj: on Raas Purnima, bhog of makhan-mishri and kheer to Thakur ji
- Next morning give the kheer prasad to everyone — especially children and those with asthma/breathing trouble (folk belief)
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Keep the kheer in direct moonlight — no cloud or ledge over it; always with a mesh cover
- Offer arghya at moonrise, do the Lakshmi puja at night and stay awake for a while
- Lamps at the doors and windows — a sign of welcoming Lakshmi
- Share the kheer prasad with everyone in the morning, especially children and the sick
- Recite Shri Sukta or Lakshmi Chalisa
❌ Don't
- Do not keep the kheer in plastic/aluminium; never without a mesh (insects, birds)
- No quarrels or gambling at night (a custom in places, but no discord on the night of Lakshmi puja)
- Cutting hair and nails, meat and alcohol — traditionally avoided on Purnima
- Do not put very hot kheer in the moonlight — cool it first
- Diabetics should take only a little of the sugar kheer prasad
Vrat katha
A merchant had two daughters. Both kept the Purnima vrat, but the elder with full vidhi and the younger half-heartedly, after eating. After marriage the younger daughter's children died soon after birth. The pandits told… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is Sharad Purnima in {Y}?
The date at the top is this year's Ashwin Purnima — from panchang calculations; the Delhi moonrise time and the span of the Purnima tithi are shown too. If the Purnima tithi runs into the next day, keep the moonlight kheer on the night when the Purnima tithi is present at moonrise.
How long should the kheer stay in the moonlight?
From moonrise until at least midnight; traditionally the whole night, with prasad in the morning. Keep it covered with mesh.
Does the kheer really become medicine?
This is folk and Ayurvedic belief — the cool moonlight of sharad with milk and rice is considered pitta-pacifying. Take it as faith and tradition; treat any illness only with a doctor.
What is the difference between Sharad Purnima and Kojagari?
Both are the same tithi — Ashwin Purnima. North India stresses the kheer and the moon, while Bengal-Odisha-Mithila-Maharashtra call it 'Kojagari' and stress Lakshmi puja and the vigil.
How to break the Sharad Purnima fast?
Next morning offer the moonlit kheer to Lakshmi and the moon and break the fast with that prasad; if you kept vigil, the prasad may be taken after midnight too.
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