Satyanarayan Katha (Purnima) — vrat katha & puja vidhi
The Satyanarayan puja honours Satyanarayana — Vishnu as the embodiment of truth — and centres on listening to a set of stories (the vrat katha). It has no fixed day, but Purnima (full moon) is considered especially auspicious; devotees fast and the evening is preferred so the fast can be broken with the prasad.
Updated Thursday, 29 October 2026
Next date
The next Kartika Purnima is on Tuesday, 24 November 2026 (in 26 days). Purnima is considered an especially good day for the Satyanarayan puja. All times are for New Delhi; your city can differ by a few minutes.
How we work it out
- How the date is found — Our Panchang engine finds the tithi from the real Sun and Moon and applies the vrat’s classical rule (the tithi at sunrise, at pradosh, at moonrise or at midnight) against New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset. These dates are checked against Drik Panchang’s New Delhi calendar.
Kartika Purnima — timings (New Delhi)
- Date: Tuesday, 24 November 2026
- Purnima tithi: 23:43 (23 November 2026) – 20:23
- Sunset (evening puja): 17:25
The puja can be done morning or evening; the evening is often preferred so the fast can be broken with the prasad.
Upcoming dates
- Tuesday, 24 November 2026: Kartika Purnima
in 26 days - Wednesday, 23 December 2026: Margashirsha Purnima
in 55 days - Friday, 22 January 2027: Pausha Purnima
in 85 days
A gentle note
A vrat is about devotion, not perfection. If you miss a step, cannot find an item or need to eat, that is fine — do what you can with a sincere heart. Anyone unwell, pregnant, elderly or on regular medicines should keep a lighter fast or skip it, and check with a doctor. BornClock does not sell pujas or any items.
What the Satyanarayan puja is
It is the worship of Satyanarayana, regarded as a form of Vishnu for the Kali Yuga. Its heart is the vrat katha — tales of a poor Brahmin, a woodcutter, a sea-merchant and his family, and in some versions a king — whose message is that keeping the vow brings well-being and forgetting it brings trouble until it is kept.
The most detailed text is in the Bhavishya Purana (Pratisarga Parva). The version usually called “Skanda Purana, Reva Khanda” is found in the Bengali editions, and scholars consider it a later addition.
Source: Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja · Drik Panchang — Satyanarayana vrat katha
The katha in brief (Bhavishya Purana version)
The Bengali Reva Khanda version leaves out King Chandrachuda and instead tells of King Vamshadhvaja, who refuses the worship, meets misfortune and then repents. Names differ between editions.
- At Naimisharanya, the sages led by Shaunaka ask Suta for a simple rite suited to the Kali Yuga; Suta names the worship of Satyanarayana.
- Sage Narada, saddened by human suffering, goes to Vishnu, who teaches him this vrat.
- Shatananda, a poor Brahmin of Kashi, is taught the vrat by Vishnu disguised as an old Brahmin, and his poverty ends.
- King Chandrachuda, defeated by his enemies, learns the worship from Shatananda and regains his kingdom.
- A woodcutter sees the worship in Kashi, keeps it himself and prospers.
- The merchant Lakshapati vows the puja for a child, but keeps it only in part; he and his son-in-law are jailed for a theft they did not commit. His daughter Kalavati completes the rite and they are freed. When Lakshapati again neglects it his ships sink; when his wife Lilavati leaves the rite unfinished in her joy, trouble returns — until she prays and the rite is completed, and the family is made whole.
Source: Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja
What you need
- An image of Satyanarayana / Vishnu (in Bengali homes, a shalagrama stone)
- For the prasad (shirni): wheat flour, ghee, milk, banana (plantain) and sugar or jaggery — some versions use rice
- The katha text to read or listen to
Source: Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja
Puja vidhi — simple steps
- Make the vow (sankalpa) to do the puja, and keep a fast on the day.
- In the evening (morning is also fine), worship Satyanarayana.
- Read or listen to the vrat katha with family and friends; singing and celebration are part of the tradition.
- Offer the prasad, and break the fast with it.
Source: Drik Panchang — Satyanarayana vrat katha · Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja
When it falls and what time to keep
There is no fixed day; Purnima is considered especially auspicious, and the evening is preferred. Our Panchang marks Purnima on the day the full-moon tithi prevails at sunrise in New Delhi, and this page shows that day’s Purnima span and sunset.
Source: BornClock festival calendar (dates checked against Drik Panchang, New Delhi) · Drik Panchang — Satyanarayana vrat katha
Traditions differ
In Bengal the worship is closely linked with Satya Pir, honoured by Hindus and Muslims alike; in Bihar and North India Satyanarayana is worshipped purely as Vishnu. It is especially popular in Bengal and Maharashtra, and the Annavaram Satyanarayana temple in Andhra Pradesh is a famous shrine. The katha is recited in Sanskrit, in regional languages and sometimes in English.
Source: Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja
What these terms mean
Tap a term for a plain-language explanation.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Satyanarayana Puja
- Drik Panchang — Satyanarayana vrat katha
- BornClock festival calendar (dates checked against Drik Panchang, New Delhi)
The katha and vidhi above are paraphrased in plain language from the sources listed; customs vary by family and region — your family tradition comes first.