Somvar (Monday) Vrat — vrat katha & puja vidhi
The Somvar (Monday) vrat is a weekly fast for Lord Shiva. Devotees bathe, worship Shiva with white flowers while chanting “Om Namah Shivaya”, listen to the katha in the evening, and eat one meal at night (nakta) or keep a full fast. The Skanda Purana especially praises the Mondays of Shravana.
Updated Thursday, 29 October 2026
Next date
The next Somvar (Monday) Vrat is on Monday, 2 November 2026 (in 4 days). 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.
Somvar (Monday) Vrat — timings (New Delhi)
- Date: Monday, 2 November 2026
- Sunrise: 06:34
- Sunset: 17:35
Upcoming dates
- Monday, 2 November 2026: Somvar (Monday) Vrat
in 4 days - Monday, 9 November 2026: Somvar (Monday) Vrat
in 11 days - Monday, 16 November 2026: Somvar (Monday) Vrat
in 18 days - Monday, 23 November 2026: Somvar (Monday) Vrat
in 25 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 Somvar vrat is
Monday (Somavara) is Shiva’s day. In the Shravana Masa Mahatmya of the Skanda Purana, Shiva tells Sanatkumara that Monday is his own form and that Lord Krishna and righteous kings kept this vrat.
Source: Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
The katha
A man named Dhanika had no children. At Parvati’s request, Shiva blessed him with a son — but the son was destined to live only a short time. Through the power of the Monday fast, the boy was granted a long life.
The Shravana Somavara Mahatmya adds that whatever is sincerely wished for is granted, and that simply listening to the mahatmya brings the merit of the vrat.
Source: Drik Panchang — weekday vrat kathas · Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
What you need
- Clean white clothes to wear
- White flowers (such as jasmine — malati, mallika)
- Items for a full (shodashopachara) puja in the evening, if you do it
Source: Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
Puja vidhi — simple steps
- Take the sankalpa — for the Shravana vrat, on the first Monday of Shravana Shukla paksha — and keep it on every Monday you have vowed.
- In the morning, bathe and wear clean white clothes; let go of anger, pride and ill-will for the day.
- Offer white flowers to Shiva while chanting “Namah Shivaya” / “Om Namah Shivaya”.
- In the evening, do the puja and listen to the katha.
- Eat one meal at night (nakta vrat), or keep a full fast.
- When your vowed Mondays are complete, an udyapan (closing rite) is traditionally done — a priest can guide you.
Source: Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
When it falls and what time to keep
Every Monday. Worship is in the morning after the bath and again in the evening; the meal is taken at night. This page shows the next Monday with New Delhi’s sunrise and sunset.
Source: BornClock festival calendar (dates checked against Drik Panchang, New Delhi) · Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
Traditions differ
The Skanda Purana text allows either one meal at night (nakta) or a full fast. For the Shravana Mondays, note that North India ends each lunar month at the full moon (purnimanta) and Gujarat, Maharashtra and the South at the new moon (amanta), so “Shravana” starts about two weeks apart in the two calendars — follow your local Panchang.
Source: Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana) · BornClock festival calendar (dates checked against Drik Panchang, New Delhi)
Mantra (with meaning)
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Meaning: Om, salutations to Shiva.
When: The six-syllable (shadakshara) mantra, chanted while offering flowers; “Namah Shivaya” is the root (mula) mantra.
Source: Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
What these terms mean
Tap a term for a plain-language explanation.
Sources
- Drik Panchang — Shravana Somavara vrat katha (Skanda Purana)
- Drik Panchang — weekday vrat kathas
- 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.