Upvaas, or fasting, in Hinduism is mainly observed for the fulfillment of a vow. Upvas is also referred as 'Vrats.' But 'Vrat' has a wider meaning and it is not just curtailed to the fasting observed for material or other gains. Each day in a week is dedicated to one or more of the gods in the Hindu pantheon. A particular deity is appeased by the devotee on a particular day. Thus Monday is usually dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Upvass, or fasting, on Mondays begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. On the day, food is only eaten after evening prayer. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are worshipped on the day. Of course, no worship begins without remembering Lord Ganesha. The fasting on Mondays in the Shravan month is considered even more auspicious.
It is believed that those people who observe Upvaas on Monday will have their desires fulfilled and will be blessed with wisdom. In some areas, fasting on Mondays is observed by unmarried women to get an ideal husband.
The reason for fasting on a day is usually traced back to a particular incident in one of the Hindu Puranas or folk tradition. There are numerous myths associated with a particular fast. The stories vary from region to region and from community to community.
Somvar Vrat, or Monday fasting, dedicated to Lord Shiva too has numerous stories. Among the several myths, three have gained popularity – the first is the story of a poor Brahmin gaining wealth due to Monday fasting, second is the story of a rich merchant begetting a son after long wait and the subsequent death of the son and his rebirth due to the grace of Lord Shiva and Parvati and the third story is the most famous involving the game of dice played between Shiva and Parvati.
Any Upvaas or Vrat is directly or indirectly connected with some sort of material comfort. This is a sweet lure used by ancient saints to attract a devotee to the concept of Brahman.
The concept of Brahman in Sanatana Dharma is not easily digestible to many people. And they are least bothered about Brahman concept all they need is material comfort. For this many devotees are ready to go to any extend. They are ready to observe any harsh vow. Ancient wise men used this tendency among the common people to spread the awareness of Brahman. During each upvas there are occasional flashes when a person thinks beyond material comforts. This is a realization of Brahman. Gradually many devotees begin to think beyond material comforts.
You may also like to read
How to do or observe Somvar Vrat?
Shukravar Vrat or Upvaas: Friday Dedicated to Santhoshi Ma and Shukra or Venus
About Tuesday Fasting Dedicated to Hanuman
79 comments:
What colour clothes should one wear on Mondays?
Good morning Abhilash.
Well do lemme know what colour is ideal for Mondays?
I also wanted to ask you if you would be interested in promoting Hindi (not Hindustani)as a medium of communication. I feel so sorry anout the Hindi Literature. We have great writers like Munshi Premchand, Harivansh Rai Bachhan. People talk more about William Shakespere...very few in Metropolitan cities are even interested in Hindi Sahitya...they feel its down market to even speak in shudh Hindi...I do intend to pay due respect to the languages of our soil by promoting it.
I will let you know about the color of the dress as soon as i get it......
About promoting Hindi there are numerous websites currently engaged in the endeavor but they get very little support.
If you are interested in starting a Hindi blog you can do it on blogger...
Currently we are not publishing articles in Hindi
I shall try doing that but I might need some help from you...I do not know how to promote a blog..
lord SHIVA's devotee should wear white dress on the fasting day.
thanks Eshwar for the information...
as Eshwar said, Lord shiva loves white color, one should wear white and also offer white flowers to the Shivlinga.
Great Post on Fasting on Monday. Thanks for sharing.
@Gayatri
What is Hindustani? Do you mean colloquial Hindi?
bahut bahut dhanayawad
jai Gouri Shankar...Om Namah Shivaya
Any mantra to recite to find a good husband of my chooice . . .please help me im stressing
@ Anonymous..the best mantra is Om Namah Shiva. Parvati chanted this to get Shiva as her husband.
thanks geetha**,
Hi,Everyone,
When fasting one should wear only white cloths on monday.One should offer white flower called SHEVANTI,white CHAMPA,white or red GULAB or KAMAL.Santo ki vani EK NARI SADA BRAMHCHARI.
shiv ling ko ghar k mandir me nahi rakhna chahiye. shiv ling ki pooja mandir me karo to jyada acha hota hai. bhagwan shiv ko jal aur doodh chadhana chahiye. parikrama karte waqt sirf aadha gol ghumna chahiye pura round karna mana hai reason is that u should not cross the flowing water from the shiv ling
i dreamed about a 2 new born baby at my last night in the morning hrs.
i am maried with grown up children
please help on my dream interpretation
yr artciles are rally nice to read.
thanks
Nice post, Just what i needed - I am a Shiva Bhakt but i was never taught the basics, thank you for your help.
it is said dat if unmarried girls observe shivji fast then they are blessed with good husbands ......how true is it??????????????and should we observe the ordinary somvaar vrat?pls help
it is very true. But you should know what is wise for you and take decision. Shiva bless you with the right intelligence.
Yes you can perform the ordinary somvar vrat for it.
Om Namashvaya
Hi.. Sangeeta here.. I am maried for two and half years and due to some problem in my marrital life I have been observing normal somvar vrat with only fruits. But now I want to ve atleast a proper meal without onion and garlic. can I start taking meal one time on Mondays instead of taking only fruits and night time with milk or cornfalkes/wheat flakes..Please suggest.
I started doing this vrat from june 6th 2011 and many of my problems got solved. But if i take one time meal is there any harm in the middle?
can we take varth during periods and i also want to know which day can we go to temple after periods
@ Sangeetha...you can take one meal on Mondays instead of taking only fruits and night time with milk or cornfalkes/wheat flakes. It is absolutely alright to do the vrat in this way.
Vrat can be taken during periods. There is no problem at all. You can visit temples after your menstural periods.
@sangeetha...I am deeply in love with a guy and want to get married to him,will the somwar vrat help me??
Ya do it in full determination..faith and love for God...Then You will definitely get success in ur love...I m personally suggesting to keep somvar vrat.. Wish You all the best.May God Bless You in achieving Your goal..
Jai Jagannath!!
Jai Bholanaath!!
Cheers,
Sangeeta...
Thanks Prema for Your Suggestion...
@ Prema.. Thanks for your suggestion...
Cheers,
Sangeeta
om namo shivaya is the best mantra of Hindus. if we says 9 times per day, every persons get satisfaction in their life.
Is it necessary to do 16 somvar vrats or can we do any number even more than that then do the udyapan.
Also would want a few options for the one meal in the night Like: kheer/ milk with roti etc
How do we do a simple udyapan??
am started my job in a salary of 2500 bt nw am getting ahed 150000.all bcoz of My lord Shiva and Monday fasting and Pradosha fasting.
Am new in blog posting.only wanna say " Om Namashivaya: Bham Bhoole....
jagan karunakaran.
Udyapan should only be done after 16 somvar.Yes you can eat kheer milk with roti.
I dont know what is udyapan? plz explain...
i started my vrat from monday 13 2012,can i have tea,water in between without any thing else.plz let me know now the procedure if any.......
i love somebody a lot. i want him as my husband and i know he is ideal for me..........if i keep somvar vrat.will i get married to him? plz tell me what i have to do on vrat day?
i am a devote for load Ganesha...can i perform samovar wrath with one time meals and several times fruits.because my body condition is very poor.....because i am middle of so much of problems in every sense....job ,study,love(i am loving and thinking him as my husband) and his job,his financial....
During vrat on monday & wednesday, Can we take dry fruits like Anjeer or Cashews ? Thanks
@Anonymous regarding love matter
Hey!
Before starting with any vrat, u need to have firm faith in god that even if he doesn't fulfills your wish, its for your best. Keep vrat with firm faith and patience.. Devotion matters the most!
God Bless You!:)
@ASWATHI
Hey!:)
Ofcourse you can!! :D
God would never feel happy to see you in pain! We all are his children! Do good karmas.. have firm faith n patience in god.. that's what matters most to lord!:)
All the best with your vrat.. God Bless You!:)
@Anonymous regarding udypan query..
In udyapan, some 16 things are required.. but my friend did udyapan just by having home cooked dinner with his family n making them happy.. good karmas matter most to him and needless to say, my friend's vrat was more than successful!:) Lord Shiva blessed him.. Have firm faith n patience in lord.. God bless You!:)
Can somebody tell me .. A girl can't touch shivalinga while doing pooja?..
Can somebody tell me .. A girl can't touch shivalinga while doing pooja?..
Girls can do puja to shivling this is done even in temples like Kashi.
Thnx Pandey G..
I went to temple 2day . There an old man came to me and told me .. Being a lady I shouldn't touch shivling.. I can do shivling pooja like sprinkle chandan tilak.. And water to the base of shivling not on the head.. Etc.. Etc.. So many rules for girls..
Can we store bel patra in the fridge for a few days...while doing shiv puja?
In our area they are not found all that easily..so i decided to buy and keep them in the fridge for the puja beforehand.
Hi all I have just finished performing 16 somvar vrat for bholenath and am going to perform the udhyapan tomorrow.... wish me luck
Thanks for the wonderful nd usefulinfromation.......
Anonymous said...
Can we store bel patra in the fridge for a few days...while doing shiv puja?
In our area they are not found all that easily..so i decided to buy and keep them in the fridge for the puja beforehand.
---
In my opinion, yes, u can! Rest, depends on you.
God Bless You!:)
@Anonymous said...
Hi all I have just finished performing 16 somvar vrat for bholenath and am going to perform the udhyapan tomorrow.... wish me luck
---
God Bless You!:)
maine 16 somvar k fast 30 jan 2012 se start kiye the iske acccording udhyapan 17 monday ko 21 may ko karna chaiye mgar 21 may ko amyawas hai aur tara duba hua hai toh main 21 may ko udhypan kar skti hu ??
agar nhi kar skti amywaya k karn toh kab karu ??AUR 21 MAY KO MJHE KYA KARNA CHIYE ??? plzzz help mee ..... reply me plzz
deepikasingh162@yahoo.com
If you read akraava adhyaay of Shivlilamrit every monday without fail still it's enough to please Lord Shiva.Other things he likes is alae marmelos.
Hi all..the posts here are very informative..i started sola somvar vrat on 21st May..
The praying process includes chanting of Lord Shiva's name in the morning and evening.
my vrat plan includes fruits and tee/coffee in the day and 1 meal at night
Please let me know if my praying and eating plan during the vrat is fine.
Further, on the 2nd Monday fast i had fresh lime water and then juice and later realised that both had salt in them!
Is it ok or will that fast not be considered since i had salt before sunset.
My third question is that I will be travelling out of the country on 2-3 of the 16 Mondays, so might not be able to light a diya in front of Lord Shiva on those Mondays or offer bhog/prasad. So is that ok or i should have an alternative.
Would be of great help if someone can help me with these 3 queries.
@Above Anonymous,
yeah,..it's fine :)
Regarding the salt thing, just request lord to forgive you and continue with your vrat.. its all about one's belief..
Regarding the diya problem, ofcourse it's fine!
Juts remember him from your heart.. Have faith, patience and devotion towards him!:)
God Bless You!:)
Thank you for the response Heena!
and for the blessings :)
what is the process to do this sola somvar vrat.. we should keep siva lingam in house n v hav to do it.. r we hav to go to temple evry monday n do pooja plz do help me
i m explain the process of sod somvar vrat. first, take bath and go to tample for puja of shivaji. then whole day we can eat some fruits. then in evening, go to tample for darshan of shivjai. and take once meal. after the sunset the vrat is completed.
my 1st question is: is required to go tample in morning for puja? can we do puja in noon or evening?
2nd question is: in some books, it gives information about bhog of churma. how to make churma? please explain about bhog.
i m explain the process of sod somvar vrat. first, take bath and go to tample for puja of shivaji. then whole day we can eat some fruits. then in evening, go to tample for darshan of shivjai. and take once meal. after the sunset the vrat is completed.
my 1st question is: is required to go tample in morning for puja? can we do puja in noon or evening?
2nd question is: in some books, it gives information about bhog of churma. how to make churma? please explain about bhog.
@shyam sundar Bammidi...the best way is to do puja in a Shiva Temple. Avoid keeping Shivling at home if you can't take care of it on all days.
@jinal...You dan do puja in the evening. Time is flexible. Bhog can be anything sweet.You can prepare the easisest one using wheat flour, khoya, ghee and sugar.
Hi...sir/mam i am new in this blog,..i wanna start solah somvar fast of lord shiva, Is it necessary to start first Monday of shavan month ..or any ordinary monday of any month,we can start...plz reply...
I live abroad and Temple is very far, will have to take a bus. I'm currently doing the Shravan somvaar vrats and have been to mandir every monday. If i plan to keep general somvaar vrat, Is it necessary to give milk + jal to shivling on the vrat day ? can vrat be complete without visiting the temple. Also i was thinking keeping shivling at home, but somebody said we should do it in Temple only and not at home. , i need to know the answers. PLEASE HELP.
can i have tea many times during this wrat????????
today is my first wrat n i just took bath n offered apple to shivjis photo n eat the same with milk after reading the kaths ,n during the day had tea,n will go to temple in the evening n have milk......is my procedure ok please help
@Poonam...you can start any monday
@you vrat is complete without visiting temple. Shiva is present everywhere. no you don't need to offer milk every day. After praying you can sprinkle some water on a plant.
@no tea is not allowed
@yes it is ok but try to keep tea to minimal.
plz help i was supposed to have fast today for shivji and i by accidently ate salt i already had two fast and only ate fruit but today i ate salt by accident what shud i do?
hi, i want to kow what are the things actually required for udyapan?
@Kiran Kaur
"Jaisa roop hua jis jan ka, waisa roop hua mere mann ka"
Similarly, if I had been in place of u, i wud hv apologized to Lord and continued with my vrat.. It all depends on one's faith.. Be afraid of God only when u indulge in wrong deeds..
May Lord fulfills your wishes!:)
i wanted to start my vrat from first monvar of sravan mahina, i had fast whole day but because of some female problems, i hadnt done puja. and started from second somvar. how i count somvars? cn i include first somvar or not? and sometime, i can not able to go temple, is it require to do puja throught other person?
Hello,
I have started Solah Somvar vrat with fruits. however, mistakenly, i had a pinch of salt and chilli with mango. (a small piece of it)
can i still continue fasting today?
or do i need to start it again?
also, can i do more than 16 mondays?
your reply would be appreciated!
=)
I had started 16 somvar fast from savan. Though earlier good proposals were pouring in but now m not getting in proposals or good ones are declined..plz help me as m running out of age. Is shivji testing me for faith? Also every time when i take meal in evening do i need to take 3 bites before eating or 1 is enough?
Dear Shweta,
Shiv pooja and vrat will be fruitfull, if you begin in the following way.
- Please wake up in Brahmamuhoort (Around 4 am in the morning).
- Take bath.
- After the bath smear Bhasma (Vibhuti) in the form of three parallel horizontal lines with fore finger, middle finger and ring finger on your forehead, chest, both the upper arms, both the middle arms and both the wrists, chanting Aum Namashivaya (Total Eight places).
- After lighting the lamp, sit wth cross legs and folded hands on the mat.
- Recite Aum Namashivaya 108 times.
- In the morning visit nearby Shiv Temple and do Abhishek with water
If you do the above vidhi with Bhakti and Devotion, then you need not to worry. Your ambition will be fulfilled by Shankar Bhagwan.
Aum Namashivay
i have completed my 16 fasts of sohal somvar. now, on 17th monday, which process required to do? how to finish the vrat?? how to do udyapan??
Hi! I had started these fasts 7months ago , but somehow i keep messing it up sometimes by accidentally consuming salt or onions..
I dont cook,so i had to eat dinner out after fasting the whole day, i ordered a veg meal and the menu hadnt mentioned onions in it, so i ate it..later i found out it had a small amount of onions in it..does ShivJi get angry about all this? I feel guilty that i didnt ask the waiter about onions before ordering it..
Ok giys, good you people are wanting to do shiv vrat. Do not expect miracles. I have fasted for 4 years continues. The wish i seeked never go full filled. But one thing some one Rightly ly said: you may start vrat for a material comfort, which you may or may not get...do not loose heart or belief if you do not get it. Definately.... gradually you shall have strong will power. Mentally more mature, feel the presence of shiva as a protector and get divine grace and guidance...you shall also take obstacles in right spirit. The end of the story you shall die a more evolved soul then you were born...bless you all
16 somvar have finished . I want to wt to do in 17 somvaar puja mein kya krna hota he.
My name is K.Ganesh
Date of birth-11/05/1962
Time-16.30IST
Place of birth-Karukuruchi Village,Tirnelveli District,Tamilnady=u(Near Ambasamudarum)
When will get a permannent stable job and peace of mind?
Is there any foreign chance?
Thanks and regards.
K.Ganesh
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