Budhvar Vrat — Wednesday Fast to Ganesha and Budh – Vidhi, Katha and Rules

Ganesha and Budh

Wednesday, Budhvar, is named after Budh (Mercury), the planet of intelligence, speech, learning, commerce and skill, and son of the Moon. The day is also dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the giver of wisdom (buddhi) and remover of obstacles. So the Wednesday fast brings the two together: it is kept by students before exams, by traders and businesspeople, by those with a weak or afflicted Mercury in the birth chart, and by anyone wanting clarity of mind and speech. Its colour is green.

When to begin, and how many Wednesdays

• Begin on the first Wednesday of a Shukla Paksha; many avoid starting in Pitru Paksha or during Kharmas.
• Common vows are 7, 21 or 45 Wednesdays. Fix the number at your first sankalp.
• Women who miss a Wednesday for reasons of impurity simply add one at the end.

The vidhi

1. Morning: bathe and wear green or clean light clothes. Take the sankalp before Ganesha on the first Wednesday.
2. Puja: worship Ganesha with durva grass (21 blades if possible), red flowers, sindoor, akshat, modak or laddoo, dhoop and a ghee lamp. Many also worship Budh Dev with green items — whole green moong, green cloth, green fruits.
3. Chant: the Budh beej mantra for Mercury, and Om Gan Ganapataye Namah for Ganesha; recite the Sankat Nashan Ganesh Stotra or the Ganesh Chalisa.
4. Katha and aarti: hear or read the Budhvar vrat katha, and close with Jai Ganesh Deva.
5. The meal: eat once in the day, without salt — moong dal preparations, green vegetables, fruit, curd or sweets. Some keep only fruit and milk.
6. Charity: give green moong, green vegetables or fodder for a cow; feeding green grass to a cow on Wednesday is a popular act.

The katha, briefly

The katha told in most households concerns a man who went to his in-laws' house to bring his wife home. When he was ready to leave, it was a Wednesday, and his parents-in-law begged him to wait — by custom a daughter is not sent off on a Wednesday, and Wednesday travel is thought inauspicious. He refused to listen and set out with his wife. On the way she grew thirsty, and he went to look for water. When he came back he found a man exactly like himself — same face, same clothes — sitting beside his wife and claiming to be her husband. The two quarrelled and came to blows; soldiers arrived and asked the wife which was her husband, but she could not tell them apart. In despair the man prayed, "Lord, what is this play of yours?" A voice from the sky told him: you disobeyed your elders and left on a Wednesday, dishonouring Budh — the double is Budh Dev himself. The man begged forgiveness and vowed to keep the Wednesday fast; Budh vanished, and the couple went home, keeping the vrat ever after.

The katha is the origin of the folk belief against starting journeys — especially a bride's farewell — on Wednesday; listening to it, tradition says, removes that fault.

Udyapan

After the last Wednesday of your vow, on the following Wednesday do a fuller Ganesha puja and havan, feed brahmins or children a meal with moong, and donate green cloth, whole moong dal, a bronze vessel and dakshina.

Rules and cautions

• No salt in the vrat meal; many also avoid onion, garlic and non-vegetarian food on Wednesdays.
• Do not offer tulsi to Ganesha; durva is his favourite.
• Avoid harsh speech and lies — Budh rules speech, and the vrat is about clarity of word as well as mind.
• The sick, pregnant women and the elderly can take fruit and milk freely; the puja is the essential part.

Frequently asked questions

Which god is worshipped on Wednesday?

Lord Ganesha, and the planet Budh (Mercury), after whom the day is named.

How many Budhvar vrats should be kept?

Commonly 7, 21 or 45 Wednesdays, as fixed at the first sankalp.

What can be eaten in the Wednesday fast?

One salt-free meal — moong dal, green vegetables, fruit, curd or sweets — or only fruit and milk.

Is the Budhvar vrat good for students?

Yes. It is traditionally kept for intelligence, memory and success in studies, since both Ganesha and Budh govern the intellect.

Why is travel avoided on Wednesday?

The folk belief comes from the Budhvar vrat katha, in which a man who set out with his wife on a Wednesday against his elders' advice was taught a lesson by Budh Dev.

What should be donated on Wednesday?

Whole green moong, green vegetables, green cloth, or grass for a cow.