Vat Savitri Vrat — Savitri's Story, Banyan Puja and Rules

The story of Savitri

The story comes from the Mahabharata (Vana Parva), where the sage Markandeya tells it to Yudhishthira as the greatest example of a devoted wife. Savitri, daughter of King Ashwapati of Madra, chose as her husband Satyavan, son of Dyumatsena, a blind king who had lost his kingdom and lived in the forest. Narada warned her that Satyavan was destined to die within a year. She married him anyway. As the day approached, she fasted for three days and nights. On the last day she went with Satyavan into the forest to cut wood; he grew faint, laid his head in her lap, and died. Yama, the god of death, came himself to take his soul.

Savitri followed Yama. He told her to turn back; she kept walking and spoke to him with such wisdom about dharma that he offered her boons, anything except Satyavan's life. She asked for her father-in-law's sight and kingdom, and he granted it. She asked for a hundred sons for her own father, and he granted it. Then she asked for a hundred sons of her own, by Satyavan. Yama granted it without thinking, then realised he had to return Satyavan's life to keep his word. Satyavan woke in her lap, under a banyan tree, as if from sleep.

Why the banyan

The vat or banyan is the tree under which Satyavan lay and came back to life, so the vrat is kept beneath one. It is also one of the most sacred trees in Hinduism: tradition says Brahma lives in its roots, Vishnu in its trunk and Shiva in its branches, and its hanging aerial roots that become new trunks are a picture of long, unbroken life, which is exactly what the women keeping the vrat pray for their husbands.

When it falls: Amavasya or Purnima

• Vat Savitri Amavasya: in North India (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand, Odisha), it is kept on Jyeshtha Amavasya, the new moon of Jyeshtha, usually in May or June.
• Vat Purnima: in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Karnataka, it is kept on Jyeshtha Purnima, the full moon, about fifteen days later.

The difference comes from the two calendars and regional custom. Both commemorate the same story; keep the date your family and community follow.

The vidhi

1. Fast from sunrise. Many women keep a full or nirjala fast; others take fruit and water. Traditionally some fast for three days, from Trayodashi, as Savitri did, but one day is most common now.
2. Dress in festive clothes with the marks of a married woman: sindoor, bangles, mangalsutra.
3. Prepare the thali: water in a lota, roli, haldi, akshat, flowers, soaked black gram (chana), fruit (often mangoes and lychees in season), sweets, a raw cotton thread (kaccha sut) or red mauli, a small hand-fan (pankha) of bamboo, and a lamp.
4. At the banyan tree, worship Ganesh first, then offer water to the roots of the tree, apply roli and haldi to its trunk, and offer flowers, akshat, soaked chana and fruit.
5. Wind the thread. Walk around the tree clockwise, winding the raw cotton thread around the trunk. 7 rounds is the usual number; some do 11, 21 or 108.
6. Hear the katha. Sit under the tree with other women and hear or read the story of Savitri and Satyavan.
7. Fan and offer. Many women fan the tree, and later their husband, with the bamboo fan, remembering the hot Jyeshtha forest where Savitri sat with Satyavan.
8. Seek blessings from elders, and give the soaked chana, fruit and some money to a mother-in-law or an elder married woman.
9. Parana. Break the fast in the evening or the next morning, as your family's custom is, often by eating the soaked chana first.

If there is no banyan nearby

If you cannot reach a banyan tree, a small branch of banyan placed in a pot of water at home, or a picture, may be worshipped in its place. In cities, many temples have a banyan where women gather on the day.

Frequently asked questions

When is Vat Savitri Vrat?

On Jyeshtha Amavasya in North India and on Jyeshtha Purnima (Vat Purnima) in Maharashtra, Gujarat and parts of the South. Check your local Panchang each year.

Which god is worshipped in Vat Savitri Vrat?

The banyan tree, as the home of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, together with Savitri and Satyavan. Some also worship Yama, who returned Satyavan's life.

How many times should the thread be wound around the banyan?

Seven rounds is the most common; 11, 21 and 108 are also kept by some families.

Why is soaked black gram offered?

It is a traditional offering of the vrat; in some tellings, Savitri offered soaked chana when Satyavan's life returned. It is also eaten first at the parana.

Can unmarried girls keep Vat Savitri?

It is primarily a married women's vrat. Some unmarried girls keep it in the spirit of Savitri's devotion, but this varies by family.

Can Vat Savitri be kept without water?

Many keep it nirjala, but a fast with fruit and water is equally accepted, especially in the heat of Jyeshtha.

Is it connected to Karwa Chauth?

Both are fasts kept by married women for their husbands' long life. Karwa Chauth is in Kartik and focused on the moon; Vat Savitri is in Jyeshtha and focused on the banyan tree and Savitri. See our Karwa Chauth katha.