Pradosh Vrat

Pradosha means the beginning of night, the twilight hour. In Shaiva tradition this sandhya period on Trayodashi is held to be the time when Shiva is most easily pleased, and the vrat named after it is among the most widely kept fasts for Shiva after Maha Shivaratri and the Mondays of Shravana.

The vrat is kept on both Trayodashis of the lunar month, in the waxing and the waning fortnight, and is open to all: men and women, householders and ascetics. Devotees keep it for the removal of sins and obstacles, for health, prosperity and children, and, above all, for devotion to Shiva.

Two things decide the day of Pradosh Vrat: the Trayodashi tithi and the twilight time. According to Drik Panchang, the day is fixed when Trayodashi falls during pradosh kaal, which begins after sunset, and the window after sunset in which Trayodashi and pradosh kaal overlap is the best time for Shiva puja. In some traditions pradosh kaal is taken as about an hour and a half before and after sunset.

Because the tithi does not always begin at sunrise, the Pradosh day can sometimes be the Dwadashi by the calendar date, or differ from city to city. It is best to check a reliable panchang for your location.

A Pradosh is often named after the weekday on which it falls. When it falls on Monday it is called Soma Pradosh; on Tuesday, Bhauma Pradosh; and on Saturday, Shani Pradosh. Monday is Shiva's own day, so Soma Pradosh is especially loved by devotees, and Shani Pradosh is widely regarded as very powerful. In North India the other days are also named, such as Ravi, Budha, Guru and Shukra Pradosh, and families often keep the vrat on the weekday-Pradosh that suits their prayer. The Pradosh just before Maha Shivaratri in Magha is sometimes called Maha Pradosh.

The Skanda Purana tells the story most associated with Pradosh Vrat. King Satyaratha of Vidarbha was killed in battle, and his pregnant queen fled into the forest. After giving birth, she was killed by a crocodile, and the baby prince was found and raised by a poor Brahmin woman named Uma along with her own son.

When the boys grew up, the sage Shandilya revealed the cause of their suffering. In a previous life, Satyaratha had interrupted his Pradosh worship of Shiva to order an execution, and had eaten before completing the rite. The sage taught the boys and Uma the Pradosh Vrat. By keeping it faithfully they regained good fortune: according to the Purana, the vrat brings wealth, grain, family happiness and luck, and the prince recovered his kingdom.

Another tradition, connected with the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga at Ujjain, tells that during a siege on a Shani Pradosh, a devout boy named Shrikhar and a priest named Vriddhi prayed to Shiva near the Kshipra river. Shiva appeared as a pillar of light, defeated the invaders and remained there as the self-manifested lingam.

Customs vary, but a common way of keeping the fast at home is:

In the morning, bathe and take a sankalpa to keep the vrat. Many fast through the day, taking only fruit, milk or water, or eat once without grains; follow what your health allows.

About an hour before sunset, bathe again and wear clean, often white, clothes. Prepare the place of worship and, if possible, face north-east or north.

In pradosh kaal, worship Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Kartikeya and Nandi. Perform abhisheka of the Shiva lingam with water, milk, curd, honey and ghee or panchamrit, then pure water. Offer sandal paste, bel (bilva) leaves, flowers such as dhatura and aak, akshata, a ghee lamp, incense and naivedya. Devotees wear rudraksha and apply vibhuti, and chant 'Om Namah Shivaya' (ॐ नमः शिवाय).

After the worship, read or listen to the Pradosh Vrat katha, perform aarti and distribute prasad. Many devotees then break the fast; others keep a vigil into the night and break it the next morning.

Those who cannot worship at home often go to a Shiva temple at twilight, where Pradosh puja is held.

In Tamil Nadu and across South India, Pradosham is a major fortnightly temple festival. Devotees gather at Shiva temples at twilight, and special worship is offered to Nandi, Shiva's bull, who faces the sanctum; the festival image of Shiva seated with Parvati on Nandi is then carried in procession around the temple. Many temples announce Pradosham timings in advance, and crowds are especially large when it falls on a Monday or Saturday.

Many devotees take a vow to keep a set number of Pradosh fasts, often eleven or twenty-six, or to keep them for a year, beginning on an auspicious Shukla-paksha Pradosh, and conclude with an udyapan (completion rite) with havan and feeding of Brahmins or the needy. Others simply keep every Pradosh, or the Soma or Shani Pradosh. As with all vratas, tradition holds that devotion and sincerity matter more than severity of fasting; the sick, elderly and pregnant may keep a lighter observance.