What is Vrat and Upavas?
Vrat is a sacred Sankalpa expressed through worship, restraint and conduct. Upavas is the discipline followed in nearness to the divine; it is not limited to skipping food.
Niyam, Bhakti and Sankalpa
Understand when to observe a Vrat, how to keep Upavas, what may be eaten and why local Panchang timings matter.
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Vrat is a sacred Sankalpa expressed through worship, restraint and conduct. Upavas is the discipline followed in nearness to the divine; it is not limited to skipping food.
Lunar Vrats follow Tithi, local sunrise, sunset, moonrise or Nishita Kala. The correct civil date can therefore change by city and by Sampradaya rule.
Phalahar commonly includes fruit, milk, nuts and permitted roots. Grain rules and ingredients differ by Vrat, health, region and household tradition.
Evergreen observance guides
एकादशी व्रत
Ekadashi is the eleventh Tithi of each Paksha and is widely observed through Upavas, Vishnu Puja, Japa and restraint.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 Panchang candidatesप्रदोष व्रत
Pradosh Vrat is observed when Trayodashi prevails during the twilight period around sunset.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 datesसंकष्टी चतुर्थी
Sankashti Chaturthi is a Krishna Paksha Vrat dedicated to Bhagavan Ganesha, commonly completed after Chandra Darshan.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 Panchang candidatesपूर्णिमा व्रत
Purnima Vrat is observed on the full-moon Tithi through Puja, charity, Katha and a chosen form of fasting.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 Panchang candidatesअमावस्या उपवास
Amavasya is the dark-moon Tithi and is associated in many traditions with Pitru remembrance, Tarpana, Daan and quiet spiritual practice.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 Panchang candidatesमासिक शिवरात्रि
Masik Shivaratri is the monthly Shiva observance connected with Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi and the night-time Nishita period.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 Panchang candidatesसोमवार व्रत
Somvar Vrat is a Monday observance dedicated to Bhagavan Shiva, kept weekly or for a chosen sequence such as Solah Somvar.
Read Vidhi and rules2026 datesनवरात्रि व्रत
Navratri Vrat is a multi-day Devi observance combining Puja, Japa, Sattvik discipline and region-specific fasting practices.
Read Vidhi and rulesA Vrat may depend on Tithi at sunrise, Trayodashi during Pradosh Kala, Chaturthi at Chandra Uday or Chaturdashi during Nishita Kala. DevMarg keeps these astronomical conditions separate from Smarta, Vaishnava and regional observance rules.
Swiss Ephemeris supplies astronomical boundaries. Puja Vidhi, Parana, food rules and Sampradaya differences require a separately reviewed religious rule set before exact date-specific instructions are published.