Somavāra Vrata 2026

Somavara Vrata (सोमवार व्रत) is the Monday vrata of Lord Shiva with Uma. Shiva worship on Monday, and in Pradosha, is praised above all in the Puranas, and the vrata may be kept by anyone: a brahmachari, a householder, a maiden, a married woman or a widow.

The Vratraj gathers the Monday vratas from the Puranas. The vrata is taken up on the first Monday of Shravana, Chaitra, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Kartika or Margashirsha, with a fast and worship of Uma-Maheshvara with sixteen upacharas, and closed with an udyapana when wealth, faith and devotion allow. The story of Simantini, who kept the Somavara Vrata and was blessed by Shiva and Parvati, is read with it.

The story of Soma, from the Shiva Purana

Daksha gave his twenty-seven daughters, the nakshatras, in marriage to Chandra (Soma). Chandra loved only Rohini and neglected the others. When they complained, Daksha asked him to treat all his wives alike, but Chandra did not listen, and Daksha cursed him with kshaya, a wasting disease. The curse took hold at once.

The devas and rishis went to Brahma, who told them the remedy: Chandra must go to Prabhasa and worship Shiva there. At Prabhasa Chandra worshipped Shiva without a break for six months, meditating with a steady mind and reciting the Mrityunjaya mantra ten crore times. Pleased, Shiva appeared before him and asked him to choose a boon. Chandra asked to be freed from the disease. Shiva lifted the curse so that Chandra's kalas wane in one paksha and wax in the other, as they do to this day.

The devas and rishis then prayed to Shiva to stay at that place with Parvati. He agreed, and remains there as Someshvara, the Somanatha Jyotirlinga, famous in all three worlds. The devas made the Chandrakunda there: bathing in it frees one from sins, and seeing the Soma linga removes all sins and fulfils one's wishes (Shiva Purana, Koti Rudra Samhita, chapter 14).

The Vratraj tells the same of the Monday vrata: Soma, pressed down by Daksha's curse, kept this vrata himself, and Shiva, pleased, agreed to stay with Uma in the linga Soma had set up for as long as the sun, the moon and the mountains endure. Since then, it says, whoever keeps the vrata reaches that same state and is made pure in body.