Pausha Purnima
पौष पूर्णिमा
Pausha Purnima marks the auspicious culmination of the Pausha month and the commencement of the sacred 30-day Magha Snana. Worshippers perform Satyanarayan Katha and take ritual dips in sacred rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna.
January 3, 2026
Saturday
09:15 AM to 01:30 PM
Auspicious forenoon window
05:42 PM
Chandra Arghya window
January 02, 2026 at 06:52 PM
until January 03, 2026 at 05:45 PM
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय नमः॥ ॐ सोमाय नमः॥
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya namaḥ || Oṁ somāya namaḥ ||
Salutations to the Supreme Lord Vasudeva. Salutations to the Moon God, the lord of nourishment and mind.
Spiritual & Scriptural Significance
Observing fast on Pausha Purnima pleases Lord Vishnu and the Moon God (Chandra Dev), absolving ancestral karmic debts and conferring spiritual purity. It also coincides with Shakambhari Jayanti, celebrating the goddess who bestowed vegetation upon earth.
Pauranic Vrat Katha & History
As recorded in the Bhavishya Purana, a devout person who performs sacred bath and charity on Pausha Purnima attains Moksha. An ancient merchant named Dhaneshwar observed this fast with his chaste wife, worshipping Lord Satyanarayan with bananas, flour, sugar, and milk. Despite numerous trials, their household was blessed with righteous offspring and boundless prosperity.
Step-by-Step Purnima Vrat & Puja Vidhi
- 1Wake up before sunrise (during Brahma Muhurta) and take a bath in holy water or add Gangajal to bathing water.
- 2Take the sankalpa for Pausha Purnima Vrat and Satyanarayan Puja facing East.
- 3Install a wooden Chowki covered with yellow or red cloth and place idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.
- 4Perform Satyanarayan Puja with Panchamrit, Tulsi leaves, banana prasada, and chant Vishnu Sahasranama.
- 5In the evening, offer Arghya (water mixed with milk and white flowers) to the rising full Moon and conclude the fast with Satyanarayan Prasad.
Frequently Asked Questions: Pausha Purnima
When is Pausha Purnima in 2026?
Pausha Purnima falls on Saturday, January 3, 2026. The Purnima Tithi concludes in the late afternoon, with Moonrise at 05:42 PM.
What is the importance of Magha Snana starting on Pausha Purnima?
Pausha Purnima marks the traditional start of the holy month-long Magha Snana, where taking early morning baths in the Ganga or sacred rivers is said to grant spiritual merit equal to performing hundred Ashvamedha Yagnas.