Fasting on Fridays is for the Planet Venus. Friday is dedicated to Mother Goddess – Mahalakshmi, Santhosi Ma, Annapuraneshwari and Durga. Venus Planet is mainly associated with family life, taste and business/livelihood. The benevolent influence of Venus favours accumulation of wealth, jewellery, landed properties, happy home life, success in business and occupations, controlling obesity and fatness.
This fast is performed for appeasing Venus, It is a very popular fast and is generally observed by the ladies to please goddess Santoshi Mata. Santoshi Maa is an other form of Parvati or Durga.
One can do two types of Vrat on Shukravar or Fridays. One is Santoshi Mata Puja and one is Dhan Lakshmi Puja. Both these Vrats are all wish fulfilling and have immense power to transform a devotee’s life from any kind of pain to peace, wealth, success, and happiness.
Santoshi Mata
Santoshi Mata is an incarnation of power or shakti. The fasting is also known as ‘Solah Shukravar Vrats because a devotee fasts for 16 consecutive Fridays for fulfillment of a paticular wish.
This fast have very strict rues that must be followed to fulfill there wish. The fast begin early Friday morning, The devotee wake up and after taking bath perform puja to Mata, Keep a container filled with water and keep Chana and gur as prasad and listen to Vrat katha, after performing the puja distribute the prasad among family members, sprinkle the water in the house and than pour remaning water to tulsi plant.
The main rule of this fast is that nobody in home should eat or touch anything sour on this day. The fasting person can eat food in night which is done after the fast is broken i.e after performing evening prayers.
After completion of 16 fast udyapan is observed to mark the end of this ritual. In udyapan call 8 young boys and offer them prasad which include chana, puri and kheer and finally give them dakshina which should not be money but can be some fruit or sweet.
Vaibhav Lakshmi Fast
Dhan Lakshmi Ma is the godess of wealth and Vaibhav Lakshmi Fast is observed for prosperity and good fortune. It is also performed for 16 days to fulfill every wish of the devotee. It brings immense wealth, fortunes, prosperity, love, happiness, and luck to the devotees.
Vaibhav Lakshmi Fast begins on early morning after taking bath one should perform its morning prayers and make a wish and sankalp for doing the fast. One can eat fruits and have milk in day time in evening perform Vaibhav Lakshmi puja.
For the Vaibhav Lakshmi vrat vidhi, a plain piece of red cloth is placed on a wooden chauki or plank and over it place a picture or statue of Laxmi Ma or shree Yantra, Keep a brass or copper kalash with water, in a small cup keep some gold or silver coin or jewelley or can keep coin in the puja. Make kheer or some sweets for prasad and read the vrat katha. After the puja distribute prasad to everybody at home.
After completetion of 16 fasts one should do udayapan, which include inviting 16 women in house, women should not be pregnant or menstruating. Applying kumkum tilak and distrubuting kheer, bindi and Vaibhav Lakshmi books. Red is the colour of the day, Ladies should wear Red clothes to please Ma Lakshmi.
