A comprehensive liturgical guide for married Hindu women observing the sacred Vat Savitri Vrat, covering the worship of the immortal Banyan tree (Vat Vriksha), wrapping raw white cotton thread 108 times, offering soaked black gram, and reciting the Savitri-Satyavan Katha for marital longevity.
Wake during Brahma Muhurta, take a purifying bath with Gangajal, and adorn oneself in auspicious red, orange, or yellow bridal attire. Apply Alta on feet and adorn oneself in all 16 traditional bridal ornaments (Solah Shringar). Take the sacred waterless fast vow.
Reach a thriving Banyan tree. Sprinkle Gangajal around the base. Bathe the sacred roots with pure water and raw cow milk. Apply radiant red vermilion (sindoor), sandalwood, and akshat to the tree trunk. Offer a fresh red cloth or chunri to the tree.
Hold a spool of raw white cotton thread (kacha soot) in hand. Tie the beginning around the tree trunk. Circumambulate (parikrama) the Banyan tree clockwise 7 times (or 108 times for advanced austerity), continuously winding the sacred thread around the trunk without letting it snap.
Offer heaps of soaked black chickpeas (chana), seasonal mangoes, and sweet gulgule puries to the tree. Take the bamboo hand-fan (bina) decorated with red ribbon and gently fan the Banyan tree and Savitri's image three times.
Sit under the cool canopy of the Banyan tree with fellow married women, holding unbroken grains and soaked chickpeas in your right palm. Listen attentively to the complete narrative of Princess Savitri outwitting Yamaraj.
Return home, gently fan your husband with the consecrated bamboo fan, and touch his feet. Swallow 7 raw sprouted chickpea kernels and one tender Banyan bud (vat-konpal) whole with water to break the fast. Present the Bayana (fruits, sweets, and dakshina) to your mother-in-law, seeking her blessings.
