How do I keep the Saṅkaṣṭī Caturthī fast?
fast through the day, worship Gaṇeśa in the evening, offer arghya to the moon when it rises, and then break the fast.
Saṅkaṣṭī Caturthī falls on the fourth day after Pūrṇimā every month, and its name means “release from difficulties”. When it falls on a Tuesday it is called Aṅgārakī and considered especially auspicious.
A common way to keep it: eat light or only fruit and milk during the day; in the evening bathe, light a lamp before Gaṇeśa, offer dūrvā, red flowers and modaks or laḍḍus, and read or listen to the Saṅkaṣṭī vrata-kathā. When the moon rises — check today’s moonrise time, as it is often late — offer water with a little milk, rice and flowers to the moon, then take prasāda and break the fast.
If you cannot fast fully, a single simple meal or only a pūjā and prayer is fine. Elders, the unwell and pregnant women should keep it gently.
Kṛṣṇa-pakṣa Caturthī, every month · Source: Gaṇeśa vrata-kathā tradition
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