Sharad Purnima: the night of Kojagara
Sharad Purnima is Ashvina's full moon, which Dharmasindhu calls the ‘Kojagara vrata’. The Purnima taken is the one present at nishitha, i.e. midnight. Lakshmi and Indra are worshipped and people stay awake; setting kheer out in the moonlight is a folk custom.
Ashvina's full moon: Lakshmi worship and a night vigil; ‘ko jāgarti?’ ‘who is awake?’
What Sharad Purnima is
After the rains, the autumn sky is at its clearest, and Ashvina's full moon is counted among the brightest of the year. This is Sharad Purnima. It falls about five days after Dussehra and about fifteen days before Diwali.
Dharmasindhu calls it the Kojagara vrata, with worship of Lakshmi and Indra, a night-long vigil, and a game of dice. In Bengal, Odisha and Assam it is ‘Kojagari Lakshmi puja’.
How the date is decided
Shastra (Dharmasindhu): the Purnima for the Kojagara vrat is checked at nishitha (midnight).
- Purnima at midnight on the first day only → the first day.
- On the second day only, on both, or on neither → the second day.
- Some teachers add: at midnight on the first day and only at pradosha on the second → still the second.
Because the worship and vigil are at night, this rule can give a different day from the Purnima used for bathing and giving. Our calendar shows the Kojagara day by this rule.
The story: tradition and the text
‘Ko jāgarti?’ Dharmasindhu gives a line: at midnight Lakshmi, the giver of boons, asks, ‘Who is awake?’ The name ‘Kojagara’ comes from this. Tradition reads it as a call to alertness and effort.
The Raas: in Braj tradition, on this full-moon night Krishna danced the Maharaas with the gopis in Vrindavan; so it is also called ‘Raas Purnima’.
Kheer and moonlight: folk belief holds autumn moonlight to be nectar-like, so kheer is left in the moonlight overnight and eaten as prasad in the morning. We did not find this custom in the text; it is given as folk tradition.
How families celebrate
In north India, kheer on the roof, bhajans and water offered to the moon. In Braj temples, the Raas festival. In Bengal, Odisha and Assam, Kojagari Lakshmi puja: alpana in rice paste, Lakshmi's footprints, and offerings of khichdi, coconut and sesame sweets. In Maharashtra, ‘Kojagiri’: milk boiled with saffron and nuts drunk in the moonlight, and aarti for the family's eldest child. Gujarat dances garba through the night. In Odisha, unmarried girls keep ‘Kumar Purnima’.
A simple puja
Per Dharmasindhu: meditate on Lakshmi seated on a lotus and worship her with ‘Om Lakshmyai Namah’, then meditate on and worship Indra on his elephant; offer coconut water and flattened rice to the gods and ancestors, then eat them with family. A simple home form:
- In the evening, tidy the home and light a lamp.
- Lakshmi's picture, flowers, rice, ‘Om Lakshmyai Namah’.
- At moonrise, offer water to the moon.
- Make kheer and set it out covered in the moonlight (if you like).
- Stay up as you can with bhajans or family talk; kheer as prasad in the morning.
Safety
Kheer: a milk dish left out all night can spoil if the weather is warm. Cover it with a net or thin clean cloth against insects and dust; smell and taste before eating in the morning, and if in doubt don't give it to small children, elders or anyone with weak digestion.
On the roof: watch children near roof edges at night and keep a light on. After a vigil, rest before driving the next day.
In ePandit
In ePandit: our calendar shows the festival day with your city's sunrise and sunset. The day is decided once, for Ujjain; your city's times are shown separately. We don't compute muhurta yet, and we never call a festival good or bad for anyone.
Cover the kheer with a net or thin cloth against insects and dust; milk left out all night can spoil if it's warm.
Frequently asked questions
What does Kojagara mean?
‘Ko jāgarti?’, ‘Who is awake?’ In Dharmasindhu's line, Lakshmi asks this at midnight; the name comes from it.
Why is kheer kept in the moonlight?
It is folk tradition, not found in the text. The belief is that autumn moonlight is nectar-like. Keep the kheer covered and check it before eating.
Why do panchangs sometimes differ on the date?
The Kojagara rule is about midnight, while the bathing-and-giving Purnima is checked from the morning; so the two can fall on different days.
Is a fast required?
No. Worship, the vigil and the offering to the moon are the heart of it; a fast is by choice and health.
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Sources: Dharmasindhu, Kojāgara-vrata, Ashvina Purnima, at nishitha · Dharmasindhu, Kojāgara: ‘ko jāgarti’, Lakshmi's question at midnight · Dharmasindhu, Kojāgara: the worship, Lakshmi and Indra puja, vigil · Tradition, Kheer in moonlight; the Raas; Kojagari Lakshmi puja