Shri Satyanarayan Vrat Katha: All Five Chapters with Puja Method

The Shri Satyanarayan Vrat Katha is the puja most often performed in Hindu homes: at a housewarming, a wedding, a birthday, a new job or on Purnima. Satyanarayan is Lord Vishnu himself, and the message of the vow is in its name: truth is Narayan. By tradition the katha comes from the Reva Khanda of the Skanda Puran, and it has five chapters.

A simple puja method

• Clean the place, lay a red or yellow cloth on a low stool and make a canopy with banana leaves or stems.
• Place a kalash and a picture of Lord Satyanarayan (Vishnu) or a shaligram on the stool.
• Worship Ganesha first, then the nine planets and the kalash.
• Bathe the Lord with panchamrit and offer sandal, flowers, tulsi, incense and a lamp.
• For prasad mix wheat flour (or semolina), ghee, sugar and banana in "one and a quarter" measures to make panjiri or sheera.
• Read or listen to all five chapters, then do aarti and share the prasad with everyone.
• The katha repeats that prasad must never be disrespected; always accept it.

Common questions

When should the Satyanarayan katha be done?

Purnima is the most common day, but it can be done on any auspicious occasion or when a wish is fulfilled, on any day, preferably in the evening.

How many chapters does it have?

Five.

What does the katha teach?

Do not forget a promise once made, keep to the truth, and never disrespect God's prasad. Poor or king, whoever keeps the vow with faith is blessed.