Budhwar or Wednesday is dedicated to the worship of the planet Mercury, i.e. Budhdev. A number of devotees also believe that this day is devoted to the worship of Lord Ganesha who is the Lord of wisdom. Mercury or Budh is regarded as a prince among all the planets and performs as a protective shield that is believed to give us faith, hope and intelligence in our lives. As per Hindu mythology, Budhdev is provided with a pristine position with the midday of the week being dedicated to him. Hindu devotees worship Lord Budh and observe the Budhwar Vrat for 21 consecutive Wednesdays to receive the divine grace of Lord Budh or Lord Ganesha and get all their wishes fulfilled. The most suitable time to start this fast is during the first Wednesday of Shukla Paksha of any lunar month.

Significance of Budhwar Vrat 

The planet Mercury (Budh) is said to be the closest planet to the Sun in the solar system. In astrological terms, Mercury is a symbol of wit, wisdom, wealth, intelligence, growth in career and business and creative thought process. Therefore, observing the Budhwar Vrat helps to bring in growth and development in these fields. Observing this fast and worshipping Lord Ganesha, the Vighnaharta (remover of all obstacles) helps the devotees to get all their wishes fulfilled.

• It is believed that observing this fast helps the devotees in increasing their reasoning and analytical abilities, which is very important in the long run for any student or businessman.
• Generally, the Planet Mercury gives auspicious results but under certain rare situations, it gives malefic effects due to its bad positioning in the horoscope. In that case, the negative influence of Mercury brings anxiety, indecisiveness, aggression and fear of premature death to the devotees. Observing the Wednesday fast helps in getting rid of all these issues.
• Budhwar Vrat is also important for finding solutions for people facing ups and downs in their relationships or having health issues such as hypertension and nervous, and eating disorders due to the ill effects of planet Mercury.
• People afflicted with issues like lack of concentration and focus, speaking and hearing disorders, difficulty in writing, etc. can get their issues solved by observing the Budhwar fast with the divine blessings of Lord Ganesha.
• The Heart Chakra which is the centre of all 7 chakras present in the universe is ruled by the planet Mercury (Budh Graha). Therefore, by worshipping Lord Budh and observing this fast the devotees can inculcate good qualities like kindness, love, patience, forgiveness, etc.

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Budhwar Vrat Fasting Method

• Devotees keen on observing the Budhwar Vrat should wake up before sunrise and take a holy bath. Then, they should wear fresh green-coloured clothes since green is the cosmic colour of the planet Mercury. 
• After that, the devotees should clean the puja place and purify all the corners of the house by sprinkling Gangajal.
• Then choose the northeast direction and place the pictures or idols of Lord Ganesha and Lord Budhdev. 
• Next begin the puja by making offerings of flowers, incense sticks, oil lamps, sandalwood paste, vermilion, bel leaves and food items like fruits, sweets and kheer as Bhog.
• Chant any one of the Mantras of Lord Ganesha and Lord Budh 108 times continuously. 
• Read or listen to the Budhwar Vrat Katha or fasting story with full devotion. Don’t break the flow or leave the place in the middle, without completing.
• Conclude the puja by offering flowers and Aarti to the deities. Then, distribute the prasad among the devotees.
• People who have kept the fast can eat fruits, drink juice or water and eat the prasad after the puja.

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Mantras related to Budhwar Vrat

Planet Budh Mantra:

|| Om Budhaaye Namaha ||

Planet Budh Beeja Mantra:

|| Om bram breem broum sah Budhaya Namaha ||

Budhwar Vrat Katha

Once upon a time, there used to be a rich man named Keshav who lived in Varanasi. He got married to a very simple and beautiful girl named Soubhagya who was from Allahabad. Once when Keshav went to bring his wife back from her parent’s house, his in-laws suggested to him that they shouldn’t travel for any auspicious work on that day since it was a Wednesday. However, Keshav didn’t pay any heed to their advice and stated that he doesn’t believe in such superstitions. Therefore, with great disappointment, the parents bid farewell to Soubhagya.

Keshav and Soubhagya started their journey in a bullock cart but they felt thirsty after covering a short distance. Keshav asked his wife to wait there and went to bring water. When he returned back with water, he was shocked to see a man totally similar to him in appearance, sitting next to his wife. Keshav asked that man angrily who he was and what he was doing with his wife there. To this, the man replied, “she is my wife and we’re coming back from our in-law’s house. Who are you?” Keshav was stunned and started shouting and putting allegations about the man that he was a thief or a fraudster. “She’s my wife and I went to bring water for her”, said Keshav.

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Fasting Story Contd.

The other man replied, “You’re a liar, I’ve already given water to Soubhagya”. He warned Keshav to leave the place and not trouble them. Then, both of them started fighting which caught people’s attention and many people gathered there. Then a pleasant voice suddenly came from heaven saying: “Keshav, you didn’t listen to the advice of Soubhagya’s parents and made her depart forcibly on Wednesday. Therefore, what’s happening to you is due to the rage of Lord Budh.

Keshav realised his mistake and worshipped Lord Buddha to forgive his grave mistake. He promised that he will never travel on Wednesday in the future ever. Budhdev showed mercy on him and forgave him after the promise. Then Keshav’s duplicate vanished immediately and the onlookers were shocked and puzzled at this sight. Keshav and his wife began their journey again and reached home safely. Then, they started observing the Budhwar Vrat to get the blessings of Budhdev. Budhdev was pleased with their devotion and blessed them with happiness, peace, wealth and prosperity. Since then, many devotees observe the Budhwar Vrat to get their desires fulfilled and lead a happy and blissful life.

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