As per the ‘Muhurat Shastra’, Guruvar or Thursday is dedicated to the worship of Lord Brihaspati, the Guru of all Gods, and the largest planet in the solar system. In Hinduism, devotees observe a Guruvar Vrat to worship Lord Brihaspati and get all their desires fulfilled. From an astrological point of view, the Planet Jupiter is known to be the guiding path in studies for students. This powerful planet is directly related to various principles of growth and development of human beings such as knowledge, vision, intellect, opportunities, financial progress, luck, fortune, wealth, prosperity and spirituality. A huge number of Hindu devotees observe the Guruvar Vrat to please Lord Brihaspati with the faith that he’s an avatar of Lord Vishnu. 

When Can You Begin the Thursday Fast?

Devotees willing to observe the fast should start it from the first Thursday of the Shukla Paksha of any lunar month except for the Paush month. This vrat is easy since it begins at dawn and gets over in the evening. The Guruvar Vrat should be observed for 16 consecutive Thursdays for a minimum of 3 years to bring in the most fruitful results.

Guruvar Vrat Fasting Method

• The devotees must wake up early in the morning and finish their morning rituals before sunrise.
• As per the rules, the devotees observing the Guruvar Vrat or Thursday Fast shouldn’t wash their hair or shave their heads on this sacred day.
• It’s considered auspicious to wear yellow-coloured clothes and offer yellow flowers to the Lord since the colour yellow is associated with the planet Jupiter. 
• Install the idol or images of Lord Brihaspati and Lord Vishnu on a clean podium after sprinkling Gangajal in the puja place.
• Then offer yellow flowers, sandalwood, ghee lamps, incense sticks and yellow rice, fruits, sweets and Halwa as Bhog to the deities. 
• Offer your prayers and Chant the mantras of Lord Brihaspati and Lord Vishnu. Then read or recite the Guruvar Vrat Katha.
• Finally, do the Aarti and distribute the prasad to conclude your puja.
• The devotees observing the Vrat can consume one meal after completing the puja or they can opt for a complete fast too. If they consume food after the puja, the food shouldn’t contain onion, garlic, salt and meat.
• Donating yellow-coloured items like turmeric, cooked food, clothes etc to the poor and needy is considered auspicious.

Learn more about Lord Vishnu: Satynarayan Vrat Katha

Mantras to recite during Guruvar Vrat

|| Om Brim Brihaspataye Namah ||

|| Om Gram Grim Graum Sah Gurave Namah ||

Significance of Observing Guruvar Vrat 

• Guruvar Vrat is believed to help the devotees in earning name, fame, health, wealth and prosperity.
• This fast helps in receiving the divine grace of Lord Brihaspati who is known to be the epicentre of wisdom and the Guru of all Gods.
• As per Hindu mythological stories, Lord Brihaspati is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, therefore observing this Vrat with full devotion helps to please Lord Vishnu and thus the fulfilment of all desires and wishes.
• According to astrology and Vedic texts, observing the Guruvar Vrat and worshipping the planet Jupiter helps to get rid of the malefic effects of Jupiter from the horoscope, leading to freedom from all past sins and helps a person gain control over his fluctuating mind, greed and anger.

Also Read: Significance of Grah Shanti Puja

Guruvar Vrat Katha 

Once there lived a rich man named Dayavan. He lived in a big bungalow and was a very religious man. He always observed the Guruvar Vrat and offered prayers to Lord Brihaspati every Thursday. His wife Natasha didn’t like her husband’s religious side much. She didn’t believe in all this and never observed any kind of fast. Natasha never donated things to the poor and needy too. She always used to fight with her husband for doing too much charity work. Once a saint arrived at their house and asked Natasha for some alms. To this Natasha replied, “Oh Saint ! I’m performing charities regularly. Tell me a way in which all this wealth can get exhausted so that we can live a life peacefully”. 

Lord Brihaspati disguised in the form of a saint was surprised and asked the lady how strange she is to consider her wealth as the cause of her plight and suffering. The saint tried to convey to Natasha that if she has a lot of wealth, she can utilize that wealth in doing a lot of auspicious activities such as pujas and making donations to the poor and needy. To this Natasha replied that “I don’t want wealth which would get wasted for charity and donation purposes.” She clearly stated that making charity is a waste of their valuable money and time. 

Find the significance of Shukravar Vrat

Fasting Story Cont’d.

Lord Brihaspati, (dressed in the form of a saint) got very angry with Natasha’s words and destroyed all their wealth and made them very poor. They struggled to find two meals a day and lived in starvation. Once, on a Thursday, Dayavan and Natasha had no food to eat for seven days continuously, therefore they went to their neighbour’s house begging for food. They saw that the owner of that house and his wife Bhagyalaxmi were busy worshipping Lord Brihaspati and listening to a Vrat Katha at that time. When they completed the puja, Bhagyalaxmi spoke to Natasha and got to know about their plight. 

Bhagyalaxmi donated a sufficient amount of food to the couple and advised Natasha to observe the Guruvar Vrat for 16 consecutive Thursdays with utmost dedication to get rid of these sufferings and earn back their lost wealth and prosperity. She explained the fasting rules to Natasha too. Natasha started worshipping Lord Brihaspati and observing the Vrat with full dedication. Immediately, Dayavan started getting new offers in business from his old friends and acquaintances. Very soon they gained back all their lost wealth and led a happy life. Since then, both Dayavan and Natasha regularly observed the Guruvar Vrat or Thursday Fast to receive the divine grace of Lord Brihaspati. 

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