Shasti or ‘Sasthi’ is an auspicious day for Hindus belonging to the Tamil community. This day is dedicated to worshipping Lord Murugan. Shasti is observed on the sixth day of each lunar fortnight, that is, Shukla Paksha (the waxing phase of moon) and Krishna Paksha (the period of waning phase of moon) of every lunar month in the traditional Hindu calendar. Thus there are two occurrences of Shasti every month. However, Shasti that falls during the Krishna Paksha is associated with Lord Subrahmanya or Lord Murugan. On this day Muruga devotees observe fasting to please their lord and invoke His blessings for a happy and prosperous life.
Lord Subrahmanya
Rituals during Shasti:
- Fasting is the most important ritual of the day. On Shasti, devotees keep a partial or full fasting to appease Lord Murugan. The vrat begins at the time of sunrise and comes to an end on the following day after offering prayers to the Sun God. Those who keep strict vrat do not eat food for complete 24 hours of fasting. Partial fasting can be done by eating fruits. People who have health problems can even keep Shasti fasting by eating s single meal during the day.
- The observer of the Shasti vrat is restricted from eating certain spices on the day. Eating non-vegetarian food and consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited.
- On Shasti, Murugan devotees also read ‘Skanda Purana’ and recite the ‘Skanda Shasti Kavacham’. On this day it is considered very auspicious to visit the temples of Lord Murugan in the evening.
Important Timings On Shasti
| Shashthi Tithi Timing | 02:44 AM - 00:18 AM |
| Place : Ujjain [ India ] Time Zone : IST (+05:30) | |
Significance of Shasti:
Shasti is the day of worshipping Lord Murugan. He is the Hindu God of War who is known by different names like ‘Kartikeya’, ‘Subramaniya’, ‘Skanda’, ‘Kumara Swami’ and ‘Kumaran’. Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati and is the Commander-in-Chief of the Deva’s army. Lord Murugan is primarily worshipped in area with Tamil population. The six important shrines of Lord Murugan are located in Tamil Nadu itself. According to the Hindu legends, it was on the day of Shasti that Lord Murugan defeated the demon named ‘Soorapadman’. It is believed that a person who offers prayers and observes fasting on Shasti will generously receive blessings of Lord Murugan.
All Shasti dates in 2018 and Shashthi Tithi Timing
| 22 January | (Monday) | Shasti | 22 16:24 PM - 23 16:40 PM |
| 21 February | (Wednesday) | Shasti | 21 04:46 AM - 22 03:50 AM |
| 22 March | (Thursday) | Shasti | 22 13:51 PM - 23 12:03 PM |
| 20 April | (Friday) | Shasti | 20 20:45 PM - 21 18:27 PM |
| 20 May | (Sunday) | Shasti | 20 02:44 AM - 21 00:18 AM |
| 18 June | (Monday) | Shasti | 18 08:55 AM - 19 06:40 AM |
| 17 July | (Tuesday) | Shasti | 17 16:19 PM - 18 14:36 PM |
| 16 August | (Thursday) | Shasti | 16 01:51 AM - 17 01:02 AM |
| 14 September | (Friday) | Shasti | 14 14:23 PM - 15 14:45 PM |
| 14 October | (Sunday) | Shasti | 14 06:28 AM - 15 08:04 AM |
| 13 November | (Tuesday) | Shasti | 13 01:51 AM - 14 04:22 AM |
| 13 December | (Thursday) | Shasti | 12 23:06 PM - 14 01:49 AM |