Satyanarayan Katha at Home: A Simple Full-Moon Puja, the Five Stories and the Prasad

Inside the workbook

What the file includes.

How to Use • Read the safety page first, and ask at home how your family keeps the pūjā • Choose your day: Pūrṇimā is the most common, and any day you choose is fine • Pick one of three paths and fill in the Our Katha Plan sheet a few days ahead • On the day, keep the full order or the short order open beside you, or print the quick cards Read This First: Safety • Never leave a lit lamp or burning camphor unattended; every flame on a metal plate, clear of banana leaves, cloth and hair • Camphor is optional and kept locked away; an oil or ghee lamp alone is a complete ārtī, and an LED lamp works where flames are not allowed • An adult lights every flame and does all the stirring at the stove • No honey, or pañcāmṛta made with honey, for a baby under 12 months • The prasād holds milk, wheat and often nuts: tell guests, and refrigerate milk-based prasād within two hours • What to do if clothing catches fire, for a burn, or if anyone swallows camphor or lamp oil, with when to call 112 (India) or your local emergency number Three Paths, One Pūjā • The full order in 12 steps (about 75 minutes) for a housewarming, a family milestone or Kārtik Pūrṇimā • The short order (about 20 minutes) for a weekday Pūrṇimā, a small flat or a first try • Reading only (about 15 minutes) for travel, a hostel room, illness or any day a pūjā is not possible • All three paths are complete Preparing • A tick-box list for the altar, the offerings and the prasād, with easy substitutes • Setting the altar, with a diagram of one common home arrangement • The kalash and the banana stems, both optional, with a pot of clean water as a full alternative • The prasād in the kathā's own measure of one and a quarter: sapāda sheera with banana, ghee, milk and semolina or wheat flour, plus a panjiri option, with the Sanskrit verse (1.20 to 21), its meaning and kitchen safety • Pañcāmṛta, the five nectars, made simply The Pūjā • Before you begin, a one-line intention, Gaṇeśa first, then the kalash • The offerings, the name and the opening verse in Devanagari, IAST and plain English • How to wave the ārtī, which song to sing, and lamp and camphor safety • After the pūjā: sharing the prasād, allergies, clearing and dakṣiṇā The Five Stories • All five chapters of the kathā retold in plain English to read aloud, each with a short version in a box for busy evenings • Nārada's question · The Brahmin and the Wood-Seller · The Merchant's Promise · The Boat of Leaves · The King and the Cowherds • Reading the stories without fear: about keeping your word, humility and sharing, never a contract or a threat Kārtik Pūrṇimā and the Year • Satyanārāyaṇa pūjā dates for New Delhi from Kārtik Pūrṇimā, Tue 24 November 2026, to Kārtik 2027, with Pūrṇimā tithi times. Check your own city • A Kārtik Pūrṇimā day plan for Tue 24 November 2026, with a working-day version • Keeping the kathā with children, with jobs for every age and three questions for afterwards • A monthly Pūrṇimā rhythm that lasts • Fasting gently and optionally, with who should ask a doctor first; children do not fast • Hosting a Satyanārāyaṇa evening: inviting, seating, labelled prasād and an allergy-free plate Small Spaces and Special Cases • A plate on a shelf is an altar: small homes and rented flats • With or without a priest, or somewhere in between • Away from home: abroad, in a hostel, travelling or online with family in another city • When a pūjā isn't possible: illness, mourning customs, a tight month, no time, and mānasa pūjā Tools You Can Print • Our Katha Plan sheet and a Family Roles sheet • A Twelve Pūrṇimās tracker with a row for each date from Kārtik 2026 to Kārtik 2027, a six-month reflection and an after-a-year page; a memory book, not a score card • Four quick cards: Setup & Shopping · The Order · The Five Stories · Safety & Gentle Rules Read Next Purnima at Home · Light the Lamp · Tulsi at Home · Ekadashi at Home · Read the Panchang · A Simple Sankalpa · Evening Aarti at Home · Morning Sandhyā at Home · Grace at the Table · Sacred Sound · Weekday Devotion at Home · Old Offerings at Home · Namaskara at Home · Temple Visit Prep · Start Here: A Simple Daily Practice · Open the Gita · Kolam at the Door · Pradosh at Home · Amavasya at Home · Rudraksha Guide Format: 56-page PDF, US Letter, digital download. Offered for spiritual, cultural and educational purposes. It does not replace a priest or your elders, and it is not medical advice; ask a doctor before any fast. It makes no promises of wealth, children, success or any particular outcome, and gives no astrology or Vastu advice.