Anant Chaturdashi Katha, Samagri & Aarti

Separate from the Ganpati visarjan that most people associate with this date, Anant Chaturdashi (25 September 2026) is also the day of the Ananta Vrat — a vow dedicated to Lord Vishnu in his infinite (Ananta) form. This article covers the traditional katha (story) behind the vrat, the puja samagri you'll need, a step-by-step vidhi, and the Vishnu aarti sung at its close — presented as religious tradition and widely told legend, not as historically verified fact.

The Anant Chaturdashi Vrat Katha

According to tradition, Lord Krishna advised the Pandavas — then in exile — to observe the Ananta Vrat, telling Yudhishthira that doing so would help them regain their kingdom. To explain why, Krishna narrated the story of the sage Kaundinya and his wife Sushila, which forms the core legend behind the vrat.

The Story of Sage Kaundinya and Sushila

A righteous Brahmin named Sumant had a daughter, Sushila, who was married to the sage Kaundinya. During their travels, Sushila encountered a group of women observing the Ananta Vrat — tying a sacred thread with fourteen knots on their wrist in devotion to Lord Ananta. Intrigued, she learned the ritual and tied the Anant Sutra herself.

When Kaundinya later noticed the thread, the story goes, he grew angry, tore it from her wrist, and cast it into the fire — an act of disrespect toward Lord Ananta. Soon after, the couple's prosperity vanished entirely. When Sushila explained that his disrespect had caused their misfortune, Kaundinya set out into the forest seeking Ananta's forgiveness.

There, according to the legend, he encountered a series of beings — a mango tree, a cow, a bull, a donkey, and a pond — each explaining a karmic burden of their own, before finally meeting an aged Brahmin who revealed himself as Lord Ananta. The Lord instructed Kaundinya to observe the Anant Vrat properly for fourteen years, completing it with a formal Udyapana (closing ceremony) on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturdashi. Kaundinya did so, and — per the story — his family's prosperity was restored.

The Pandavas' Connection

Per the same tradition, Yudhishthira faithfully observed the Ananta Vrat as Krishna had advised, and the Pandavas went on to reclaim their kingdom after the events of the Mahabharata — the story is told as the reason many families continue to observe this vrat today, though, as with any vrat katha, it is presented here as religious tradition and belief, not as a guarantee of any specific outcome.

The 14-Knot Anant Sutra — What the Knots Represent

The Anant Sutra is a cotton thread tied with fourteen knots, traditionally dyed with turmeric, kumkum, or saffron. According to tradition, the fourteen knots represent the fourteen lokas (realms) described in Hindu cosmology. It's commonly tied on the right wrist by men and the left by women, though — as with most ritual conventions — this varies by family and regional custom.

Puja Samagri List

• An idol or photo of Lord Ananta (Vishnu)
• A clean cloth to cover or seat the idol/photo
• The Anant Sutra — cotton thread with fourteen knots, dyed with turmeric, kumkum, or saffron
• A kalash (if used in your family's tradition)
• Akshat (unbroken rice grains), kumkum, and haldi
• Fresh flowers
• A ghee lamp (diya) and incense
• Naivedya (sweets) for offering
• A copy of the vrat katha, to read or listen to during the puja

Step-by-Step Puja Vidhi

1. Bathe and wear clean clothes before beginning the puja.
2. Set up the idol or photo of Lord Ananta, along with a kalash if your family's tradition includes one.
3. Recite or listen to the Anant Chaturdashi vrat katha.
4. Tie the Anant Sutra on your wrist as part of the ritual.
5. Offer akshat, flowers, and naivedya.
6. Perform the aarti (see below).
7. Distribute prasad to family members.

This is separate from — and, for most Ganpati-celebrating households, runs alongside rather than instead of — the Ganesh visarjan puja described in our Ganesh Visarjan Vidhi guide.

The Aarti — Om Jai Jagdish Hare

"Om Jai Jagdish Hare" is the aarti traditionally sung at the close of Vishnu puja, including the Ananta Vrat. Composed by Shardha Ram Phillauri around 1870, it is one of the most widely sung devotional hymns in India today.

In brief, the aarti asks Vishnu to remove devotees' troubles, praises him as the sustainer of the universe and the ocean of compassion, and closes by offering one's body, mind, and possessions entirely to him — the same aarti sung across countless Vishnu and Satyanarayan pujas throughout India, not one written specifically for this vrat.

A Note on Belief vs. Guarantee

Like the Kaundinya-Sushila story itself, the traditional promise that observing this vrat brings back lost prosperity is a matter of religious faith and centuries-old custom, not a documented or guaranteed outcome — it's worth observing this vrat, if you choose to, in that spirit.

For the significance of the day itself, see our Anant Chaturdashi: Significance & Ritual article; for the Ganpati visarjan side of the day, see our Ganesh Visarjan Vidhi guide.