Guru Pradosh Vrat is the Pradosh that falls on a Thursday. Like every Pradosh it is a fast for Lord Shiva, kept on Trayodashi, the thirteenth tithi, and worshipped not at dawn but at dusk — in the pradosh-kaal, the short twilight window that hangs on either side of sunset. What makes this one Guru Pradosh is only the day of the week: when Trayodashi comes to rest on Guruvar, Thursday, the vrat takes the name and the temper of that weekday.
Thursday belongs to Brihaspati — Jupiter, the guru of the gods, lord of wisdom, learning and expansion. So over the base worship of Shiva, Guru Pradosh carries a second colour: it is kept by those who seek clarity of mind, the blessing of a teacher, progress in study, and the steady growth Jupiter is said to bring. The two strands sit together without strain — Shiva the still centre of the twilight, and Guru the planet of knowledge and grace.
Date & Pradosh-kaal timing
The observance day and the twilight puja window for your city
In 2026, Guru Pradosh Vrat is kept on Thursday, 24 September 2026 — the Pradosh-kaal worship window opens 24 September 2026, 06:15 PM and closes 24 September 2026, 08:39 PM.
Pradosh-kaal begins
24 September 2026, 06:15 PM
Pradosh-kaal ends
24 September 2026, 08:39 PM
| Upcoming dates | Day |
|---|---|
| 24 September 2026 | Thursday |
| 8 October 2026 | Thursday |
| 18 February 2027 | Thursday |
Times shown for New Delhi; pick your city on the Pradosh Vrat calendar for local timings.
Guru Pradosh Vrat at a glance
Date in 2026
Thursday, 24 September 2026
Tithi
Trayodashi (13th)
Deity
Lord Shiva
Weekday & lord
Thursday · Brihaspati (Jupiter)
Observance
Pradosh-kaal Shiva puja
Why Thursday makes it Guru Pradosh
One vrat, coloured by the weekday it lands on
Pradosh is a weekday-typed vrat. The fast, the deity and the twilight hour never change — it is always Trayodashi, always Lord Shiva, always the pradosh-kaal. What changes is the weekday the tithi falls on, and each weekday hands the vrat the character of its planetary lord. Saturday gives Shani Pradosh, Monday Som Pradosh, and Thursday — Guruvar — gives Guru Pradosh.
Thursday's lord is Brihaspati, Jupiter, called the guru of the devas. He governs wisdom, higher knowledge, teachers and mentors, faith, and the slow expansion of all good things. When a Trayodashi settles on his day, that dimension is laid over the worship of Shiva. This is why a devotee who wants a clear mind, the grace of a guru, or headway in learning waits for the Thursday Pradosh rather than any other.
The pradosh-kaal — the hour that gives the vrat its name
A twilight window pegged to sunset, not the clock
The word pradosh means the meeting of day and night — the dusk. The vrat is named for its hour, and the whole worship is done in the pradosh-kaal, a window of roughly ninety minutes that straddles sunset: from about forty-five minutes before the sun goes down to a little under an hour after. It is in this brief twilight, tradition says, that Shiva is at his most gracious.
Because the window is tied to sunset, its clock time is different in every city and drifts through the year. Sunset in Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai can differ by close to an hour, and the pradosh-kaal moves with it. This is why a fixed 'Delhi time' is of little use here. The timing card above is computed for the city you select, so the window you see is the one that applies where you are.
How the Guru Pradosh vrat is kept
The day-long fast, the twilight puja and the katha
Most keep a fast through the day, bathe before the evening worship, and come to Shiva in the pradosh-kaal. The heart of the puja is the abhishek of the Shivalinga — water and milk, then bilva (bel) leaves, white flowers, a ghee lamp and the chant Om Namah Shivaya. The Pradosh Vrat Katha is read in the twilight, and the fast is broken after the evening worship is done.
On a Thursday, many fold in the marks of Guru's day: wearing yellow, offering yellow flowers or gram-and-jaggery, and honouring Brihaspati or Vishnu alongside Shiva. Some read the Guru Pradosh katha in particular, or add a round of mantra for clarity of mind. None of this is obligatory — the core vrat is the Shiva worship in the pradosh-kaal; the Thursday additions are what give it its Guru flavour.
Observance of the fast itself varies. Some keep it nirjala, without water; many take only fruit, milk and water through the day; others eat a single sattvic meal. Keep the form your health and tradition allow.
On rituals and remedies
Who keeps it, and what it is for
Wisdom, a teacher's grace, and Jupiter's slow growth
Guru Pradosh is favoured by students and seekers — anyone before an examination, a course of higher study, or a turn in life that asks for a clear head. Because Thursday's lord is the guru of the gods, the vrat is also kept for the blessing of one's own teachers and mentors, and for the kind of faith and good judgement that Jupiter is said to strengthen.
Beyond learning, Brihaspati stands for expansion — the unhurried growth of prosperity, standing and family well-being. So the Thursday Pradosh is kept as much for a settled, expanding life as for a sharp mind. As with every vrat, it is held to work through steadiness and sincerity over time, not as a single transaction; keep it as an offering, in the measure your health allows.
See today's live panchang for your city
Tithi, nakshatra, sunrise and the day's muhurat — worked out for wherever you are.
Guru Pradosh Vrat — questions answered
The Thursday Pradosh, its twilight window and how to keep it