🙏 Yama & Yamuna

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya)

🗓️ Kartik Shukla Dwitiya (Oct–Nov)

The story behind Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya)

Bhai Dooj closes the five days of Deepawali on Kartik Shukla Dwitiya. Tradition holds that Yamuna received her brother Yama at her home on this day and fed him with her own hands, and that he granted her the boon that a brother who eats at his sister's house on this tithi is freed from fear of untimely death. Unlike Raksha Bandhan, the obligation here runs the other way: the brother travels to the sister, and the meal she serves is the rite itself.

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) Puja Vidhi

  1. 1

    Yamuna & Yama Smarana

    Bathe in the morning, and where possible offer worship to Yamuna and Yama before the family observance, recalling the katha of the day.

  2. 2

    Tilak & Aarti

    The sister applies a tilak of roli and akshata on her brother's forehead, performs aarti, and offers him a coconut or paan.

  3. 3

    Bhojan at the Sister's House

    The brother takes the meal at the sister's home, served by her own hands — the central act of the day, not an accompaniment to it.

  4. 4

    Dakshina & Ashirvad

    The brother offers a gift and dakshina; the elder of the two gives the blessing, and the family shares the remaining prasad.

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) Mantra

ॐ यमाय धर्मराजाय मृत्यवे चान्तकाय च। वैवस्वताय कालाय सर्वभूतक्षयाय च॥

Meaning

To Yama, the lord of dharma; to the ender, the son of Vivasvan, to time itself before which all beings pass — salutations.

How to chant

Recited by the sister at the time of the tilak, seeking her brother's long life.

When is Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya)?

YearDate
2025Thursday, 23 October 2025
2026Wednesday, 11 November 2026
2027Sunday, 31 October 2027
2028Thursday, 19 October 2028
2029Wednesday, 7 November 2029

Dates are computed with the Drik (observational) method from real solar and lunar positions, using sunrise-to-sunrise Tithi assignment for New Delhi.

Does Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) fall on the same date everywhere?

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya)'s date is decided by the astrological marker that is checked at sunrise. Sunrise happens at a different moment in each city, so Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) can fall on different calendar dates in different countries, even though everyone is observing the same astronomical event.

CityDate
New DelhiWed, 11 November
New YorkTue, November 10
LondonWed 11 November
TorontoTue, November 10
SydneyWed 11 November
DubaiWed, 11 November
SingaporeWed, 11 November

These dates follow the panchang convention computed for each city's own coordinates — they are not a universal verdict. Some temples and communities shift observance to a weekend regardless of the computed date, and published panchang authorities recommend using your own city's panchang rather than a single worldwide date. Confirm with your local temple or community before treating a date as final.

Festivals around Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya)

All Hindu festivals →See the full Vedic calendar →Today's Panchang & muhurtas →

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) FAQs

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) falls on 11 November 2026, based on Kaala's Drik Panchang calculation for the corresponding Tithi.

Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) is dated according to the lunar Tithi, not the fixed Gregorian calendar, so its Gregorian date shifts from year to year while its position in the lunar calendar stays consistent.

The astronomical event Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) marks happens at the same instant everywhere in the world, but which calendar day that instant falls on locally depends on each city's own timing — so cities in different countries can observe Bhai Dooj (Yama Dwitiya) a day apart.