As the Karwa Chauth has begun, let us have a look at some of the most popular 'kathas' that married women hear on this day.
The festival of suhagans, Karwa Chauth is one of the much-loved celebrations amongst married women. The married women on this day keep nirjala vrat for the long lives of their husbands, for their happiness and prosperity. The married women gather together and do pooja in the afternoon and open the fast as soon as the moon rises. It's a beautiful sight to witness when the married women do their shola sringar, and offer argh to the moon while doing the pooja. While the Karwa Chauth is celebrated across the nation widely, do you know the popular mythological stories behind it? Well, today, we will learn about the same.
The first story is about Veervati, a queen who was the only sister among seven of her brothers. Well, after her marriage, when she prepared for her first Karwa Chauth, she ended up doing a strict nirjala vrat. Seeing the sister's condition without food or water ahead of the moonrise, her brothers' hearts filled with sorrow. They wanted Veervati to eat and deceived her by placing a mirror on the peepal tree to make it look like a moon.
Now, no sooner did Veervati break her fast than the news of her husband's demise reached her, which broke her heart. When she was on her way home, Veervati met Parvati, who told her about how her brother tricked her. Listening to this, Veervati then kept the fast with full-on devotion, and seeing the same, Yama had no option but to revive her husband's life. This story is quite popular amongst the folks, and on Karwa Chauth, this Veervati Katha is heard by several women who observe the fast.
Another popular story of Karwa Chauth, which is heard on the auspicious day is the story of Karwa. There was once a woman named Karwa, whose unmatched love for her husband helped her gain some spiritual power. One day, Karwa and her husband went to a river for a bath, and the latter was attacked by a crocodile and was dead. Seeing the same, Karwa tied that crocodile with a cotton yarn and asked Yama to give back her husband's life in exchange for the crocodile's life. When Yama said he wouldn't be able to do so, Karwa threatened that she would devastate Yamadev and curse him. In fear of her spiritual power, Yama then gave Karwa's husband's life back.
There is another Karwa Chauth story of Satyavan and Savitri, which is quite popular amongst people. When Satyavan left for his heavenly abode, Yama came to carry him. On the other hand, Savitri requested Yama to grant her husband's life. She followed Yama when he was taking Satyavan away and also stopped drinking and eating. Seeing her adamant nature, Yama then told her that she could ask for any boon, excluding Satyavan's life. Savitri said that she wanted to be blessed with kids. Savitri was a devoted wife; thus, the only way she could conceive was through her husband. Thus, Yama had no option left but to revive Satyavan's life so that Savitri could be blessed with kids.
Our next story on Karwa Chauth is from Mahabharat, and it's also quite famous. Once one of the Pandavas, Arjuna set out to live in the Nilgiri mountains for self-penalty. And for the same, his other four brothers faced some serious issues. Now, Draupadi couldn't see her husbands in such a situation and asked Krishna, her best friend, about what to do. Krishna then referred to a story of Parvati, who performed the rituals of Karwa Chauth to get over such a condition. Thus, Draupadi, too, for the sake of the well-being of her five husbands, performed Karwa Chauth rituals.
What do you think about the famous stories or kathas on Karwa Chauth? Let us know!
Also Read: Significance Of Karwa Chauth: How And Why It's Celebrated In India? The Origin And History Of It