Why Do We Celebrate Karwa Chauth? 4 Reasons Behind the Auspicious Celebration

When it comes to a traditional Indian festival that celebrates the love of husbands and wives, then one celebration that instantly comes to our minds is “Karwa Chauth“. Married women wait for Karva Chauth for the whole year and celebrate it with tons of excitement and interesting rituals.

The romantic-cum-traditional festival’s beginnings are supposed to be the subject of several fascinating myths and legends and today we’ll talk about some of them. Here we go.

1) The Tale of Karva

Karva Chauth has been often linked to the tale of a woman named Karva. She was a married woman who adored her husband dearly. On a lovely day, his spouse went to the river to bathe but all of a sudden, a crocodile grabbed him. When Karva heard him scream, she hurried over to her spouse.

Meanwhile, she was holding a cotton yarn in her hand when she first saw the crocodile. With the cotton thread in her hands, she dashed into the crocodile and flashed towards Yama, the Lord of Death. She pleaded with Yama to damn the crocodile to which Yama steadfastly declined.

At such a response, Karva became enraged and vowed to curse the Lord of death. Ultimately, Yama granted her wish and consigned the being to hell while blessing a long life to Karwa’s husband.

2) Story of Queen Draupadi

The next Karva Chauth story on our list is inspired by Arjuna and Draupadi from the epic Mahabharata. Queen Draupadi loved Arjuna the most among all her five husbands. Hence, as a form of self-punishment, Arjuna once went to the Nilgiri Mountains.

As a result of Arjuna’s move, the other brothers were having difficulties. In these difficult circumstances, Draupadi thought of Lord Krishna and enquired as to what should be done to address the difficulties.

Lord Krishna told her that in a similar circumstance, Goddess Parvati performed the Karwa Chauth rituals and got the solution. Therefore, Draupadi adhered to the strict Karwa Chauth rules for the sake of her husbands and the Pandavas were able to find resolutions to their problems.

3) The Satyavan and Savitri Myth

Another well-known legend connected to the festival is the one between Satyavan and Savitri. According to it, Lord Yama arrived one day to take Satyavan’s soul. Lord Yama was initially asked to leave Satyavan by his wife, but he refused. In return, savitri got upset and skipped meals and drinks.

When Lord Yama saw her in such a serious condition, he gave her permission to wish for anything. She desired to have children, and in order to grant her wish, Lord Yama had to revive her husband.

4) The Veeravati legend

Once upon a time… there was a queen named Veeravati.She was fortunate to have seven devoted brothers and was wed to an affluent ruler. Veeravati observed her first Karva Chaith fast at her parent’s house and waited impatiently and for a very long time for the moon to break her fast.

When her brothers saw that she was in trouble, they devised a strategy to fool her by reflecting a mirror through the papaya leaves. Veeravati thought the light was the moon and consumed some food and drink to break her fast. As soon as she concluded her fast, she learned that her spouse was unwell.

She departed for the location and as she entered his king’s palace, she was met by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Goddess Parvati informed Veeravati that her husband had died because she had broken her fast after spotting the false moon. However, if the queen could just complete all the Karwa Chauth ceremonies once more, the goddess would grant her the wish and her king would survive.

Veeravati concurred and carried out the strict instructions with utter devotion ultimately reviving her spouse.

Karva Chauth Rituals

On the morning of Karwa Chauth, women break their fast by eating “sargi” i.e., a special meal made by their mother-in-law before the fast officially begins. Women refrain from taking any water or food after eating the Sargi until the moon rises.

The mornings are typically spent participating in community events, applying henna, etc. In the evening, all the women join together in prayer for their husband’s long life and well-being. As soon as the moon rises, the fast is broken. The husband is first seen through the same strainer that the women are using to examine the moon through. The husband then makes the wife have some water and sweets.

Final Words

Karva Chauth is one such celebration that brings huge amounts of love, positivity and happiness in married relationships. On this day, you must cherish the bond you share with your spouse and celebrate the occasion with love, gifts, and laughter.

Hope you find all these stories interesting. For more such fascinating stories behind our traditional celebrations, visit www.blogs.pepshep.com.