KARWA CHAUTH.... A long long time ago, there lived a beautiful princess by the name of Veeravati. When she was of the marriageable age, Veeravati was married to a king. On the occasion of the first Karva Chauth after her marriage, she went to her parents’ house. After sunrise, she observed a strict fast. However, the queen was too delicate and couldn’t stand the rigours of fasting. By evening, Veeravati was too weak, and fainted. Now, the queen had seven brothers who loved her dearly. They couldn’t stand the plight of their sister and decided to end her fast by deceiving her. They made a fire at the nearby hill and asked their sister to see the glow. They assured her that it was the moonlight and since the moon had risen, she could break her fast. However, the moment the gullible queen ate her dinner, she received the news that her husband, the king, was dead. The queen was heartbroken and rushed to her husband’s palace. On the way, she met Lord Shiva and his consort, Goddess Parvati. Parvati informed her that the king had died because the queen had broken her fast by watching a false moon. However, when the queen asked her for forgiveness, the goddess granted her the boon that the king would be revived but would be ill. When the queen reached the palace, she found the king lying unconscious with hundreds of needles inserted in his body. Each day, the queen managed to remove one needle from the king’s body. Next year, on the day of Karva Chauth, only one needle remained embedded in the body of the unconscious king. The queen observed a strict fast that day and when she went to the market to buy the karva for the puja , her maid removed the remaining needle from the king’s body. The king regained consciousness, and mistook the maid for his queen. When the real queen returned to the palace, she was made to serve as a maid. However, Veeravati was true to her faith and religiously observed the Karva Chauth vrat . Once when the king was going to some other kingdom, he asked the real queen (now turned maid) if she wanted anything. The queen asked for a pair of identical dolls. The king obliged and the queen kept singing a song Roli ki Goli ho gayi... Goli ki Roli ho gayi (the queen has turned into a maid and the maid has turned into a queen). On being asked by the king as to why did she keep repeating that song, Veeravati narrated the entire story. The king repented and restored the queen to her royal status. It was only the queen’s devotion and her faith that won her husband’s affection and the blessings of Goddess Parvati. SIGNIFICANCE According to Indian tradition, marriage introduces the responsibilities, privileges and rights of a husband and wife towards each other. In a traditional Hindu family, husband is the earner and the protector of the family whereas the various duties of a wife involves proper care, nurturing, education and continuity of cultural heritage of the family for future generations. Indian women keep various fasts to show her respect and affection for her husband. They pray for a healthy and prosperous marital life. In different regions, these special days are known by different names. Some of them are mentioned below. Karwa Chauth festival has an extraordinary observance rate among married women in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. This is a significant day for married women as they keep fast for the long-life and well-being of of their husbands. The way of celebrating Karwa Chauth vary from each other on regional basis. Punjab : The festival of Karwa chauth is one of the most important festival for married women in Punjab. Few days before this auspicious festival, all the markets in Punjab gets flooded with various accessories and decorative items including bangles, beautiful sarees, embroidered suits, stalls of sweets and eatables. Number of artists from different cities like Agra, Jaipur, Delhi, etc gather here with their special mehndis to decorate hands of women. In some parts of Punjab, young damsels too keep the fast in the hope of winning a loving husband. Rajasthan : Among the women of Rajasthan, the festival of Karwa Chauth has its own meaning. The women make the karwas with mud and fill them with rice and wheat. They wear their wedding-day dress or chunris on this auspicious day. Karwa Chauth generally falls on the full moon day of the month Jyeshtha. This is also known as Vata Purnima. Interestingly, the woman who observes this fast is not only blessed with welfare of her husband but also wins the same husband for the next seven births. Uttar Pradesh : In Uttar Pradesh, the married women keep the fast and pray for the long-life of their husband. They decorate the walls of their home with drawings of Gauri Ma, the moon and the sun. They also make the karwa with mud and perform the evening puja with earthen lamps. Before looking at the moon, the women pray to the figurines at their doorstep. Other States : Other Indian states also observes this fast. In Gujarat, many women observe this fast with great spirit. In Madhya Pradesh also, most of them follow the traditions of the women from Uttar Pradesh. In all these states the first Karva Chauth of any new bride is a very important festival. New clothes, new jewelery and gifts from both mother and mother-in-law are received. The wedding day outfits are worn once again, mehndi is applied and the family gathers to celebrate it with them. There are many similar stories associated with this festival in different parts of India. In Maharashtra this particular fast is not very popular but a similar one called Vaat Savitri is kept by married women. The traditional Indian calendar is one long pageant of colorful festivals, a colorful mosaic of festivals, fairs and fasts as diverse as the land itself. The festival and fast of Karva Chauth is celebrated with much exuberance and fanfare. It is considered an important and auspicious day for married women. A married woman celebrates this day with great fervor and dedication, by observing a fast and praying for the long life of her husband. The fast is observed during the month of Kartik on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha (descending moon). This generally falls in the month of October. The earliest reference of a Karva Chauth can be found in the great epic of Mahabharata. As per Mahabharata, Arjun, a supreme warrior and one of the Pandavas, went to the Nilgiri Hills to offer his prayers and worship the gods. Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, was accompanying him. On the way, Draupadi was struck with fear believing that she was alone in the forest with no one to protect her. As she treated Lord Krishna as her Brother, she invoked him to appear before her and help her out of this grave situation. On listening to her fear and perplexity, Lord Krishna cited an example of Goddess Parvati. Parvati in a similar situation asked Lord Shivas help. Lord Shiva explained to her that to ward off such apprehensions, a woman could observe a fast on Kartik Krishna Chaturthi as a remedy. Lord Krishna advised Draupadi to undertake this fast and also assured her of he victory of the Pandavas. Women also pray to Lord Ganesha for the fulfillment of all their wishes. The fast has all the trappings of festivity. Women dress up in their best finery, with henna-decked hands, bindis, colorful bangles, vermilion in their hair-parting and the best of jewelery. However, they do not eat even a morsel of food, neither drink a drop of water, from dawn till the moon rises. Finally, when the moon is sighted, the wife goes out to view it. The moon is worshiped and then she turns to view her husbands face through the pores of a sieve, praying for his long life. After performing the puja, its finally time for food. || may the sindoor testify your prayers (worship) for yours husbands longest life and prove the depth of heartiest love. may the moon light, flood your life with, happiness and joy, peace and harmony, happy karwa chauth ||
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:27:10 +0000
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