The Story of Karwa Chauth

The festival of Karwa Chauth is celebrated on the fourth day (Chaturthi) of the Karthika month of the Hindu calendar. The term ‘Karwa’ refers to an earthen pot and ‘Chauth’ denotes the fourth day on which this festival is celebrated. Being one of the most auspicious festivals for married women all across India,

there are a number of tales and rituals that surround Karwa Chauth. Married women fast an entire day and perform certain rituals for their husband’s healthy life and prosperity. Following are some tales and beliefs associated with the festival of Karwa Chauth that would help you understand the significance of this day:

Queen Veervati’s Tale

Queen Veeravati was a devoted wife and a sister to seven loving brothers. On the auspicious day of Karwa Chauth, she followed every ritual so that it would bring health and prosperity to her husband. By the time of dusk, she was desperately waiting for the moonrise as she suffered from hunger and thirst. Since her brothers cannot see her suffering, they created an illusion of moon in the sky. Queen Veeravati looked at the moon and went to have her first meal of the day. After having the first bite of her meal, she sneezed. She continued to have her meal, but in the second bite, she found a hair strand. By the third bite, she got heart-breaking news that her husband, the King, is dead. Upon getting this news, the Queen wept the entire night. The next day, a Goddess revealed to the Queen that she was tricked by her brothers. The Goddess advised the Queen to follow all the rituals of Karwa Chauth again with utter devotion. Seeing her dedication, Yama – The God of Death, restored Queen Veeravati’s husband’s life.

The Legend of Mahabharata

The time when Arjuna went to the Nilgiri Mountains for self-penalty, the other brothers faced several challenges in his absence. While facing such hardships, Draupadi used to remember Lord Krishna and seek His guidance. To help Draupadi, Lord Krishna narrated a similar story of Goddess Parvati in which she performed Karwa Chauth rituals to resolve all the problems her husband faced.  And on Lord Krishna’s advice, Draupadi followed the strict rituals of Karwa Chauth which helped Pandavas resolve their problems.

The Story Karva

Once upon a time, there was a woman named ‘Karva’ who was Pati-vrata as she was immensely devoted towards her husband. Owing to her love and dedication for her husband, she was bestowed with spiritual power. One day, her husband was caught by a crocodile by the riverside. While Karva bound the crocodile with cotton yarn, she remembered Yama – The God of Death. She asked Yama to send the crocodile to hell. On Yama’s refusal, Karva threatened to curse him. Yama, afraid to be cursed by the spiritually blessed Karva, sent the crocodile to hell and blessed her husband with long and healthy life. It is said that the festival Karwa Chauth gets its name after Karva.

Savitri’s Wittiness

Savitri was an extremely devoted wife to Satyavan, her husband. When Lord Yama came to procure Satyavan’s soul, Savitri begged for her husband’s life. Yama refused and took the soul of her husband. Savitri then stopped eating food and drinking water. Seeing this, Yama asked her to wish something other than the life of her husband. To this, Savitri asked Yama to bless her with children. Since Savitri was a ‘Pati-Vrata’ (devoted) wife to her husband, she would never let anyone touch her other than Satyavan. To ensure that Savitri’s wish was fulfilled, Yama was left with no other choice but to restore Satyavan’s life.

Karwa Chauth is one of the most auspicious festivals in the Hindu culture. And we hope these amazing tales helped you understand the significance of this day. Since Karwa Chauth is just around the corner, you can treat your beloved wife with some unique Karwa Chauth gifts. You can easily look for some romantic and thoughtful Karwa Chauth gifts for your wife that many help you express your truest emotions to her, and thus make this day a lot more special.