Unveiling the Love Tale Behind Karwa Chauth Festival

Karwa Chauth is a significant festival celebrated by Hindu women in North India. The festival is observed on the fourth day after the full moon, in the Hindu lunisolar calendar month of Kartik. On this day, married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the well-being, prosperity, and longevity of their husbands. The fast is broken after sighting the moon. An integral part of the Karwa Chauth celebrations is the recitation of the traditional story or 'Vrat Katha'.

The Story of Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Veeravati, the only sister of seven loving brothers. She was married to a king. On her first Karwa Chauth, she went to her parents' house. After sunrise, she observed a strict fast. However, by evening, Veeravati was desperately waiting for the moonrise as she was suffering from severe thirst and hunger.

Seeing her discomfort, her brothers couldn't bear it. They decided to trick her into breaking her fast. They created a mirror in a pipal tree that made it look as if the moon had risen. Veeravati mistook it for the moon and broke her fast.

The moment she ate, word arrived that her husband, the king, was dead. Heartbroken, she wept through the night. During her sorrow, she was visited by the goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva. They revealed to her that her husband had died because the moon had not risen when she broke her fast. Veeravati asked for forgiveness and was granted a boon that her husband would be revived but would be ill.

Veeravati took care of her husband with utmost care and devotion. When her in-laws attempted to poison her husband, she was warned by the Sun God. She was able to prevent her husband from consuming the poison. Impressed by her dedication and love, Yama, the god of death, was forced to bring her husband back to life.

Since then, Karwa Chauth is celebrated with great faith and belief. Women fast for the long life of their husbands and in the evening, they listen to this Vrat Katha, which signifies the love and devotion of a wife towards her husband.