Karva Chauth Vrat Katha – The story listened to before breaking Karwa Chowth fasting

Married women undertaking the fasting on Karva Chauth make it a point to listen to the Karva Chauth Vrat Katha (story) from elderly women. With changing times many women prefer to listen to the audio version of the story (CD or MP3) or read the story. There are numerous regional versions of Karwa Chowth Vrat Katha but the moral is the same and in fact in most stories only the social status of the characters change – the main story remains the same.

Karva Chauth Vrat Katha

A money lender had seven sons and a daughter. All the sons were married. The daughter who was married came to her father’s house to observe her first Karva Chauth Vrat. On the fourth day of Kartik Krishna Paksha, the money lender’s wife, the seven daughters-in-law and the daughter kept the Karva Chauth Vrat.

The seven brothers did not like the idea of their sister starving, so they invited her to have food with them. But she did not accept the invitation and said that she will only eat after sighting the moon and after doing the needed pujas.

The brothers decided to trick their sister, so that she will break her fasting.

They used mirror reflection from a fire place to convince the sister that the moon has appeared on sky.

The wives of the seven brothers who came to know about the trick informed the sister about the trickery. But the sister was not ready to listen to them and she accepted the words of her brothers and broke her fast by offering pujas to the reflection of fire thinking that it is the real moon. She also consumed food along with her brothers.

A couple of hours later she received the news that her husband is terribly ill. She rushed to her husband’s home. She had to undergo several troubles but illness of her husband showed no respite.

Soon she realized that all this was due to her not observing the Karva Chauth Vrat properly. She prayed to Lord Ganesh for forgiveness. She observed the Karva Chauth Vrat properly and soon her husband was cured and she was blessed with prosperity.

In another version, the daughter is replaced with Queen Veeravati. But in the story her husband (the King) dies. When she repents, Lord Shiva and Parvati appear before her and forgive her. She is able to bring back her dead husband by strictly observing the Karva Chauth Vrat.

Related

How to observe Karva Chauth Vrat?