Tapati Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Tapati daughter of Surya (Sun God) and his wife Chhaya. She is sister of Shani dev, Yama and Savitri. The Jayanti is annually observed on Ashada Shukla Paksha Ashtami or the eighth day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Ashada month. Tapati Jayanti 2024 date is July 14.
Story of Tapati is present in Chaitraratha
Parva in the Mahabharata where Arjun learns from the Gandharvas that his
ancestor king Samvaran who was a great warrior and righteous king once saw a
beautiful maiden and was smitten. He proposed his love and wanted to marry her
but the girl replied that she was daughter of Surya and would only marry the
king if her father gives consent.
King Samvaran did a long and severe
penance to please Surya. When his preceptor, Sage Vashishtha (royal priest of
all Suryavanshis) came to know of this, arrived there and asked king to wait
till he goes to Surya as his emissary and presents his proposal. On
Vashishtha's request, Surya agrees to marry his daughter to Samvaran. This was
the union of Surya and Chandravanshis (as Samvaran's dynasty was started by
Soma). Samvaran and Tapati married and they had a son, who became famous across
the Bharatvarsha because of his righteous deeds. His name was Kuru and an
entire region was named after him, that remains till date where his later
descendants fought and destroyed each other, the Kurukshetra.
It is believed that Tapati's brother
Bhagwaan Shanidev blessed her that whoever takes dip in Tapati River is cleaned
of all sins and in fact if siblings take dip in Tapati River on Yama Chaturthi
will be saved from untimely death.