Sashti fasting is observed on the sixth day of the waxing or light phase of moon, Shukla paksha sashti tithi, in each month of Bengal. The fasting in Bhadra month is known as Jhinge Shashti or Chapara Shashthi. Here is the famous story associated with this particular Sashti.
Once upon a time in some land, there lived a merchant. He
had a flourishing household. There was no shortage of wealth. He had three
sons, and each son had a child. Altogether, the house was always filled with
joy. But as it happens—when a person has wealth and happiness, the vapor of
pride rises within them. So it did in the mind of the merchant.
One day he thought, “With so much property, why should my
wife and daughters-in-law go to someone else’s pond to perform the Shashti
rituals?” No sooner thought than done—he hired people and began digging a pond
in front of his house.
One day passed, then two, then three. A whole month went by.
Time came again for the Shashti vow. The pond had become deep—so deep its
bottom could not be seen. Yet the water would not rise.
The villagers distanced themselves, kept the family at arm’s
length. They said, “Surely there is some sin behind this! Otherwise, why would
such a deep pond still have no water?” The merchant wept and prayed to Mother Shasti.
That very night he dreamt. Mother Shashti stood by the edge
of the pond. On her compassionate face, a shadow of anger fell. Sternly she
said, “Water is life. To invite life, one must first call upon its giver—the
Mother. But you have called upon pride instead. Pride and greed—they are
bottomless and barren. They dry a person from within. Your pond is an outward
form of your pride, and that is why it is dry.”
“For this, there must be a sacrifice—the giving up of
something precious. Offer your dearest, youngest grandson to the soil of this
pond. Only then will water rise.” Hearing this, the merchant broke down crying.
But Mother’s face remained unyielding.
The next day, amidst tears and wailing, the family offered
the little grandson to the soil of the pond. And instantly the pond filled with
water from its depths. Thunder roared and heavy rain poured down. The child
swam in the water and, calling “Mother!”, clung to the end of Mother’s sari…
Mother Shashti, smiling kindly, appeared before the
merchant. She said, “Nothing has happened to the child. I am Shashti Mata—I
cannot take a child’s life. That dear one was the symbol of your inner sense of
security and of your pride.”
“I shattered that. The real sacrifice was of your pride.”
The air filled with chants in praise of Mother Shasthi.
The pond was consecrated. The villagers celebrated the vow
of Mother Shashti with great ceremony. Since the story involved the offering of
a child, symbolically a child-figure made from pituli dough was cut and set
afloat in the water along with the offerings. Among fruits and other items,
ridge gourd (jhinge) was offered.
In some places, instead of the dough image, the child is
imagined in the form of ridge gourds—one gourd for one child, two for two
children. In such cases, chapara pitha made with rice paste, sugar, and grated
coconut is offered to the Mother. This sacred pitha is then consumed as blessed
food.
Thus all these Shashti vows convey one truth:
Though a mother remains busy with countless household duties throughout the
year, her deepest thoughts are always centred on her child. A mother can do
anything for her child’s welfare. The Shasti vows remind us of this again and
again.
