On the third day of Chhath Puja, after offering evening prayers, read this fasting story

Chhath Puja 2024: Chhath, the great festival of faith, is celebrated with great pomp especially in Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. This festival lasts for four days and is dedicated to Sun God and Chhathi Maiya. Chhath Puja has great importance from religious and cultural point of view. This festival begins on the Chaturthi date of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month, which is called Nahai-Khai. After this, a special tradition is performed every day, in which the Vratis observe special types of fasts, fasting and worship.

Traditions of Chhath Puja

Chhath Puja is a four-day grand festival. On the first day, in Nahai-Khai, the Vratis take a bath and eat food as a symbol of purity. On the second day, there is a tradition of Kharna, in which after fasting throughout the day, a special type of kheer and roti is made at home at night. On the third day, i.e. on the sixth day, Arghya is offered to the setting sun at sunset and the Vrat Katha is also recited. On the fourth day, the festival concludes with offering arghya to the rising sun on Saptami Tithi.

Sandhya Arghya Timing

November 7 in 2024 is the third day of Chhath Puja, on which evening arghya will be given. On this day, arghya of Sun God will be given till 5:29 pm. Sunrise will be at 6:42 am and sunset will be at 5:48 pm. Vrat women offer arghya to the Sun on this day by standing waist deep in water and recite the Vrat Katha after the puja.

Mythological story associated with Chhath Puja

A mythological story associated with Chhath Puja is associated with King Priyavrat. King Priyavrat and his wife Malini were childless despite many measures to have a child. One day he asked Maharishi Kashyap about the remedy for having a child. Maharishi Kashyap performed a yagya and fed its kheer to the king's wife. Due to the effect of kheer, the queen became pregnant, but unfortunately, the son was born dead. The sad king went to the crematorium and tried to commit suicide, then Goddess Shashthi appeared there. The goddess told King Priyavrat that if he worships her according to the rituals, he will get the boon of having a child.

King Priyavrat worshiped Goddess Shashthi and in the same year Queen Malini got a living son. Since then, the tradition of Chhath Puja and fasting started on the Shashthi date of Kartik month.

Karna and Sun God

In the religious texts, there is also a mention of Danveer Karna in the Mahabharata era, who was the son of Sun God. Karna used to offer water to Sun God daily and by his grace he became a great warrior. This faith of Karna towards Sun God is linked to the tradition of Chhath Puja.

Draupadi and Chhath Vrat

In another mythological story, Draupadi also observed Chhath Vrat during the Mahabharata era. When the Pandavas lost their kingdom in gambling, Draupadi kept this fast and after worshiping, by the grace of Sun God, the Pandavas got their kingdom back. This story is also associated with Chhath Puja, which shows that this festival has the special blessings of Sun God and Chhathi Maiya.

Chhath Puja Vrat Katha

A mythological story related to Chhath Puja is related to King Priyavrat. According to this story, there used to be a king named Priyavrat in a kingdom. The king and his wife Malini were always worried because they had no children. They tried many ways to have children, but nothing came out of it and they remained childless. Once King Priyavrat and his wife went to Maharishi Kashyap to wish for a child and said, O Maharishi! We have no children. Please tell us some effective way to have a child.

After listening to the sorrow of King Priyavrat, Maharishi Kashyap organized a grand Yagya at the king's place to have a child. Maharishi Kashyap ordered to make kheer for the yagya sacrifice. Then Maharishi Kashyap asked to feed the kheer made for the sacrifice to King Priyavrat's wife Malini. The king fed that kheer to his wife. Due to the effect of that kheer, the queen became pregnant. Then after 9 months, the queen gave birth to a son, but he was born dead. Seeing this, the king and his wife became more sad. After this, King Priyavrat took his dead son to the crematorium and tried to commit suicide in grief of his son.

At the same time, a goddess appeared in the crematorium. The goddess told King Priyavrat that I am Devsena, the daughter of Brahma and I am called Shashthi because I am born from the sixth part of the original nature of the universe. Tell me the reason for your worry. The king told the whole story. After listening to the king's sorrow, Shashthi Devi told King Priyavrat that if you worship me according to the rituals and inspire others to worship me, then I will definitely give you the boon of having a son.

Conclusion

Chhath Puja is not only a religious festival, but it is an important part of Indian culture, which is a symbol of faith, sacrifice, and dedication. Mythological stories related to the worship of Sun God and Chhathi Maiya also increase the importance of this festival. The purpose of Chhath Puja is to get the blessings of Sun God and Chhathi Maiya to attain happiness, prosperity, and child happiness in life.