KARVA CHAUTH FESTIVAL (22-10-2013) MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF KARVA CHAUTH Karwa Chauth is a reflection of the rich Indian culture and value systems ingrained in the society. This is a ritual which is religiously followed by married women and more so those of north and north western India. This occasion is more important for all newly-wed couples. A newly married woman is made to feel very special by her relatives and immediate family members on this day. She is showered with blessings for a blissful married life and lots of Karva Chauth gifts. FAST OF KARVA CHAUTH Karwa Chauth is a ritual of fasting observed by married Hindu women seeking the longlife, well-being and prosperity of their husbands. Married women keep a strict fast and do not take even a drop of water. It is the most important and difficult fast observed by a married woman. It begins before sunrise and ends only after offering prayers and worshiping the moon at night. No food or water can be taken after sunrise. The fast is broken once the moon is sighted and rituals of the day have been performed. At night when the moon appears, women break their fast after offering water to the moon. IMPORTANCE OF FASTING Hindus believe it is not easy to unceasingly pursue the path of spirituality in ones daily life. Therefore a worshiper must strive to impose restrains on to get the mind focused. And one form of restraint is fasting. However, fasting is not only a part of worship, but a great instrument for self-discipline too. It is a training of the mind and the body to endure and harden up against all hardships, to persevere under difficulties and not give up. WHY THE MOON IS WORSHIPED ON THE EVE OF KARVA CHAUTH? There are many festivals and fasts on which the women keeps a day long fast and then when the moon arises in the night, they offer water and worships the moon and after that only they breaks their fast and take water and food. The moon is worshiped for the several reasons like for getting good child, for the protection of husband and for avoiding all the types of troubles. The fast kept by women on the occasion of ‘Karva Chauth’ is kept for the long age and good health of their husband. It is also said in “Chandogay Upnishad” that the married couples who worships Lord Brahma in this form are always blessed by the grace of god and their life is spent very happily without any kind of troubles or problems and they get rid of the all the sins done by them in the past. They are blessed with long age and good health. Even their upcoming dynasty also gets the benefit of this. This is also propounded by the ‘Agni’ that “I will protect these human beings in this world and also in the after-life world”. Moon is the lord of our soul and temperament and it controls our soul’s volatility and naughtiness. It is said to be the sign of ‘Parashakti’. It is said that moon is also having its place at the middle of our forehead. A decorative mark is made on the middle of the forehead by the red powder made of turmeric and lime or by the powder of sandalwood, this mark makes the moon happy and it controls the naughtiness of the soul. The presence of half moon on the forehead of lord Shiva shows his Yogi form. Half moon is worshiped as a sign of hope. As mentioned in ‘Brahmavevrat Puran’ moon got married with the daughters of Daksh Prajapti but the moon doesn’t gave much attention towards them due to which they got unhappy and went back to their father’s house. The Daksh got so angry by all this that he sacred the moon by the ‘Kshay Rog’. The moon then worshiped Lord Shiva and made him happy and then the Lord Shiva gave the moon a place on his forehead. The Daksh then asked Lord Shiva to handle back the moon to him or otherwise he will also get sacred by his ‘Shraap’. Then the Lord Shiva went to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu distributed the Moon in two parts and gave the one part to Daksh and placed the other part on the forehead of Lord Shiva. By this the ‘Shraap’ given by Daksh also remained and the moon also gets rid of the ‘Shraap’. By the effects of the same ‘Shraap’ only the moon declines for 15 days and then it increases slowly-slowly on the next 15 days. Wish you all a Happy Karva Chauth....!!!
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 05:44:30 +0000