Religious vow (vrat) observed on the
fourth (chauth) day of the dark, waning
half of the lunar month of Kartik
(October–November). Karva Chauth is
taken by married women to ensure their
husbands’ health, prosperity, and long life.
There are many such vows in which
women’s observances and sacrifices are
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Karva Chauth
channeled into maintaining the welfare
and prosperity of the family. Although
such vows are voluntary in the strictest
sense, there is great social pressure for
women to perform them, thus fulfilling
their expected role as “good” wives. Karva
Chauth is a very strict vow; women observing it neither eat nor drink until they see
the moon rising that evening. When the
moon appears, the women offer water to it
and then are permitted to drink. On this
evening, women may also worship the
deities Shiva and Parvati (the divine
example of a happily married couple) and
Karttikeya, their son. Women also give
each other small pots (karva) filled with
sweets, hence the festival’s name.
The charter myth for this observance
tells how a young bride, while performing
this fast at the home of her birth, grows
faint and nearly lifeless. Her brothers are
so worried about her health that one of
them climbs into a tree with a lantern,
while the others convince her that the
light is coming from the rising moon. The
young woman is greatly relieved, but as
soon as she drinks water her husband falls
down dead. Her brothers eventually have
to confess what they have done. As the
woman lays lamenting her newly gained
widowhood, she is discovered by the goddess Parvati, who assures her that her husband will be restored to life if she faithfully
observes Karva Chauth the following year.
The young woman does as she is told and
regains her husband.
This tale contains significant cultural
information, particularly on people’s differing obligations. A brother’s duty is to
protect his sister. A wife’s primary duty is
to her husband, and her efforts should be
devoted to his welfare. As in many such
tales, the consequences of failing to keep a
religious observance are swift and severe,
and the rewards from faithfully performing it are equally grand.