Chhath festival
Today is the third day of the Chhath festival, in which water is offered to the setting sun. A 36-hour fast will be observed, concluding tomorrow on the fourth day by offering water to the sun. The four-day long Chhath festival is celebrated with great devotion by the people of Bihar. This year, it will be celebrated from October 25th to 28th. Special attention is paid to purity during this fast.
Chhath Puja 2025 is worshipped for the protection of children. It is believed that Chhathi Mata is the sister of Lord Surya and the mental daughter of Lord Brahma. Observing Chhathi Mata’s fast and worshipping her with proper rituals during Chhath Puja pleases Chhathi Mata, and through her grace, children are blessed with long life and prosperity. Let’s explore the mythological significance of Chhath Puja and the popular stories associated with it.
Mythological Tales of Chhath Mahaparva
There are many mythological tales associated with Chhath festival. Let us learn about some of the major ones:
1. The Story of Karna and Surya Dev
According to belief, Chhath festival originated during the Mahabharata period. Karna, the son of Surya, was a great devotee of Lord Surya and regularly worshipped him and offered him water. He would stand waist-deep in water for hours every day, offering water to Lord Surya and worshipping him. It is said that it was only by the grace of Lord Surya Dev that he became a great warrior, and this is why the tradition of offering water during Chhath Puja has continued.
2. The Story of Draupadi and the Pandavas
The second tale of Chhath festival also dates back to the Mahabharata period, which is the story of Draupadi and the Pandavas. It is said that when the Pandavas lost their entire kingdom in gambling and went into exile, their wife Draupadi, on the advice of sage Dhaumya, started fasting for Lord Surya. It is said that due to the effect of this fast, the Pandavas got back their lost kingdom, happiness and prosperity.
3. Story of Lord Rama and Mother Sita
Another story of Chhath Mahaparva is prevalent since the time of Ramayana, when Lord Rama and Mother Sita returned to Ayodhya after completing 14 years of exile, at that time Mother Sita observed fast of Lord Surya on the day of Kartik Shukla Shashthi and worshipped him by offering water to him. It was because of fasting for Lord Surya that they got two sons named Luv Kush.
4. King Priyamvad and Goddess Shashthi
Another popular story of the Chhath festival is that of King Priyamvad and Goddess Shashthi. It is said that a king named Priyamvad, whose wife was Malini, was married for many years but they did not have children. After this, Maharishi Kashyap performed a ‘Putreshti’ yajna to conceive a child.
After this yajna, Maharishi Kashyap gave Queen Malini kheer to eat. After eating this kheer, the queen became pregnant. However, when the time of delivery came, the queen gave birth to a stillborn son. King Priyamvad was deeply saddened and took his son’s body to the crematorium and decided to give up his life.
Seeing this, Devasena, the daughter of Lord Brahma, appeared and said that she was Shashthi because she was born from the sixth part of the original nature of creation and that worshipping her would bring happiness in having children. Hearing this, the king worshipped and fasted for Shashthi Devi. After this, he was blessed with a son. Since then, the tradition of observing the Shashthi fast in the month of Kartik has been in place, and it is said that with the blessings of Chhathi Maiya, people receive the happiness of children and wealth.
