Karva Chauth Vrat
करवा चौथ व्रत
Karva Chauth (करवा चौथ) is the most beloved marital vrat in Hindu tradition. Married women fast from sunrise to moonrise for the long life and prosperity of their husbands. The fast is broken only after sighting the moon through a sieve (chalni) and then looking at the husband's face. It falls on the 4th day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik (October-November). This vrat celebrates the eternal bond of marriage and devotion.
Fasting Rules & Vidhi
Begin the fast before sunrise (eat Sargi — pre-dawn meal prepared by mother-in-law).
No food or water throughout the day (Nirjala fast) until moonrise.
Dress in bridal attire — red/pink clothes, full shringar (adornment), mehndi on hands.
Perform puja in the evening with a Karva (clay pot), idol of Gauri Mata, and Shiva-Parvati.
Listen to the Karva Chauth Katha from an elderly woman or mother-in-law.
When the moon rises, sight it through a sieve (chalni), then look at husband's face through the same sieve. Husband offers water to break the fast.
Significance & Story
Karva Chauth has its origins in the story of Queen Veervati who accidentally broke her fast before moonrise, causing her husband to fall gravely ill. Through devotion and the grace of Goddess Parvati, she was taught the correct way to observe the vrat, and her husband recovered. The fast demonstrates the power of a wife's love and devotion. Goddess Parvati herself observed austerities for Lord Shiva, making her the ideal inspiration for this vrat.
Karva Chauth Vrat Katha (Vrat Story)
Long ago there lived a beautiful queen named Veeravati, the only and dearly loved sister of seven brothers. After her marriage she came to her parents' home and kept her very first Karva Chauth fast — taking neither food nor water from sunrise until moonrise. As the day wore on, weak with hunger and thirst, Veeravati grew faint.
Her seven brothers, who loved her beyond measure, could not bear to watch her suffer. Unwilling to wait for the slow-rising moon, they lit a fire behind a distant pipal tree and, through a sieve, made it glimmer like the moon. "Look, sister — the moon has risen," they said. Trusting them, the gentle Veeravati offered water to the false moon, broke her fast and sat to eat. But with the very first morsel came the news that her husband, the king, had suddenly died.
Heart-broken, Veeravati wept through the night. A goddess appeared and revealed that she had broken her fast by deceit, before the true moon had risen. Filled with remorse, Veeravati vowed to keep the vrat with perfect devotion. She lovingly preserved her husband's body and, through the whole year, observed every Chauth and each vrat as it came, with unwavering faith.
When Karva Chauth returned and she completed the fast flawlessly — taking water only after sighting the real moon — the goddess was pleased and restored her husband to life. From that day, married women keep the Karva Chauth fast for the long life and well-being of their husbands, breaking it only after worshipping and sighting the moon through a sieve.