Karka-Chaturthi or Karva Chauth

 

How does one observe Karka Chaturthi Vrat(not a festival) or Karva Chauth Vrat?  

As per Vamana Purana

1. Karka Chaturthi Vrat is observed during Krishna Paksha Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Aashvina or Shukla Paksha Chaturthi in the Hindu month of Kartik.

2. The Vrata entails keeping a ‘Nirjala’ fast in which women neither eat nor take a drop of water throughout the day between Sunrise and Moonrise.

3. Prayers are offered to the Goddess Gauri/Parvati, who bestows blessings for a long and happy married life. Pooja is also done of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Lord Karthikeya and Moon God.

4. A mixture of Wheat and sugar laddus are prepared as Naivedhyam to be offered in the Pooja. These laddus which are called Karva are made with wheat and sugar syrup boiled in a raw pot(also called Karva) made of black mud

5. This vrat is observed by married women and newly married women. 13 Karvas(laddus), 1 lota, 1 vastra and 1 special Karva(laddu) are given to the parents of the husband.

6. Women wake up before the sun rises and get ready. Fasting women take a Sankalpa in the Pooja by chanting: मम सुख सौभग्यपुत्रपौत्रादिसुस्थिरश्रीप्रप्तये करकचतुर्थीव्रतमहं करिष्ये ।

7. A picture of peepal tree is drawn in white sand and idols/pictures of Lord Shiva, Mother Parvati, Lord Kartikeya are placed chanting the shloka:

नमः शिवायै शर्वाण्यै सौभग्यम् संततिं शुभाम् ।

प्रयच्छ भक्तियुक्तानां नारीणां हरवल्लभे ॥ This is followed by their Shodasha Upachara Pooja.

Namah Shivaaya & Shanmukhaaya Namaha are mantras chanted for japa.

8. Then Naivedyam of Karvas(laddus) is offered. Dakshina is given to the priest, arghayam(water) is offered to Moon God and then food is consumed by the women after Moonrise

(Source: Vrata parichay of Gita Press, Gorakhpur)

There are many folk lores associated with this Vrata. In different states of Bhaarat, there are different customs & traditions of celebrating Karka Chaturthi. But let us not forget the Puranic traditions.

Women pray for their Saubhagya to be akhanda so that they do not become widows and they pass on before their husbands.

Its not that husbands do not pray for their wives. As per the Vedic traditions, punya is acquired by married men by performing their nitya karma(daily rituals like Agnihotra or sandhyavandan etc.). 50% of that punya goes to the wife. So its not once in a year that the husband prays for the wife but on a daily basis the prayer is done and punya is shared.

There is nothing wrong if the husbands want to fast and observe karka chaturthi vrat with their wives. But to think that why should wives alone pray for the husbands and that it is a sign of patriarchy, is only an expression of one's ignorance of the deeper vedic vision and our traditions.