Karwa Chauth - 31st October 2023

Karwa Chauth is an important fast observed mainly by Hindu women in India (but catching
fast around the world) and is a fast undertaken by married Hindu women who offer
prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, well being, and longevity of their husbands. BUT I
like to add something to this fast (and do note that this is my opinion). If the wife is going
to fast for the husband then why the husband also join his wife and give her company and
fast with her. I think that’s fair. In India, a marriage is considered to be a bond of a lifetime.
This marital bond is considered very sacred and can only be broken when one passes
on. That’s why in the Sanatan (Hindu) Culture – in the Sanskrit language - there’s no
such word for divorce.
The Karwa Chauth festival falls on the Kartik kee Chauth which means the fourth
vedic day of the waning moon or dark fortnight of Hindu month of Kartik.
This year Karwa Chauth is celebrated on 31st October (Tuesday).
The fast starts before sunrise and ends only after offering prayers and
worshipping the Moon. No food or water is to 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 is sighted, the wife goes out to view it. Once the moon rises, the
women try to spot its reflection in a thali (shallow plate) of water. The moon is worshiped
by offering water and the wife seeks blessings from Chandradeva. The wife prays for the
safety, prosperity and long life of her husband (and the husband too should pray to the
Moon-god for his wives safety, prosperity and long life as well), and she then turns to view
her husband's face through the pores of a dupatta or sieve. The first sip of water and
the first morsel of food are offered by the husband. A sumptuous dinner follows.
This marks the end of the day long fast, praying for his long life.
This year the MOON will RISE in Durban at 21h21, Johannesburg at 21h23, Pretoria at
21h21, Bloemfontein at 21h38 and Cape Town at 22h26.
Source: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/
This fast has all the trappings of festivity. Women dress up in their best finery, in
special clothes, usually red or pink coloured and apply bindis on their foreheads and with
henna-decked hands, bindis, colorful bangles, vermilion in their hair parting and the best
of jewelery.

Sargi – A Gift From Your Mother-In-Law: Sargi is given by mothers-in-law to their

daughters-in-law for good fortune.Usually a collection of sumptuous food, a traditional
sargi package consists of various types of sweetmeats and clothes. Vermicelli kheer is an
essential part of the package especially prepared by mothers-in-law for the occasion.
According to traditional custom, a married woman leaves (with her sargi) for her mother’s
house on the day prior to Karwa Chauth. She eats it in the early hours of the morning
with her mother and other aunts who have gathered there. The fast begins at twilight, all
day she will abstain from food and water.
A Traditional Recipe For Sargi
What you need
• 250 g wheat vermicelli
• 50 g ghee
• 1 Litre full cream milk (you can replace with 2% reduced fat or even skim milk)
• 200 g sugar (again, this amount gives the kheer a mild sweetness, up or own the
amount to suit your palate). Here sugar can also be substituted for brown sugar or jaggery
for a better flavor
• A few pods of whole cardamom seed
• A few strands of saffron
• Chopped nuts of your choice
What to do
1. In a large pot roast the vermicelli in the ghee. Stir frequently to allow equal roasting.
2. Add the milk and cardamom pods and bring to the boil.
3. When the milk boils, reduce gas to a simmer and cook for a further 10-12 minutes. The
vermicelli will swell in size and soak up the milk.
4. Switch off the gas and decorate with saffron and nuts.
The kheer can be had warm and or it can be cooled, refrigerated and served chilled.
The puja process: Early in the morning, before sunrise, the women bathe and then they
pray to Lord Shiva and Parvati Mata, that their married life would be as successful as theirs.
As the morning passes by and other festive activities like decorating the hand and feet
with henna, decorating the pooja thali (i.e. the prayer tray) and meeting friends and
relatives are done. The women prepare food and have it ready before sunrise. In the
late afternoon women gather at either a temple or a garden or someone’s' place who has
arranged the pooja.
A deity of Parvati Devi (or as in Devi Puja the coconut is dressed in a sari and kept on a
tray) is invoked and kept on a stand. Sindoor, rice, flower petals, incense stick, lamp, and
sweets are kept in one’s thali (tray). A simple pooja to Parvati Devi is performed
(please see at the end of this article on how to perform this prayer). Married women
thereafter sit around Parvati Devi and pray to her for the well-being and long life of their
husbands. A small pitcher or Karva with some water in it is placed in the centre. Every one
lights a clay lamp in their thalis (prayer tray) while listening to the Karwa katha. While the
katha is being narrated, ladies circulate their Baya - basket full of goodies - from her
mother, which is meant for the mother-in-law. The basket contains sweets, almonds, fruits,
a sari and so forth. After the puja this Baya is given to the eldest female member
of the family who blesses the woman with all the happiness in life. The wait for the
moonrise begins after sunset, and as soon as the moon is sighted the women try to spot
its reflection in a thali of water. The moon is worshiped by offering water and the wife
seeks Chandra’s blessings. The wife prays for the safety, prosperity and long life of her
husband (and the husband too should pray to the Moon-god for his wives safety,
prosperity and long life as well), and she then turns to view her husband's face
through the pores of a dupatta or sieve. The first sip of water and the first morsel of
food are offered by the husband. A sumptuous dinner follows. This marks the end of
the day long fast, praying for his long life.
The katha of the Karwa Chauth: The earliest reference of a Karva Chauth can be found
in the great epic of Mahabharata. As per Mahabharata, Arjun, a supreme warrior and
one of the Pandavas, went to the Nilgiri Hills to offer his prayers and worship to the Devas.
Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, was accompanying him. On the way, Draupadi was struck
with fear believing that she was alone in the forest with no one to protect her. As
she treated Lord Krishna as her brother, she invoked Him to appear before her and
help her out of this grave situation. On listening to her fear and perplexity, Lord
Krishna cited an example of Parvati Devi. Parvati in a similar situation asked Lord
Shiva's help. Lord Shiva explained to her that to ward off such apprehensions, a woman
could observe a fast on Kartik Krishna Chaturthi as a remedy. Lord Krishna advised
Draupadi to undertake this fast and also assured her of the victory of the Pandavas.
Katha of Karwa Chauth (To be recited on Karwa Chauth): In a village, seven brothers and
one sister were staying with their parents. The sister was youngest among them. That's
why everybody adored her. When she was very young they got her married. After
marriage on first Karwa Chauth, she came to her mother's house. Her mother-in-law
affectionately sent sargai for her. She put mehndi on her hands along with her mother and
her brother's wife and did sargai in the morning before sunrise and kept Nirjala fast
(without taking water). By the evening the brothers got worried that how can their small
sister live without food and water till night. They consulted among themselves and decided
that we will create artificial moon for our sister. Two brothers went to the forest and burnt
cow dung coal. The other two brothers went home and said let's go sister the moon has
risen. All her brother's wife's kept quite. Sister said, "let's go Bhabhi the moon has risen,
lets worship the moon and offer ark (water is offered to the moon) to it.
All the Bhabhi’s said, "So early only your moon could have risen, you go." She was not only
young but also simple hearted; she really thought everyone's moon rises separately. She
hurriedly took the pooja material to the terrace. There in the forest one brother was
standing with a sieve in front of the cow dung coal fire, so from distance she thought
that the moon is rising from behind bushes. She offered her worship and ark to the moon.
As soon as she started eating; she received a message from her in laws that her husband
has become seriously ill suddenly. On hearing this, the Girl's father and brothers along with
her rushed to her in law's house. There her husband was seriously ill. Every body was
worried. The Ayurvedic doctor was called but nobody could understand the illness.
Then the family inquired from priests and astrologers. They told them that this has
happened because the girl has eaten food, after seeing the artificial moon. Now the only
solution is that till the next year Karwa Chauth, the girl takes good care of her
husband, then keep fast on Karwa Chauth and exchange Karwa with Gauri Maata and
make her say "le suhaagan karwa le","de suhagaan karwa de". Then her husband will
be well and will live long. On hearing this, the girl decided to take good care of her
husband for one year. Next year Karwa Chauth arrived, her mother sent sargai for her. As
per the tradition, she did sargai and kept fast. Her mother also sent material for
baya, karwa and money. In the evening, all married ladies dressed up wore chunari,
making preparation for the pooja, she waited to exchange Karwa with Gauri Maata.
When the first Gauri Maata arrived. The girl held her feet and pleaded her "O' Gauri Maata,
Please exchange karwa with me." After lot of pleading Gauri Maata sat with her and
said "Sister of seven brothers karwa le", "Jo bhukhi naa reh sake (who can't stay hungry)
karwa le", "Jo payasi naa reh sake (who can't stay thirsty) karwa le", "Jo Chalni meh chaand
dakhe (One who see moon in sieve) karwa le." She begged her again and again to
say "Le Suhaagan Karwa Le" Gauri Maata said, "I won't say this. My other sisters will
come, you make them say. "And after saying this, she went away.

After some time the 2nd Gauri Maata came and she also went away saying what the
earlier one had said. In this way they came one by one when the ninth Gauri Maara came,
the girl was worried. When she begged her again and again and held her feet, then
Gauri Maata said," when my youngest sister will come, you ask her, I will not say. My
sister is scary looking but good at heart, don't let her go, make her say it." After some time
10th Gauri maata came. She had dark complexion, had big teeth, horrible face and was
wearing lot of jewelry. When she heard the small girl pleadings, she sat down with
her to exchange karwa and like other Gauri Maata's said "Sister of seven brothers
karwa le", "Jo bhukhi naa reh sake (who can't stay hungry) karwa le", "Jo payasi naa reh
sake (who can't stay thirsty) karwa le", "Jo Chalni meh chaand dakhe (One who see moon
in sieve) karwa le." The girl fell on her feet and said "O' Mother please forgive my mistakes,
Please say "Le suhaagan karwa le". If you will say this, my husband will live. I will always
worship you. Please bless me. On girls repeated pleading, Gauri Maata felt pity for her and
said. Let it be so and said "Le suhaagan karwa le" and the girl said "de suhaagan karwa de".
Then, the same thing was repeated by both of them in reverse order. When they
said this ten times the girls husband was well again. Everybody touched Gauri Maata's
feet".
Importance Of Fasting: It is not easy to unceasingly pursue the path of spirituality in
one's 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.
Medicative Properties: The ancient Indian medical system of Ayurveda sees the basic
cause of many diseases as the accumulation of toxic materials in the digestive
system. Regular cleansing of toxic materials keeps one healthy. By fasting, the digestive
organs get rest and all body mechanisms are cleansed and corrected. A complete
fast is good for heath, and the occasional intake of warm lemon juice during the
period of fasting prevents the flatulence.
How to perform Parvati/Durga Devi's Puja

Lord Ganesh Prayer Procedure.

At the prayer place, place a Lord Ganesh murti or photo. Firstly offer an agarbatti, lamp
(with either ghee or oil with a wick or a small piece of camphor), a flower (or all three on a
tray) to Shree Ganesh (turn seven times clockwise around the murti or photo).
Then offer Lord Ganesh Naivedhyam (either sweet rice, Soji, sugar candy or fruits, etc).
Finally pray to Shree Ganesh, praying to him to remove all obstacles in the path of your
prayer that follows.

Mother Parvati/Durga Prayer Procedure.

At the prayer place, place a Mother Parvati murti or photo.
Now chant the following:
1) Hold your palms in the Namaste 🙏🏼 position and chant:
Om swagatam su swagatam - Om Durga-yai namah
(Swagatam means “O Mother Durga I welcome you”.)
2) Offer one or three incense sticks (dhoopam) by turning it seven times clockwise around
Mother Durga’s deity/photo.
Om tato dhoopam aghraa-payaami – Om Durga-yai namah
O Mother Durga I offer you this incense, kindly accept my offering.
3) Then offer a clay or brass lamp (deepam) with either ghee or oil with a wick or a small
piece of camphor by turning it seven times clockwise around the deity/photo.
Om prat-yaksha deepam darshayaami – Om Durga-yai namah
O Mother Durga I offer you this lamp offering, kindly accept my offering.
4) Then offer flower (pushpam) or flower petals by turning it seven times clockwise
around Mother Durga’s deity/photo.
Om idam pushpam – Om Durga-yai namah
O Mother Durga I offer you this flower, kindly accept my offering.
5) Then offer cut fruit or sweet meats or sweet rice (Naivedyam). It should be in a small
bowl with a teaspoon. Turn the bowl seven times clockwise around the deity/photo and
bring the bowl near the lips of Mother Durga suggesting she partakes in the food offering.
Then leave this in front of the deity/photo. This is later consumed by the family as the
Devi’s Prashad.
Om naivedyam samar-payaami – Om Durga-yai namah
O Mother Durga I offer you this food offering, kindly accept my offering.
6) Then in a cup (lota/chumbhu) which has * Dhaar turn the lota seven times clockwise
around the deity/photo and bring the lota near the lips of Devi suggesting she drink the
Dhaar offering.
O Mother Durga I offer you your favourite drink Dhaar, kindly accept my offering.
* (What is DHAAR?. I have included more information below)
7) Offer prayers for forgiveness
Om yaani kaani cha papani janmaantara kritaani cha
taani sarvaani nashyanti pradakshina pade pade //
“O Compassionate Mother! Victory to You! Please do forgive all the errors committed by me
with the hands, legs, speech, body, through actions, through the ears, eyes, mind or by not
doing ordained actions or by doing prohibited actions”.
Then offer your personal prayers to Mother Durga. Ask Mother Durga for whatever you
desire (within reason) and Devi being so merciful will grant what you desire. But be careful
what you desire for. Bow down and leave the prayer place. The Dhaar is offered in your Devi
thaan. The food offerings are eaten as prashadam.
1. Optional: Suggested Mother Durga mantra you may chant 11, 21 or 108 times:
Om Dum Durga-yai namah
“Salutations to the Devi who bestows compassion, fearlessness and patience”.
2. Optional: You may sing or hear the Durga Chalisa.
Durga Chalisa click ( HERE ).
3. Optional: on the first day you may offer the Mother a lime or lemon. You may write your
name on the lime or lemon. Hold the lime or lemon and pray for what you desire like good
health or a better job etc. This is kept for the 9 days by the Photo or Murti of the Mother.
On the 10th day it is discarded in the garden or in a river.
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The significance of DHAAR offerings to the Divine Mother.
In any puja to Devi, particularly in Her Divine forms as Mothers Durga/Bandi/Kali, Dhaar is
offered. Unfortunately there is no direct English translation of Dhaar from Sanskrit. The
nearest being “The Divine Wine”. Now I said wine, but it does not refer to the famous wines
we produce here in South Africa, rather this beverage - the “wine” - is especially Devi's
favourite. Many have been offering Devi Dhaar but have never had an idea as to why. So,
below we are furnishing you with shastric proof of Dhaar and its importance in Devi puja.
What Dhaar consists of: Turmeric sticks, cloves, nutmeg (Jaiphal/Jaifar), almonds, elachie,
flowers petals (Hibuscus), sugar candy, camphor, turf, cows’s milk, honey, akshat (white
unbroken rice) and syringaberry leaves. (kindly view the attached photo)

One may chant the following mantra from the “Shree Artha Argala Stotram” when offering
Dhaar but if it’s rather difficult to pronounce then recite the English meaning…
Om Jayanti Mangala Kaali Bhadra Kaali Kaapaalini
Durga Shamma Shivaah Dhaatri Swaahaa Swaadhaa Namostute

(Oh! Conqueror of all, Remover of darkness, Auspicious one, beyond time, the bearer of
Skulls of Impure thoughts, Reliever of difficulties, loving forgiveness, supporter of the
Universe. You are the one who truly receives the sacrificial offerings and the offerings to
the Pitrs (Ancestors). To you I bow most merciful Devi.)
A question will be asked by some aspirants - “how many lotas of Dhaar should one offer?” I
would humbly suggest one lota of Dhaar and from that one lota offer 9 times on your
Thaan. Yes you can offer 9 Lotas of Dhaar, but if you offering the Dhaar to a plant you
going to drown that poor plant... So common sense should always prevail.

Questions and Answers on Karwa Chauth

Question: What is the meaning of the words Karwa and Chauth?
Answer: Karva meaning a clay pot (pitcher) and chauth corresponds to The Karwa Chauth
festival which falls on Kartik ki Chauth which means the fourth VEDIC day of the waning
moon or dark fortnight of Hindu month of Kartik which falls on the 31st October 2023.
Question: Can only married women observe this fast?
Answer: Traditionally yes because this is a fast for a married woman who wants long life
for her husband.
Question: Just say you have a steady boy-friend or a guy that you are going to marry,
can't an unmarried girl and boy also observe this fast?
Answer: Great question Hmm I don’t see what’s wrong with that to be honest... wow
that’s would be one lucky guy. hope he realizes that. Nice gesture tho but this is for
married women. The reason I can give is that what if hypothetically you guys' don't end up
together.
Question: Is one allowed to eat or drink anything for the entire day?
Answer: No nothing not even water should be consumed.
Question: What about the swallowing of your saliva?
Answer: As far as possible one should not even do that but that’s a bit difficult… but we
must not lose the focus of this fast.
Question: Why is such an important and significant festival not popular or even known
and observed in South Africa?
Answer: Simply because of ignorance and unawareness... We at www.dipika.org.za are
trying to create awareness amongst South Africans about this fast.
Question: Can I fast if I have my menstruation?
Answer: Of course you can. Menstruation should be seen as a gift from God not as a
curse. Should you need to learn more about Menstruation and prayers email
info@dipika.org.za and we shall email you the very comprehensive article called “The Hindu
View on Menstruation”.
Question: Why should a woman fast for her husband?
Answer: In the Sanatan culture a good conscious boy is generally seek-ed out by the girls
family because whatever good the husband does half goes to the wife and thus that’s why
in Vedic culture the wife stayed at home and took care of the children and the man worked
as in seeking employment to get money, to perform austerities and so forth... The wife on
the other hand did not have time for that but she plays an even more important part and
that’s bringing up her children. Actually she has the most important job because the pillar
of a strong culture is the women folk and when the women folk starts to stray then the
entire cultures starts to crumble... as started in B.G. So the wife prays for her husband
long life because its very beneficial to her.
DISCLAIMER: Do note that Dipika is not affiliated with any Hindu group or organization. We
at Dipika choose to remain an independent repository of spiritual advice. We appreciate
that there are variances between organisations and humbly request that if our views differ
from yours that you respect our decision not to conform to the prescripts of your
particular organisation. We remain committed to spiritual advice which is based on scripture.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article. We pray that this article will
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remarkable foresight of our ancient Hindu culture. We wish to educate all readers and
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Narottam Das & Arjun Nandlal
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