Story of Chhath Parva, across the ages

Chhath Parva is an ancient Vedic ritual celebrated by the people of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhesh regions of Nepal, Terai, and Jharkhand. You can read about the rituals here: Story of Chhath Parva, its rituals, and its connection to nature.  We will read some of the stories that are told around this festival.

Story of Priyamvada and Malini

King Priyamvad and Queen Malini did not have any children even after years of marriage. The king remained sad, he had no heir. They sought consultation with Sage Kashyapa, who advised them to perform a yagna. The queen had to consume the aahuti (oblation or offering). Queen Malini ate the kheer (a prasad made of milk, jaggery, and rice) that was prepared for the yagna. She soon was pregnant and the palace was filled with joy. But destiny had planned otherwise. The price was stillborn. The king was heartbroken. He took the son to the crematorium and was contemplating giving up his own life. Goddess Devsena, the daughter of Lord Brahma appeared before the king. She asked him to do chhath vrat, a penance. The couple started performing the vrat with a desire to bear a child and were soon blessed with son Ratan. Since then this day is celebrated as a festival across the land, where parents seek blessings for the longevity and good health of their children and newlyweds seek Her blessing to start a family.

Story of Ram and Sita

In the exile (Source Wiki)

Rama was the eldest son of King Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya. The prince married the princess Sita of Maithili. Soon after they went into exile for fourteen years, a day before the prince was to be coronated as the yuvraj, the prince who will inherit his father's throne. Kaikeyee, his stepmother wanted the throne for her son Bharatha and she used the boon the king gave her to secure it. In the forest, there were many series of events that took place and in his final year, his wife Sita was abducted by asura king Ravana. A war followed, and Ravana was killed. The couple returned from exile to Ayodhya, the day that we celebrate as Diwali. Bharatha was devoted to his elder brother and never took to the throne. Rama was coronated on Karthik masa shashthi (the sixth day of the Karthik month of the Hindu calendar, the sixth day from Diwali). As part of the coronation rituals, both Rama and Sita had to do Surya vrata to seek blessings from their ancestor Surya, the Sun god. Rama is from Ikshvaku dynasty, a suryavanshi or with a lineage to the Sun. They broke their fast on Saptami suryauday (sunrise)  by offering prayers to Surya. This practice of Surya Shashthi Vrata is still followed in Chhath Parva in the area. 

Story of Karna

Donating his Kundali (Source Wiki)

Karna, was the firstborn of Kunti. He was conceived from the blessings of Surya. Young Kunti received a mantra to call any Gods she desired to bestow her with a child. Out of curiosity, she checked if the mantra would work or not. Karna is also called suryaputra, son of Surya. He was born with a kavach (body armor) and kundali (earrings) attached to his body that would always protect him. He was abandoned as a child by an un-wed mother and raised by a charioteer without the knowledge of his lineage. He was a keen archer and being raised by ordinary men could not get the education reserved on those days to royal princes. He disguised himself as a Brahmin and gained knowledge, but was caught and cursed by his guru that he would forget all his knowledge when he needed them the most. He became a champion archer and was compared to Arjuna, the third son of Kunti and third brother of the Pandavas. He became a very popular warrior, strong as any of his blood brother Pandavas, and also had a name daanveer for his charity. He was a friend to Kaurava prince Duryodhan who made him the king of Anga rajya. He could have defeated the Pandavas in the battle of Kurukshetra. 

Indra, the father of Arjuna and king of the Gods tricked Karna into gifting him his kavach and kundali. Lord Krishna also tricked Karna and got a promise out to spare his brothers in a fight. Karna was killed with trickery and guru's curse on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. He is one of the most loved characters from the Mahabharata. 

The power of Karna was derived from the Sun, he used to do Surya vrata daily by standing in waist-deep water and offering arghya (offerings). 

Story of Draupadi

Wedding of Draupadi (Source Wiki)

Draupadi was born from a yagna (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala. She is also called Panchali, the one from Panchala. Arjuna, the third son of Kunti and third amongst the Pandavas, won her hand in marriage. She married the five brothers of Pandavas because of a misunderstanding of Kunti, the mother of Pandavas. 

Draupadi was bestowed with great powers to cure several diseases like leprosy. She was blessed by Surya Devta to be able to cure illnesses and diseases. Sun has the power to sterilize and cure several diseases. She, as a vratii, used to regularly perform Chhath with her five husbands. She also had five sons from each of her husbands.

It is also said that her devotion to Chhath Maiyya is what gave victory to the Pandavas in the battle of Kurukshetra and get their lost kingdom back. Later, Yudhishthira performed the Rajasuya ritual and achieved the status of the emperor, and she became the queen of Indraprastha. 

Unsolved stories of fasting Sages

We hear stories of sages performing years of penance without food and water. It is believed that the sages are able to channelize the energy of the Sun to survive their harsh lives, and they don't need any external source of food or water. 

They worship the Sun god, and through yogic practice could control their sensory and physical bodies. We still hear news of such practices once in a while where people do long penance while fasting. Many times we call them unsolved mysteries.

Do share your stories on Chhath Parva in the comments section