Karva chauth

Karva is another word for diya (a small earthen oil-lamp) and chauth means 'fourth' in Hindi (a reference to the fact that the festival falls on the fourth day of the dark-fortnight, or krishna paksh, of the month of Kartik).
It is uncertain how the festival originated and how it came to be celebrated only in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. One hypothesis is that military campaigns and long-distance travel usually resumed around the time of the festival, as the area dried and numerous rivers of the region (see: Sapta Sindhu) subsided from the effects of the monsoon. Women observed the fast to pray for the safety of their husbands at this time as they ventured away from home. The festival also coincides with the wheat-sowing time (i.e. the beginning of the Rabi crop cycle). Big earthen pots in which wheat is stored are also sometimes called karvas, so the fast may also have begun as a prayer for a good harvest in this predominantly wheat-eating region. The Rituals
Women begin preparing for Karva Chauth a few days in advance, by buying cosmetics (shringar), traditional adornments or jewelry, and puja items, such as the karwa lamps, matthi, henna and the decorated puja thali (plate). Local bazaars take on a festive look as shopkeepers put their Karva Chauth related products on display. On the day of the fast, women awake to eat and drink just before sunrise. In Punjab,sargi is an important part of this pre-dawn meal, and always includes fenia. It is traditional for the sargi to be sent or given to the woman by her mother-in-law. If the mother-in-law lives with the woman, the pre-dawn meal is prepared by the mother-in-law. The fast begins with dawn. Fasting women do not eat during the day, and some additionally do not drink any water either. In traditional observances of the fast, the fasting woman does no housework. Women apply henna and other cosmetics to themselves and each other. The day passes in meeting friends and relatives. In some regions, it is customary to gift and exchange painted clay pots filled with put bangles, ribbons, home-made candy, cosmetics and small cloth items (e.g. handkerchiefs). Since Karva Chauth follows soon after the Kharif crop harvest in the rural areas, it is a good time for community festivities and gift exchanges. Parents often send gifts to their married daughters and their children.
In the evening, a community women-only ceremony is held. Women dress in fine clothing and wear jewellery and henna, and (in some regions) dress in the complete finery of their wedding dresses. The dresses (saris or shalwars) are frequently red, gold or orange in color, which are considered auspicious colors. Women sit in a circle with their puja thalis. Depending on region and community, a version of the story of Karva Chauth is narrated, with regular pauses. The storyteller is usually an older woman or a priest, if one is present. In the pauses, the Karva Chauth puja song is sung collectively by the women as they perform the feris (passing their thalis around in the circle). In Punjabi communities, the Karva Chauth song is sung seven times, the first six of which describe some of the activities that are taboo during the fast and the seventh describes the lifting of those restrictions with the conclusion of the fast. The forbidden activities include weaving cloth (kumbh chrakhra feri naa), pleading with or attempting to please anyone (ruthda maniyen naa), and awakening anyone who is asleep (suthra jagayeen naa). For the first six feris they sing -

“
...Veero kudiye karvara, Sarv suhagan karvara, Aye katti naya teri naa, Kumbh chrakhra feri naa, Aar pair payeen naa, Ruthda maniyen naa, Suthra jagayeen naa, Ve veero kuriye karvara, Ve sarv suhagan karvara...
”

For the seventh feri, they sing -

“
...Veero kudiye karvara, Sarv suhagan karvara, Aye katti naya teri nee, Kumbh chrakhra feri bhee, Aar pair payeen bhee, Ruthda maniyen bhee, Suthra jagayeen bhee, Ve veero kuriye karvara, Ve sarv suhagan karvara...
”

In Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, the women exchange karvas seven times between themselves. In Rajasthan, before offering water seven times the fasting woman is asked "Dhai?", to which she responds, "Suhaag na Dhai". In Rajasthan, stories are told by older women in the family, including narratives of Karva Chauth, Shiv, Parvati and Ganesh. In earlier times, an idol of Gaur Mata was made using earth and cow dung, which has now been replaced with an idol of Parvati. Each fasting woman lights an earthen lamp in her thali while listening to the Karva story. Sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the thali.
The fera ceremony concluded, the women await the rising of the moon. Once the moon is visible, it is customary for a fasting woman, with her husband nearby, to view its reflection in a vessel filled with water, through a sieve, or through the cloth of a dupatta. Water is offered to the moon (som or chandra, the lunar diety) to secure its blessings. She then turns to her husband and views his face indirectly in the same manner. In some regions, the woman says a brief prayer asking for her husband's life. It is believed that at this stage, spiritually strengthened by her fast, the fasting woman can successfully confront and defeat death (personified by Yama). In Rajasthan the women say "Like the gold necklace and the pearl bracelet, just like the moon may my suhaag always shine brightly".
The husband now takes the water from the thali and gives his wife her first sip and feeds her with the first morsel of the day (usually something sweet). The fast is now broken, and the woman has a complete meal. It is customary for the husband to make a gift to his wife, such as jewelry or a new dress.

The Traditional Tales

There are various legends associated with the Karva Chauth festival. In some tellings the tales are interlinked, with one tale acting as a frame story for another.
The Story of Queen Veervati
A beautiful queen called Veervati was the only sister of seven loving brothers. She spent her first Karva Chauth as a married woman at her parents' house. She began a strict fast after sunrise but, by evening, was desperately waiting for the moonrise as she suffered severe thirst and hunger. Her seven brothers couldn't bear to see their sister in such distress and created a mirror in a pipal tree that made it look as though the moon had risen. The sister mistook it for the moon and broke her fast. The moment she ate, word arrived that her husband, the king, was dead. Heartbroken, she wept through the night until her shakti compelled a Goddess to appear and ask why she cried. When the queen explained her distress, the Goddess revealed how the queen had been tricked by her brothers and instructed her to repeat the Karva Chauth fast with complete devotion. When Veervati repeated the fast, Yama was forced to restore her husband to life.
In a variant of this story, the brothers build a massive fire behind a mountain instead and trick their sister by convincing her that the glow is the moon. She breaks her fast and word arrives that her beloved husband has died. She immediately begins running to her husband's house, which is somewhat distant, and is intercepted by Shiv-Parvati. Parvati reveals the trickery to her, cuts her own little finger to give the wife a few drops of her holy blood, and instructs her to be careful in keeping the complete fast in the future. The wife sprinkles Parvati's blood on her dead husband and, coming back to life, they are reunited. The Legend of Mahabharata
The belief in this fast and its associated rituals goes back to the pre-Mahabharata times. Draupadi, too, is said to have observed this fast. Once Arjun went to the Nilgiris for penance and the rest of the Pandavas faced many problems in his absence. Draupadi, out of desperation, remembered Lord Krishna and asked for help. Lord Krishna reminded her that on an earlier occasion, when Goddess Parvati had sought LordShiva's guidance under similar circumstances, she had been advised to observe the fast of Karva Chauth. In some tellings of this legend, Shiva tells Parvati the story of Veervati to describe the Karva Chauth fast. Draupadi followed the instructions and observed the fast with all its rituals. Consequently, the Pandavas were able to overcome their problems.
The Legend of Karva
There was a woman named Karva, who was deeply devoted to her husband. Her intense love and dedication towards him gave her shakti(spiritual power). While bathing at a river, her husband was caught by a crocodile. Karva bound the crocodile with a cotton yarn and askedYama (the god of death) to send the crocodile to hell. Yama refused. Karva threatened to curse Yama and destroy him. Yama, afraid of being cursed by "Pati-vrat" (devoted) wife, sent the crocodile to hell and blessed Karva's husband with long life. Karva and her husband enjoyed many years of wedded bliss. To this day, Karva Chauth is celebrated with great faith and belief.
The Story of Satyavan and Savitri
When Lord Yama, came to procure Satyavan's soul, Savitri begged him to grant him life. When he refused, she stopped eating and drinking and followed Yama who carried away her dead husband. Yama said that she could ask for any other boon except for the life of her husband. Savitri asked that she be blessed with children. Yama agreed. Being a "Pati-Vrat" (devoted) wife, Savitri would never let any other man be the father of her children. Yama was left with no other choice but to restore Savitri's husband to life.

Lal Kitab

LAL KITAB (Red Book Artrology)
Introduction: Among enormous systems of astrology in India, Lal Kitab, is gaining popularity day by day. Lal Kitab, as it seems to suggest, does not mean a book of red colour only. In fact, Lal Kitab is a school of vedic Astrology that has brought astrology to the common man. All the knowledge, the principes and the rules of this system have been placed in 5 books known as Lal Kitab itself. Therefore, we would prefer to say that Lal Kitab is a system of Astrology as well as a book on Astrology.
About Lal Kitab : Lal Kitab came to be known the year 1983 when an astrological journal namely the ‘Fate and fortune’ published the remedies (upayas) of Lal Kitab in one of its issues, soon, the market became flooded with enormous versions of Lal kitab authentic or unauthentic surprisingly none of the authors of these books those were named as Dalda.
Lal Kitabs on a very later stage has mentioned as to which authentic version of Lal kitab his work is based upon. While tracing the origin of this school of Astrology namely the Lal Kitab we have come across a number of views . Some trace its origin in ‘Arun’ the charioteer of lord sun while some others go to link it with Rawan and Rawan Samhita’. Some versions link it to the Arabs and Muslims. Still other go to suggest that Lat Kitab is based upon some prophesies made to one Pandit Rup Chand ji Joshi by God himself. With out going into the controversy or long debate on the issue we would prefer to accept the most popular view that Pt. Rup Chand ji Joshi of Pharwala in Punjab was the originator of this system of astrology. Pt.Rup Chand ji Joshi an accountant in Royal Indian Army during the British Rule , got some old manuscripts from one of his colleagues who could not reads and Wrote but often made predictions on the basis of the knowledge he aquired by the word of mouth during his childhood. He requested Pandit ji to reproduce his knowledge in written form so that it can go a long way to the posterity and benefit them. This laid the foundation of a great system of astrology, the Lal Kitab : Pandit ji compeiled this knowledge in five books in sequence, and also named them as Lal Kitab.
To note here, Pandit ji has added ‘Samudrik’ or ILM Samudrik’ with ‘Lal Kitab’ on each of his books. Assigning literal meaning to the word ‘Samudrik’ most of the writers on ‘Lal Kitab’ have described the Lal Kitab Knowledge as the “Oceanic Knowledge”or the Knowledge of ocean that does not appear to be a right meaning in context of the Lal Kitab .Here, we would like to place on record the correct meaning of the word ‘Samudrik’ . This word comes from the Sanskrit language. According to various Sanskrit –English dictionaries like that by a learned scholar V.S.Apte has two meanings first sea born ( oceanic) and the second “Relating to marks on the body which are supposed to indicate good or bad fortune. Also, According to Sanskrit grammer, when as samudrik is used in Pullinga ( masculine gender) it means one who knows has to interpret the various mark on the body.
Panditji wrote his Lal Kitab in a Series of 5 books in Urdu script the first in the series, ‘Samudrik kee Lal kitab ke Farman’ was published in 1939. followed by “Samudrik kee Lal Kitab ke Arman( 1940) , ‘Samudrik kee Lal Kitab, Teesara Hissa (1941). Ilm Samudrik kee Lal Kitab, Tarmeem shuda (1942) and ‘Ilm samudrik kee Buniyad par samudrik kee Lal kitab ‘(1952).
Urdu was the most prominent language in northern India where the books were compiled, and the caligraphed and published. Period in which these were compiled Though, Pandit ji had a good Knowledge of English language but he opted to write the books in Urdu to make them understandable to the comman people. But now, the circumstances have changed. These days the numbers of people who know to read, write or understand Urdu language is diminishing day by day. Lack of the Knowledge of Urdu language, every Tom, Dick and Harry interpreted the Lal Kitab as he liked it . This tendency hurt the very soul of the book and the knowledge lying there in . Such books on Lal kitab could do nothing but to create a lot of misunderstandings. The remedies which Pandit ji gave on scientific basis were named Totkas by these books. Hence, the need to transcript the Lal kitab in Hindi in Devnagari script was being felt deeply long.
Devanagari transcription of Lal kitab .
Lal Kitab had not been an unknown book or knowledge for our family, My grandfather Dr Giridhari Lal ji Goswami was a learned scholar of Vedic Astrology. He presented first ever thesis on astrology in the Dept of Sanskrit of Delhi University and got a Ph.D degree for the same . He also established and institution for the research in Astrology in the name of the ‘Akhil Bhartiya Jyotish Swadhyay Sansthan and published a number of books on astrology through the sansthan. Two of his publications were realeased none other than the presidents of India shri Gaini Zail Singh and Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed . Alongwith a lot of rare and precious books on Astrology he had lal kitab in his personal library. This copy of lal kitab was presented to him by Dr. P.B. Verma, working with the Ministry of Home Affairs. After his passing away from this world my father Pt Beni Madhav Goswami took charge of the work being done by Dr.Giridhari Lal ji Goswami . With his immense interest in lal kitab my father intended to produce the Devanagari transcripts of all the volumes of Lal Kitab : During last two decades my father worked hard to aquire the research based knowledge of Lal Kitab. During this period he wrote a lot of authentic books on astrology like “Lal Diary’ (published in 1996 with 4 of its subsequent editions till date ),Upay Martand(1996 with 3 subsiquent till date), Lal Kitab in English language ( 2003, with its 3 editions published later), Kaun Manglik Kaun Nahi (in 2006) and so on . But his Long desire to present Devanagari transcriptions of all the volumes of Lal kitab still remained unfulfilled. In fact, the lack of original manuscripts of lal kitab proved to a main hinderance in his way. He worked hard and used all his resources to collect the original manuscripts. The people who were supposed to possess the manuscripts were not ready to co-operate and provide the same to him .