Karwa Chauth 2023: Puja timing, Mahurat, Story Behind Karwa Chauth & Moonrise time

Karwa Chauth, a revered Hindu festival, is celebrated on the fourth day of the waning moon in the month of Kartik, which falls on November 1 this year. The day is dedicated to the unwavering love and dedication of married women who fast for the safety and longevity of their husbands. When the moon rises, the fast ends after offering arghya to it.

Karwa Chauth is celebrated with great enthusiasm in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Let us know the significance of this festival and the auspicious timing of this year’s rituals.

Karwa Chauth 2023 Date & Time:

Karwa Chauth will start on Monday, October 31 at 09:30 PM and end on Wednesday, November 1 at 09:19 PM. Moonrise on November 1 signifies the completion of the fast.

Auspicious time of Karwa Chauth Puja:

The auspicious time of worship starts at 05:34 PM and ends at 06:40 PM. The duration of the entire puja is 1 hour 6 minutes.
Amrit Kal (Very Auspicious Time) is from 07:34 PM to 09:13 PM.
Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga (auspicious time for auspicious siddhis) runs throughout the day and night.

The Karwa Chauth Vrat (fast) and puja involves several important steps:

Married women rise early in the morning, take holy bath and fast for the welfare, prosperity and long life of their husband.
After establishing the worship area, they install the murtis or images of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Lord Kartikeya and Lord Ganesha.
They offer water in a karwa (earthen pot), cover it with a red cloth and then worship various deities.
Women gather with their Karwas, which contain all the items required for the puja, and listen to the Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha (Puranic stories).
In the evening, they adorn themselves with sixteen ornaments (16 bridal ornaments) and ritually worship Lord Shiva, Parvati, Kartikeya, Ganesha and Chandra, offering sweets and prayers.
After seeing the moon in the night sky they offer arghya to the moon and break their fast.

Why We Celebrate Karwa Chauth

There was a girl named Veeravati and she had seven brothers. Her brothers loved her very much. They used to feed her first and then eat, because they liked her so much.

When Veeravati got married and went to her husband’s house, she observed Karwa Chauth with her brothers-in-law. That day they fasted all day and Veeravati was really worried because of that. But her brothers did not notice that she was upset. When they were about to have their meal, they asked her to eat too, but she said that she could eat only after looking at the moon and doing some special prayers. But the moon had not come out yet, so she did not eat anything.

Seeing her distress, one of her brothers climbed a tree and lit a lamp there to pretend it was the moon. He told Veeravati that the moon had risen and she could break her fast. She was very happy and ran to see the fake moon and offered her prayers and finally got her food.

But when she started eating something terrible happened. The moment she took her first bite, she received the news that her husband had died. She was very sad and cried a lot. While she was mourning, a surprise visitor arrived – Indrani, the queen of the gods.

Indrani told Veeravati what had happened. As she broke her fast early, she learned the news of her husband’s death very soon. But Indrani says there is a way to fix things. Next year, Veeravati wanted to make the Karwa Chauth fast even better. She wanted to do it for a year and then do the ritual again.

So, Veeravati did just that. She fasted for a year and took care of her husband’s funeral goods. And when the next Karwa Chauth came, she repeated the vows and rituals. Her sisters-in-law also fasted on that day. They came to seek her blessings and she asked for the same from everyone. They wanted their blessings, needles, sieves, to be suhagan like them.

All the sisters-in-law asked the next to ask until the youngest sister-in-law came. Veeravathi also asked her and she said that it was her younger brother’s fault that her fast was disturbed. So, being his wife, she needed to bring him back to life. Once he is alive, she will get what she wants.

So, the younger sister-in-law scratched her husband and left him bleeding. She brought nectar from his mouth and kept it there. And he came back to life! They all lived happily. Veeravati’s dedication, twelve months’ fast and the help of her sisters-in-law brought her husband back to life.

Nowadays, married Hindu women still perform Karwa Chauth to show their love and dedication to their husbands, as Veeravati did in her story.