The Story of Chhath Puja: Lord Surya, Chhathi Maiya and Draupadi’s Devotion

The Mahaparv of Purity and Solar Gratitude: Chhath Puja

Celebrated six days after Diwali in the lunar month of Kartik (on Shukla Shashthi), Chhath Puja is one of the oldest, most austere, and environmentally harmonious festivals in the world. Rooted in the ancient Vedic adoration of Lord Surya (the Sun God) and Chhathi Maiya (Goddess Shashti / Usha), it is a festival without priests or caste divides.

Devotees, known as Vratis, stand chest-deep in flowing river waters during sunset and sunrise, offering Arghya (oblations) in bamboo baskets (soop) filled with seasonal fruits, thekua, and sugarcane.

King Priyavrata and Devi Devasena (Chhathi Maiya)

According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the legendary King Priyavrata and his queen Malini had no children. Desperate for an heir, they performed the Putrakameshti Yajna under the guidance of Sage Kashyapa. Though a son was born, he was stillborn.

Overwhelmed by grief, the king took the child's lifeless body to the cremation ground and was about to take his own life. At that very moment, a dazzling celestial goddess descended in a divine chariot.

She said: 'I am Devasena, the mind-born daughter of Brahma. Because I am the sixth part of universal Prakriti, the worlds call me Shashti or Chhathi Maiya. I grant children to the childless and protect all infants.' She touched the lifeless child, and the baby breathed and cried with joy. The king worshipped her with full devotion, establishing the Chhath Vrat on earth.

Draupadi and the Pandavas: Overcoming Exile with Surya Arghya

In the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas lost their kingdom in the game of dice and were forced into twelve years of forest exile, thousands of starving sages and Brahmins accompanied them into the wilderness. Pandu's sons were penniless and despairing.

Their family preceptor, Sage Dhaumya, advised Yudhishthira and Queen Draupadi to worship the Sun God through the rigorous Surya Shashthi Vrat. Draupadi observed the four-day penance with pure devotion, standing in the waters of the forest stream.

Pleased by her steadfast faith, Lord Surya appeared and gifted Yudhishthira the magical Akshaya Patra—an inexhaustible copper vessel that provided endless nourishing food until Draupadi herself finished eating every day. Later, through the Sun God’s grace, the Pandavas regained their health, allies, and ancestral kingdom.

Danveer Karna’s Daily Sun Worship on the Banks of the Ganga

Another legendary tradition links Chhath to Danveer Karna, the son of Surya Dev and queen of Anga (modern-day Munger and Bhagalpur in Bihar). Karna would stand in the waters of the Ganga every morning, offering Arghya to the rising sun and distributing gold and grain to the needy.

It is said that the tradition of standing chest-deep in water to offer Arghya to Lord Surya became widespread among the people of Anga, giving birth to the unique riverbank rituals of modern Chhath.

The 4-Day Austere Journey: Nahay Khay, Kharna, Sandhya and Usha Arghya

Chhath spans four demanding days: Day 1 is 'Nahay Khay' (purification bath and pure bottle-gourd vegetarian meal); Day 2 is 'Kharna' (a day-long dry fast concluding with an offering of jaggery kheer at dusk, beginning a continuous 36-hour waterless fast).

Day 3 features 'Sandhya Arghya'—the unique offering to the setting sun, honouring endings and the wisdom of old age. Finally, on Day 4, 'Usha Arghya' is offered to the rising sun amidst glowing diyas and joyful singing, followed by the breaking of the fast (Paran).

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