Ravivar Vrat Katha

Ravivar Vrat Katha

How the vrat is kept
On Sunday, rise before sunrise, bathe and offer water (arghya) to the rising sun from a copper pot.
Red flowers, roli and rice grains are put in the water. Remember Surya dev, hear the katha and do the aarti.
Eat once in the day, before sunset. By tradition many people eat no salt that day and keep to a simple meal of wheat roti, daliya or something made with jaggery.

The katha
Long ago, an old woman lived in a village. Every Sunday she kept the vrat of Surya dev without fail. She rose before sunrise, bathed, plastered her courtyard with cow dung, cooked food, offered it first to Surya Bhagwan, and then ate once in the day. By Surya dev's grace her home lacked nothing, and she was always cheerful.

The old woman had no cow of her own. She brought cow dung from the cow tied in her neighbour's courtyard to plaster her own. Seeing the old woman happy, the neighbour grew jealous. She thought, "Why does she always take dung from my cow?" She began tying her cow inside the house.

The next Sunday the old woman found no cow dung. She could not plaster her courtyard, so she neither cooked nor made an offering to Surya dev. She stayed hungry and thirsty all day and went to sleep that way at night.

That night Surya dev appeared to her in a dream and asked, "Mother, why did you make no offering today, and why did you not eat?" Sadly, the old woman told him all about the neighbour's cow. Surya dev said, "Mother, every Sunday you keep my vrat with such faith. I am very pleased with you. I give you a cow that will fill your home with plenty." Saying this, Surya dev vanished.

When she woke in the morning, the old woman saw a beautiful cow and its calf standing in her courtyard. She was overjoyed. She tied the cow in the courtyard and gave it fodder and water.

When the neighbour saw the beautiful cow, she grew even more jealous. Just then the cow dropped dung of gold. The neighbour stared in disbelief. Quietly she picked up the gold dung and put her own cow's dung in its place. Now this happened every day. Early each morning the cow dropped gold dung, and before the old woman woke, the neighbour carried it away. The simple old woman knew nothing of it.

Surya dev saw the neighbour's trick, and one day he sent a fierce storm. Afraid of the storm, the old woman tied the cow inside the house. In the morning she saw that the cow had dropped gold dung. She was amazed. From that day she always tied the cow inside.

Now the neighbour got no more gold. Burning with jealousy, she went to the king's court and said, "Maharaj, the old woman next door has a cow that drops gold dung. Such a cow should belong to the king." The king sent soldiers to bring the cow. At that moment the old woman had just made her offering to Surya dev and was sitting down to eat. She pleaded with the soldiers, but they untied the cow and calf and took them away. The old woman ate nothing that day and prayed to Surya dev all night.

The king, meanwhile, was delighted, thinking of the gold. But when he went to see the cow at night, he found the whole palace filled with ordinary dung, with no place left to set a foot. The king was alarmed. That same night Surya dev appeared to him in a dream and said, "King, I gave that cow to the old woman because I was pleased with her devotion. Return it to her with respect. That is for your own good."

As soon as morning came, the king returned the cow and calf to the old woman with respect and asked her forgiveness for his mistake. He punished the neighbour for her trickery. As soon as the cow went back, the palace was clean again as before. The king announced across the kingdom that everyone should keep the Sunday vrat and remember Surya dev. From that day the people of the kingdom kept the Sunday vrat with faith, and peace and happiness spread all around.

O Surya dev, just as you saw that old woman's devotion, keep your light on all of us.
Bolo Surya Dev ki Jai!