रविवार व्रत कथा

In a village there lived an old woman. Her rule was this: every morning she rose, bathed, plastered her courtyard with cow dung, then worshipped Surya Dev, offered him arghya, and only after that did she cook and eat. In all those years the rule was never broken. By the Sun's grace her house lacked nothing: a healthy body, a quiet mind, and comfort at home.

A woman lived next door who burned with envy at the old woman's peace. The old woman had no cow of her own; she gathered the neighbour's cow's dung for her courtyard. The neighbour thought, 'All her good fortune comes from my cow's dung. No dung, no puja.' One night she tied her cow inside her house so that the old woman would find nothing.

In the morning the old woman found no dung for the courtyard. She thought, 'If the courtyard is not plastered, how can I do the puja? And without the puja, how can I eat?' That day she did no puja, ate no food and drank no water. She kept a fast and held Surya Dev in her mind. In the evening she went to sleep hungry.

That night Surya Dev appeared to her in a dream. 'Mother,' he said, 'for years you have worshipped me without fail, and today you went hungry for me. I give you a cow, and while she is with you, you will never lack for anything.' When the old woman woke, a beautiful cow and her calf stood tied in the courtyard. She gave them fodder and water with a full heart. And when the cow dropped dung, it was not dung at all: it was gold. The old woman bowed to the Sun and, as always, plastered her courtyard and did her puja.

When the neighbour saw this, her envy grew sharper still. She thought of a trick. Every night, once the old woman was asleep, she crept over, carried off the golden dung and left her own cow's ordinary dung in its place. The trusting old woman never noticed; every day she plastered her courtyard with that dung and did her puja. Her faith did not waver, but the gold began going to the neighbour's house.

Surya Dev saw it all. He thought: this greedy woman's cheating must be brought into the light. One night he sent such a storm that the old woman tied the cow inside her house. That night the cow dropped its dung indoors and the neighbour got no chance. In the morning the old woman saw gold shining where the dung should be. She understood that this cow was the Sun's gift and that someone had been stealing her gold all along. From that day she kept the cow inside.

The neighbour's gold stopped. She tried one more trick. She went to the king and said, 'Your Majesty, the old woman next door to me has a cow that drops golden dung. Such a cow belongs with a king, not with an old woman.' The king sent soldiers and had the cow brought to the palace. The old woman wept, but what could she do? She fasted again and prayed to Surya Dev.

That very night Surya Dev appeared to the king in a dream and said, 'King, the cow you have seized is my gift to my devotee. Return her at once, or your kingdom will be ruined. And the woman who put you up to this is a thief; for months she has been stealing that old woman's gold.' The king woke in fear. In the morning he returned the cow to the old woman with honour, gave her money and clothes, and had the Sunday fast and the worship of the Sun proclaimed throughout the kingdom. All the stolen gold was recovered from the neighbour and given to the old woman, and the neighbour was punished.

The old woman said to the king, 'Your Majesty, I do not want wealth. For me the worship of Surya Dev is everything.' The king bowed before her faith. From that day, village after village took up the Sunday fast. It is said that whoever keeps the Sunday fast with faith, offers arghya to the Sun and hears this story is given health, radiance, honour and prosperity by Surya Dev, and their enemies can do them no harm.

On Sunday, rise before sunrise and bathe. Wear red or saffron. After bathing, clean the shrine and the courtyard; like the old woman of the story, cleanliness is part of this vrat. Take the sankalp, the vow.

At sunrise fill a copper pot with water and add red flowers, red sandal paste, unbroken rice and a little jaggery. Face the Sun in the east, raise the pot above your head with both hands, and offer the arghya as a steady stream. As you pour, say 'Om Suryaya Namah' or 'Om Ghrini Suryaya Namah'. The water should not fall on your feet; let it fall into a vessel or onto a plant.

Then worship the picture of Surya Dev or a Surya yantra at the home shrine: offer red flowers, red sandal paste, jaggery and wheat, and light a ghee lamp. Chant 'Om Adityaya Namah' for one mala. Recite the Surya Chalisa or the Aditya Hrudayam.

Keep the fast through the day; water and fruit are allowed. Eat only once, and before sunset: this is the chief rule of the Sunday fast. Grain is not eaten after the Sun has set. If on some day the meal cannot be taken before sunset, eat grain only after sunrise the next morning.

The meal is cooked without salt. Wheat rotis, jaggery, porridge, kheer, milk and fruit are taken. Fried food, meat, alcohol, onion and garlic are out. Many homes make sure something red, such as jaggery or red lentils, is part of the Sunday meal.

Oil massage, haircuts and buying salt are avoided on Sundays; these are folk rules. Show particular respect to your father and elders on this day, since the Sun stands for the father.

How many weeks: a vow of 12 Sundays is common; some keep 30 Sundays or a full year. The vrat can begin on any Sunday; a Sunday in the bright fortnight, or one that falls on the Saptami tithi, is considered best.

On the day, cheat no one and envy no one; that was the neighbour's fault in the story. The Sun sees everything; nothing is hidden from him.

When the 12 Sundays, or the number vowed, are complete, perform the udyapan on the next Sunday. That day offer the arghya at sunrise with full care, worship Surya Dev at length, recite the Aditya Hrudayam, and if you can, have a havan performed with the Sun's seed mantra.

Feed Brahmins or people in need and give gifts: wheat, jaggery, red cloth, a copper vessel, red sandal paste and dakshina. Feed a cow jaggery and green fodder; in the story the cow herself was the Sun's gift. Serving someone with an eye ailment, or the elderly, is also held dear to the Sun.

The fast may continue after the udyapan. Many people keep offering arghya to the Sun every morning for the rest of their lives; it is the simplest and the most powerful worship of Surya.

By tradition the Sunday fast gives health, especially in ailments of the eyes, skin, bones and heart, and brings honour, promotion in service, the well-being of one's father and victory over enemies. The story's message is that true faith lives in even a small rule, plastering the courtyard and eating only after the puja, and that Surya Dev himself guards such a rule.

The Sun is the planet of the self, radiance, confidence and authority. The Sunday fast, the arghya at sunrise and the meal before sunset bring the body into the Sun's rhythm. Those short of confidence, blocked in government work or service, strained in their relationship with their father, or troubled by recurring fever and weakness are said to gain the most from this vrat.

The katha ends with the Surya aarti 'Om Jai Surya Bhagwan'. After the aarti, share the jaggery and wheat prasad. The Surya Chalisa and the Aditya Hrudayam are being added to this collection.