Chhathi Maiya Puja 2024: The grand festival of Chhath has begun and the atmosphere everywhere is filled with its spirit. In Chhath, apart from worshiping the Sun God, there is also a tradition of worshiping Chhathi Maiya. But do you know who Chhathi Maiya is and the reason for her worship during Chhath?

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Who is Chhathi Maiya?

In the local language, Goddess Shashthi is called Chhathi Maiya. She is known as the daughter born from the spirit of Sage Kashyap and Aditi and is also considered to be the sister of the Sun God. Another name for her is Devsena. Goddess Shashthi is believed to protect children. The difficult fast of Chhath is observed to obtain the blessings of the Sun God and to please Chhathi Maiya.

According to ancient legends, Goddess Shashthi is also depicted as the daughter born from the spirit of Brahma. Mythology says that when Brahma created the Earth and nature, Goddess Prakriti divided herself into six forms. The sixth form of these divisions is known as Chhathi Maiya. Worshiping him during Chhath Puja is said to bring blessings to him, granting happiness and health to the devotee.

Chhathi Maiya Katha

According to ancient legends, there was a king named Priyavrat who owned everything but was saddened by the lack of children. To fulfill his wish of having a child, sage Kashyap organized a Putreshti Yajna. He gave the king and his wife prepared kheer as a yajna offering. After consuming it, Queen Malini became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

However, the newborn was born lifeless, plunging the king into even deeper grief. When King Priyavrat took his child’s body to the cremation ground, ready to sacrifice his own life as well, a goddess suddenly appeared before him.

The goddess introduced herself saying, “I am Devsena, the daughter born from the spirit of Brahma. As I emerge from the sixth part of nature, my name is Devi Shashthi. The goddess advised the king to worship her and encourage others to do the same, promising him a healthy son in return.

The king then observed a fast and worshiped Devi Shashthi, after which he was blessed with a healthy and beautiful son. This is said to be the origin of the Chhath Puja tradition.