Ravivar (Surya Dev) Vrat Katha

Traditionally the Sunday fast is kept for Surya Dev. Devotees bathe in the morning, offer arghya to the sun from a copper pot, offer red sandalwood and red flowers, hear the katha, and eat one meal without salt before sunset.

In a village lived an old woman. Every Sunday she rose early, plastered her house with dung from her neighbour's cow, cooked, offered bhog to Surya Dev, and only then ate. The neighbour did not like this. One Sunday she tied her cow inside her house. The old woman found no dung, could not plaster her house or make the bhog, and stayed hungry all day.

That night Surya Dev appeared in her dream and, pleased by her devotion, gave her a cow and a calf. In the morning a cow and calf really stood in her courtyard, and as the katha says, the cow's dung was gold. When the neighbour saw this, she secretly took the gold dung and left her own cow's dung in its place. The simple old woman noticed nothing.

Then one evening Surya Dev sent a strong storm. The old woman brought the cow inside, and in the morning she saw for herself that the dung was gold. From then on she kept the cow indoors. Burning with jealousy, the neighbour sent word to the king through her husband. The king sent soldiers and had the cow brought to the palace. The old woman wept and kept praying to Surya Dev.

That night the palace filled with dung and a foul smell. In the king's dream Surya Dev said the cow was the fruit of the old woman's devotion and must be returned. The king returned the cow with respect, asked the old woman's forgiveness and punished the neighbour. Then the king announced that the Sunday vrat should be kept throughout the kingdom.