Ahoi Ashtami katha

The moneylender’s wife and the porcupine cub

This telling is given by Drik Panchang, Bhakti Bharat, Sri Mandir and Bharatkosh.

Long ago a moneylender’s wife lived in a village. She had seven sons and a house full of plenty. The month of Kartik came, Diwali was near, and earth was needed to plaster the house. She took a spade and went outside the village to the place where people dug earth.

As she dug, her spade struck a burrow where the young of a porcupine lay, and one of them was killed by the blow. She had not meant it, but seeing the little creature dead her heart trembled. Sorrowful, she carried the earth home.

Within that year her seven sons died one after another. The house fell silent. Day and night she wept, wondering what wrong she had done to deserve this.

One day she told the elder women of the village everything: how the porcupine cub had died by her hand while she dug. The old women comforted her. “You have owned your mistake before everyone,” they said, “and that has already lifted half of it. Now take refuge in Bhagavati Ahoi on Kartik Krishna Ashtami. Fast that day, draw the porcupine and her young on the wall, worship them, and ask forgiveness from the heart.”

She did just that. On the Ashtami she fasted all day, drew the picture in the evening, worshipped Ahoi Mata and asked forgiveness for her mistake. After that she kept the fast every year.

By the Mother’s grace her days of sorrow ended and her home was filled with children again. Since then mothers keep the Ahoi Ashtami fast for the wellbeing of their children. According to Drik Panchang, Ahoi Bhagavati is held to be a form of the goddess Parvati.

The youngest daughter-in-law, the cow Surahi and Syahu Mata

This longer telling is given by Hindi Wikipedia, Webdunia, Amar Ujala and the Art of Living.

A moneylender had seven sons, seven daughters-in-law and one daughter. Before Diwali the seven daughters-in-law went to the forest to fetch earth for plastering the house, and the daughter, their sister-in-law, went with them.

Where they were digging lived a syahu, a porcupine, with her young. As the sister-in-law cut the earth, her trowel killed one of the syahu’s young by accident. The syahu was filled with anger and said, “I will bind your womb.”

The sister-in-law was frightened. One by one she begged her brothers’ wives to take the curse on themselves in her place. The six elder ones refused. The youngest thought that if she too refused, their mother-in-law would be hurt, so she let her own womb be bound instead.

After that, every child born to the youngest daughter-in-law died on the seventh day. It happened seven times. In her grief she asked a pandit for a remedy. “Serve the cow Surahi,” he said. “Surahi is the syahu’s friend; if she asks, the syahu can open your womb.”

From that day the youngest daughter-in-law rose before everyone and quietly swept and cleaned Surahi’s place. Surahi wondered who came every morning to serve her. One day she woke early and saw her. Pleased, Surahi said, “Ask for what you want.” The young woman said, “Syahu Mata has bound my womb and my children do not live. Please ask her to open it.”

Surahi set out with her to the syahu, who lived beyond the seven seas. The sun was hot on the way, so they rested under a big tree. In that tree was the nest of a garud pankhni, a great eagle, with her chicks. Just then a snake began to climb up to bite them. The young woman killed the snake and hid it to one side.

When the eagle returned she saw blood on the ground, thought the woman had killed her chicks, and swooped on her. Then the young woman showed her the dead snake and told her everything. Learning the truth, the eagle was overjoyed. “You saved my children,” she said. “Tell me what I can do for you.” Surahi said they had to reach the syahu beyond the seven seas, and the eagle carried them both on her back to the syahu’s home.

The syahu welcomed Surahi like a sister she had not seen in a long time. As they talked she said her hair was full of lice, and the young woman picked them all out with a fine needle. The syahu was pleased and blessed her: “May you have seven sons and seven daughters-in-law.”

The young woman folded her hands. “Mother, I have not a single son. It is you who bound my womb.” The syahu understood that she was now bound by her own blessing. Having given her word she had to keep it, and she opened the young woman’s womb.

When she came home she found her house full of seven sons and seven daughters-in-law. Joyfully she drew seven Ahois, worshipped them and made seven udyapans. Her elder sisters-in-law wondered why she was not weeping this time; the children ran to tell them that their aunt was cooking festive food. They hurried over to ask how her womb had been opened, and she told them the whole story.

The katha ends with a prayer: O Syahu Mata, as you opened the youngest daughter-in-law’s womb, open everyone’s, and keep all children happy.

Chandrabhan and Chandrika

This short katha is given by Bhakti Bharat and Bharatkosh; both call it a folk tale and name the place differently.

A rich moneylender named Chandrabhan lived with his virtuous wife Chandrika; one telling places them near Jhansi, another in Datia. Their children kept dying young. Broken by grief, they left their wealth and went away to the forest.

They came to a pool near Badrikashram and sat there, giving up food and water. On the seventh day a voice from the sky told them their sorrow came from past deeds, and that if Chandrika kept the fast of Ahoi Mata on Kartik Krishna Ashtami, the Mother’s grace would give them children.

Chandrika kept the Ahoi fast with devotion, and Ahoi Mata, pleased, blessed them with long-lived children. In Bhakti Bharat’s telling the voice also tells them to bathe in Radha Kund.