It is believed that Hartalika teej vrat katha was narrated to Goddess Parvathi by Lord Shiva. The Hartalika teej vrat katha was narrated by Lord Shiva with the intention to hlep Goddess Parvati remeber her previous birth.
Lord Shiva narrated as follows
Goddess Parvati in your previous birth you were daughter of Daksh Prajapati. When Goddess Parvati was young she performed great penance for Lord Shiva at that young age. Goddess parvati used to perform penance without eating for some days, in the rain during rainy season, in the middle of fire during summer etc on the Himalayas and on the bank of river Ganga. But Lord Shiva was not moved and Goddess Parvathi continued her penance.
Daksha was worried about his daugher and was sad. Once sage Narad came to Daksha and propsed an alliance of Lord Vishnu for Dakshas daughter Parvati. Daksha was over whelemed and readily agreed and asked Narad to inform Vishnu to come for marriage on an auspicious day.
Parvati on hearing that her father has arranged her marriage with Lord Vishnu is heart broken. She has all her life longed for Lord Shiva and performing penance for Lord Shiva. In that situation Goddess Parvati gets ready for suicide rather than marry Lord Vishnu. One of the aides of Goddess Parvati, stops her and assures Parvati that she would take Goddess Parvati to a location in Himalayas where no one can find her and she can continue her Penance there.Goddess Parvati goes with the aide to a secret cave and starts her penance for Lord Shiva. Here Daksha not finding his daughter send his army in all directions in search of her.
On the day of Bhadrapada Sukla or Suddha Tadiya or Tritiya, Goddess Parvati prepares a Shiva Linga from the sand on ther river banks and worships it. She stays awake the whole night singing and praising Lord shiva on Tritya. That day also had the Hasta Nakshatra or star. By this worship, the place on which Lord Shiva was sitting trembeled and Lord Shiva was forced to appear before Goddess Parvati and had to grant her a wish. Goddess Parvati, wished that Lord Shiva should accept her as his wife. Lord Shiva granted the wish and went to Kailash.
Goddess Parvati immediately cleaned the whole place and the Shiva Linga and threw all of material that was cleaned into the river. At the same time Daksha along with his relatives reached the place where Goddess Parvati was. Daksha asked Parvati the reason for leaving the house and was worried the way she was looking after the great Peanance she has been observing. Goddess Parvati replied that she has performed the Penance to please Lord Shiva and to obtain him as a husband. She also told that Lord Shiva has agreed to take her as his wife. She also told Daksh that she would return home only on the condition that Daksh should agree for her marriage with Lord Shiva. Daksha had no other and agreed for the same.After some time Daksha married his daughter Goddess Parvati to Lord Shiva with all the rituals.
Lord Shiva told Goddess Parvati that ” whoever would observe the Hartalika Teej Vrat and would worship me with full devotion on Bhadrapada sudha Tadiya or tritiya would have my blessings and I would full fill all their wishes.” Lord Shiva also expalined why it is called as Hartalika, Harita comes from Haran which means escaping or taking away without others notice and Talika means aide. As the aide had taken Goddess Parvati withour the knowledge of her father to worship Lord Shiva this day is known as Hartalika
