Somwar Vrat Katha
Teej-festivals have their own special significance in Indian tradition and Hinduism. In Hinduism, every day Ishtadeva is worshiped. According to mythological texts, Monday (Somvar Vrat Katha) is called the day of Lord Bholenath.
There is a provision to worship Lord Shiva on this day. Monday is the most appropriate day to please Lord Shiva and get his blessings. By worshiping lawfully on Monday, Lord Bholenath fulfills the wishes of his devotees very soon.
The fast of Monday mainly consists of married women to make their married life happy and unmarried girls get a handsome groom.
According to astrology, Monday fast is done in 4 ways.
Generally, Shiva devotees keep Somvar per day, Pradosh Vrat, Savan Somwar Vrat, and Sola(16) Monday Vrat. Bhole Bhandari is pleased with all these fasts. Lord Shiva is duly worshiped for these four fasts and the fasting story is read and heard.
It is a matter of ancient times that a moneylender lived in a village. The moneylender was rich, had immense wealth but had no children.
The moneylender was always worried about his dynasty. The moneylender kept a Somvar Vrat Katha on Monday to please Lord Shiva and during the fast, he methodically worshiped Shiva-Parvati and lit a lamp on the Shivling in the evening.
Seeing the worship of the moneylender, Goddess Parvati said to Lord Shiva that Lord, this moneylender is your devotee, worshiping you on every Monday.
I think you should fulfill his wish. Shivji listened to Parvati and said that O Gauri, this world is a karma kshetra, just as a farmer sows seeds in his field, he gets a tree after some time, in the same way, a man acts like a man in this world. You get the same.
But Mata Parvati again requested Bhole Bhandari and said, O Nath, yet you fulfill its desire, it is your supreme devotee. If you do not fulfill the wishes of your devotees, then why will they worship you?
On the request of Mata Parvati, Shivji said that it is a rich money lender and has no son, so it remains a sad concern.
Though there is no sum of any children in its fate, on your request, I give it the boon of getting a son, but its son Kevar will live only for 12 years. I can do nothing more than this.
One night, Shivji gave a dream to the moneylender and told that he would soon get a son Ratna, but his son would not only live for longevity but would only live for 12 years.
The moneylender was neither pleased nor saddened to hear this. The moneylender continued to offer prayers even after receiving a son, and a few days later the moneylender’s wife became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful child.
The birth of the child had an atmosphere of joy at home, but the moneylender was not happy. Because he knew that his child’s life is only up to 12 years and he did not tell this thing to anyone.
When the moneylender’s boy was 11 years old, then the moneylender told the moneylender to marry the child but the moneylender refused to marry the child and sent him to Kashi for his education. The moneylender called the child’s maternal uncle and gave him money and ordered him to go to Kashi with the child.
The moneylender told the maternal uncle and nephew to go to Kashi on the way and perform the yagna and provide food to the Brahmins.
Both uncles and nephews did the same. On the way to Kashi, the king was passing through his maternal uncle and his daughter was getting his daughter married to a prince who was Kana. The bride’s father was worried that the princess would refuse to marry if the bride’s side came to know.
So when he saw the son of the moneylender, he thought that I would sit this boy at the time of shifting from my child to the place and the bride’s side would not even know. The bride’s father gave the money moneylender’s son for this Agreement and that child agreed.
In this way, the child put on the bride’s clothes and climbed on the mare to complete the ceremony of Toran. When the turn of the rounds came after the pylon, the groom’s father again requested the moneylender’s son to take the rounds with the bride so that the marriage would be completed and covered.
Mama agreed and the marriage ceremony was also settled and after the marriage was over, Mama-Bhanja left for Kashi. But the moneylender’s son wrote on the bride’s clothes that you are married to me, but the one with whom you will go is a man with one eye and I am going to take Kashi education.
When the princess read this, she refused to accompany the prince and told her father that this is not my husband, my husband has gone to Kashi to study. When this thing spread everywhere, in compulsion the bride’s father told the whole thing and the bride’s father refused to send the daughter.
Here, both maternal uncle and nephew reached Kashi and the child began to study and the maternal uncle started the yagna. When the moneylender’s son turned 12, one day he told his maternal uncle that his health was not good and he was going to sleep.
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The moneylender’s son went to sleep inside and died. After some time, when the maternal uncle arrived, he saw the child in a dead state and was very sad but he could not cry, or else his sacrifice would be incomplete.
Therefore, the maternal uncle went back to perform the yajna and after completing the yagna and after feeding the Brahmins, the maternal uncle started crying after seeing his dead nephew.
At the same time, Shiva-Parvati was passing through the same route. Goddess Parvati heard the cry of someone and said to Shiva, Lord, some man is crying, let’s take away his sorrow.
Shiva-Parvati went to the maternal uncle and was amazed when he saw the dead child as he was the son of a moneylender born with the blessings of Lord Shiva. Mother Parvati said that O Nath is the son of a moneylender, to whom you gave a boon to go only for 12 years. So he went to death at the age of 12.
When Parvati saw the dead child, she felt pity and said to Lord Shiva that Lord, you give life to this child once or else its parents will die while living. At the request of Mata Parvati many times, Shivji agreed to her and gave him life.
The moneylender’s son became alive and the maternal uncle and nephew left for their home. On the way, the moneylender’s son passed through the same city where he was married.
The bride’s father recognizes the child and comes to the palace with his maternal uncle and nephew. The bride’s father performed a ceremony and sent his daughter along with the moneylender’s son.
When the moneylender’s boy reached his house, his parents were sitting on the terrace. They were thinking that if their son does not return safely, then he will jump from this roof and die.
At the same time, the maternal uncle went there and told that his son had returned alive and married. The moneylender gladly welcomed the child alive and the moneylender’s family lived happily.