" Once upon a time,
in a small village lived a braahman by name of Vaaman and his wife
Satya. They
were both very dhaarmic and abided by the four purushaarth of life and the
varnaa-dharma of braahmin. They had a happy life together with adequate health
and wealth. However, they were suffering from the dukh of being childless and
longed for a child to carry on the lineage of the family gotra.
One day Naarad-muni came to visit
Vaaman and Satya with his famous chanting of jap of Naaraayan...Naaraayan....Narayan. The
couple received Naarad-muni as their guest as per the tradition and stipulations
of shaastra. After
performing pujaa of Naaradji, Vaman shared his pain of being childless with
Naaradji.
Upon hearing the misfortune of Vaaman and
Satya, Naaradji said: "Hey braahman! Go to the jungle
located south of here. In this jungle there are lots of Bili-patra trees.
Covered under a pile of Bili-patra leaves are the murtio of
Shiv-Paarvati lying unworshipped for a long time. Go and find these murtio and
consecrating them with a bath reinstall them as per the shaastra. Then
both of you perform pujaa with devotion, adoration and with your chitt fully focused
on Umaa-Mahesh.. The guileless and kindhearted Sadaa-Shiv will certainly share
your pain and fulfill your mano-kaamnaa (wish from your anta-karan) you have
expressed to me because of your bhakti full of intense love, affection,
inclination and shraddhaa towards Shiv-Paarvati.
Naradji went on his way after
advising Vaman and Satya in this manner.
The next day Vaaman and Satya
headed to the jungle with all the necessary items for performing the
re-installation of the Shiv-Paarvati murtio and performing pujaa as suggested by
Naarad-muni.
They started searching for the Shiv-Paarvati murtio under Bili-patra trees.
After a long search they found the murtio hidden under a pile of Bili-patra
leaves as described by Naaradji. Vaaman and Satya felt enormously happy upon
realizing the truth in Naarad-muni's advice. Vaaman started clearing the space
under the tree and around the tree trunk for the installation of the murtio.
Satya went to fetch water from the nearby pond. Satya sprinkled the water over
the land cleaned up by Vaaman. Then Vaaman gave a bath to the murtio
and
installed the murtio on a paatalo (a wooden seat-platform used
for sitting and worshipping purposes) placed against the tree trunk. Vaaman
performed the murti-sthaapnaa as per the shaastra and then performed
pujaa with
all the vidhio stipulated by the shaastra including offering of Bili-patra.
Then Vaaman and Satya prayed to Umaa-Mahesh and expressed their wishes
for a son.
Vaaman and Satya
were
determined to propitiate Shiv-Paarvati and obtain a boon for a son. So they
build a hut at that place to live their and perform daily pujaa, bhakti
and
tapas till Umaa-Mahesh were propitiated. They offered their pujaa,
aarti and aaraadhnaa
to Shiv-Paarvati every day in the morning and evening.
Thus Vaaman and Satya performed aaraadhnaa
for five years but Bhagvaan did not propitiate. Both of them were perplexed at
this and started wondering if this bhakti will not bear fruits.
Vaaman used to daily
collect Bili-patra for the pujaa of Mahaa-dev and the flowers that grew
nearby. Today he
wished to offer various other flowers that grew in the forest to Mahaa-dev
during the pujaa. He went out in the forest and harvested a lot of flowers in a
chhaabdi ( a shallow basket woven with bamboo leaves). While he was returning
with harvested flowers he stepped on a snake lying hidden under a pile of
leaves. The snake bit him in the leg. Vaaman fell on the ground with a painful
cry saying "Hey Mahaa-dev". Slowly the poison started spreading throughout
his whole body and after a while Vaaman died.
Vaaman' s wish and
desire of his mind
remained in his mind.
Vaaman used to harvest flowers
and Bili-patra from nearby his hut daily for his pujaa. But today
Vaaman had
gone out in the forest to harvest various other flowers and thus had died of a
snake-bite. On the other side, Vaaman' s wife was anxiously waiting for her
husband just like a chatak waits eagerly for rain to satisfy its thirst. A
chatak is a bird with a hole in its throat so that it can only drink water
from the falling rain. As Vaaman had not returned after a long time from
harvesting the flowers in the forest, his wife Satya started worrying and ultimately
went out to search for him.
In her search at last she
found her husband dead under a tree. She saw a snake moving around the body
and at once knew that her husband had died of the poison from the snake-bite.
Satya sat beside her husband's dead body with a broken and shocked heart and
started wailing and lamenting loudly with a lot of pain.
Paarvati-devi in her abode in the
dev-lok heard Satya's painful wailing and lamenting. At that instant
Paarvati-devi manifested herself in the form of van-devi (forest deity) at that
place. Satya saw splendour and luster on the face of the face of van-devi and
immediately realized that this van-devi has visited her out of reverence to
afford salvation to her. Satya did namaskaar to van-devi and fell at her
feet and started to repeatedly appeal her with humility that her saubhagya
(married status) be preserved intact by reviving her husband to life.
Paarvati-devi, who had come
in the form of van-devi, immediately motioned her hand in a wave form over the
dead body of Vaaman and chaitaniya entered the dead braahman
and he became alive
again. As he started to wake up he started to shake himself as if out of a
long sleep. As soon as he saw van-devi, realization of the entire
incidence dawned on him and he fell at van-devi's feet and performed namaskaar.
Mataaji place her hand on
Vaaman' s
bowed head and gave a boon saying "Hey braahman couple! We were in this
forest in unworshipped state and you two found us and worshipped us with pujaa,
aarti and aaraadhnaa
and thus I am very pleased, contended and satiated. Therefore ask from me a
boon of whatever you wish?"
Immediately Satya said "
Maa, bestow on us the sukh of a offspring and progeny.
Van-devi said " Ta-tha-stu
(amen = so be it).
You will definitely attain the sukh of an offspring and progeny but to attain
this sukh you will have to do one thing.
Satya replied " Maa, I will
do whatever you will ask".
Van-devi said to Satya " If
you will perform Jayaa-Paarvati vrat then my boon will fructify as per
your wish and desire.
Satya agreed to perform
the vrat. Thereby Paarvatiji, who had manifested in the form of
van-devi,
informed Satya of the dignity, glory and majesty of the Jayaa-Paarvati
vrat,
vidhio to be performed, the method of celebrating the vrat, the fruits of the
vrat and other related matters of the vrat. Paarvatiji added that the strength,
power, glory, grace and effectiveness of this vrat is so great that the
saubhagya of the woman who performs this vrat will stay intact, will have
offspring and progeny and will pass her life in sukh-shaanti.
Saying thus van-devi
disappeared.
Vaaman and Satya prepared to
return home full of joy and delighted with the boon of a son and the
instructions and guidance on achieving the boon. While returning they took
with themselves the murtio of Shiv-Paarvati. When they returned to their home
they installed the murtio with full sthaapanaa- vidhio as per shaastra
in an pavitra (auspicious)
place in their home. They thereafter offered pujaa, aarti and aaraadhnaa to
Shiv-Paarvati. every morning and evening and continued doing bhakti.
When the holy 13th day of
Ashaadh sud dawned Satya commenced the Jayaa-Paarvati vrat and performed all
stipulated vidhio and completed the vrat on the 3rd day of Ashaadh vad with the
stipulated celebration on the last day. In due course Satya became pregnant and in the
following year when she performed the vrat again she had an exceeding
tender,
soft and handsome son swinging in the cradle.
Both Vaaman and Satya attained
sukh-shaanti in all aspects of their lives due to Jayaa-Paarvati
vrat.
This is the strength,
power, glory, grace and effectiveness of the Jayaa-Paarvati vrat.
Jayaa-Paarvati vrat is a giver of
welfare.
"Hey Jayaa-Paarvati-maa! As
your boon fructified for Vaman and Satya so may your boon
fructify for
those who perform your vrat and also for those who listen to this vrat-kathaa.
OM SHAANTI SHANTI...OM SHAANTI SHANTI..OM SHAANTI SHANTI..