Satya Narayana Vrat - Katha

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INTRODUCTION

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (Ch4.9) " Janma Karma cha may divyam yevam yo

veththi tha-thwathah.... One who knows My divine birth and activities will

not be born again". Sri Sathyanarayana katha is one such activity of the Lord,

by studying which we have every chance of being liberated. Sri Sathyanarayana

katha forms a vital and integral part of this pooja. Not listening to the katha

will be a major loss. Repeatedly hearing this story and meditating on its

different aspects will make us more and more interested in the Lord and His

activities. As the Lord Himself says further in Gita (Ch9.14) "Sathatham

keerthayantho maam yathanthascha dradhavrathaah: "The mahaatmaas among

devotees, always speak and sing My glories, and try with determination, to

realize Me"

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

CHAPTER 1OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

Shri Sathyanaranayana katha is from Skandha purana, Reva kaanda. Sutha

Puraanikji was the narrator of these stories, in Neimishaaranya to the rishis

lead by Shounakji who were performing a 1000 year yajna for the benefit of

mankind. Shounakaji and others now ask Suta Puranikji an important question.

"When a man has a desire, how can he fulfill that ethically sound desire? By

worshipping whom, by what vrita, or tapas? Please let us know.Sutaji was

pleased to know that this question they asked, was for the benefit of the

mankind and not for their personal benefit, for, they had abandoned their homes

and all desires. Sutaji said " this question was also asked by Devarshi Naradaji

once to Lord Narayana Himself; Let me tell you that story.Once Naradaji was

traveling all over the worlds and finally came to Bhuloka, where he found

almost

everyone was suffering one or the other misery on account of their past Karmas

and were not knowing how to extricate themselves from their untold miseries

which were multiplying everyday on account of their ignorance. Being a Satjana

his heart felt their agonies and immediately he reached Vaikunta, to Lord

Narayana to find the right answer for getting the people out of their miseries.

But when he sees the Lord, being a great devotee of the Lord, he forgets his

purpose and starts praising the Lord. The Lord Narayana smiles at him and asks

the purpose of his visit, knowing that normally Naradaji does not visit Him

without a purpose. Naradaji tells Him what he saw and requests Him a panacea

for all such miseries. The Lord is now happy at this question of Naradaji

because of Naradaji’s intention of benefiting the world by seeking the right

answer. The Lord said:Yes, there is a vrita called Sri Satyanarayana vrita

which is not known to the inhabitants of the Bhuloka. This is a secret

and yet since your interest is the benefit of the mankind, I shall narrate to

you this vrita. This can be performed by anyone (anyone means it does not need

an expert or a priest to worship the Lord - ANYONE of any caste, community,

creed can worship the Lord directly) and very easily. One who does this, will

get all the benefits and the pleasures of this world and will eventually get

Moksha too. Now Narada wants to know more details of this vrita. The Lord says,

this can be done any day, in the evening. Gather friends and relatives and

perform this vrita with faith and devotion. The prasad for this vrita is known

as Sapaad which is prepared thus: Take an equal measure of rava, Milk, Ghee,

Banana, Sugar ( the measure should be 1 1/4 or multiples thereof ) cook it till

all mix into a paste. The night should be spent in Bhajans and praise of the

Lord. All those attending Pooja should be given food and respect. Thus the

performer will get all his wishes fulfilled.

End of Chapter 1

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAHCHAPTER 2Sri Lord Narayana tells Narada the

further story: There was an old and poor Brahmin in the city of Kashi. He was a

man of virtue and yet extremely poor and was always begging for the next meal.

Since the Lord is Viprapriya- (Brahmana priya means Lover of Brahmana- Brahmana

means anyone on the devotional path ) - He came in the guise of

an old Brahmin and accosted him " Tell me my friend, what ails you?". The

brahmin replied "I am an old and very poor man and I shall be grateful if you

can tell me how to get rid of this poverty of mine which does not seem to leave

me". The Lord replied "Why don’t you perform Sri Satyanarayana Vrita", and He

told him how to perform the Vrita.The poor man now desires to do this vrita and

thinking over these thoughts of the Lord he goes to bed. He could not sleep on

account of these thoughts. Again in the morning he had same thoughts and he

says to himself, "whatever I earn today by begging I shall use it to perform

the vrita". Since the Lord likes such feelings, (Bhavena Devam - Lord does not

want our material possessions, he is won by the genuineness of our feelings)

that day, he got plenty of money while begging and thus pleased, he took the

necessary articles and performed the vrita.Very soon he became rich and had all

the things of the world and thereafter he started performing

the vrita every month and thus he enjoyed all the pleasures of the world and

finally reached the Moksha too.Now Shaunakji and other rishis want to know how

this vrita spread in the world. Also those who have heard the story, what

benefits they got. Sutaji replies:Once when this brahmin was performing the Sri

Satyanarayana Pooja there came to his house a woodcutter. He saw the pooja and

wanted to know what it is and what are its fruits. The brahmin said, "This is

Sri Satyanarayana Pooja. Whatever desires you have in your mind will be

fulfilled by performing this vrita. My own poverty and troubles all ended by my

very decision to perform this vrita". On hearing this, the woodcutter prostrates

to the Lord, takes prasad, and decides to perform this pooja next day. He

thought in his mind, "Whatever amount I get from the sale of the wood tomorrow,

I will use it for the performance of the vrita." That day he sold the wood for

twice the price. Happily thinking of the Lord Satyanarayana he

proceeds to do this pooja, inviting his friends and relatives. Thus performing

regularly he became rich and happy and finally reached Satyaloka.

End of Chapter II

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAHCHAPTER IIISuta Puranikji continues the story:Once

there was a good king called Ulkamukha. He was wedded to truth and sense-

control. Everyday he used to go to the temple, worship the Lord, distribute

alms to the needy. Once he was performing Sri Satyanarayana Vrita on the banks

of a river. At that time there came a merchant in a ship loaded

with precious goods. He approached the king and wanted to know the details of

the pooja and also its fruits. The king said, "My friend, what we are doing is

a vrita called Sri Satyanarayana Pooja. This is done with a desire to have

progeny, wealth, property, etc. By this, we are worshipping Lord Narayana or

Mahavishnu".The merchant said, "Please tell me the details as to how to perform

this vrita, because I would like to have children whom I have not been fortunate

to have till now." The king tells him the details of the vrita and the merchant

returns home. He tells the details to his wife and they decide to perform this

vrita if they get a child. Sometime later his wife Lilavathi became pregnant

and delivered a girl who was named Kalavathi. Lilavathi reminded her husband

about the vrita and he kept postponing it, till his daughter grew of age and

was ready to be married. The father finds a suitable groom and marries her off

and again forgot to perform the vrita although he had

decided to do so at the time of marriage of his daughtier. The Lord now wanted

to remind him.The merchant and his son-in-law were in a city called Ratnasara

where king Chandrakethu was ruling. There was a theft at the palace and the

burglars were chased by the police. The running burglar saw these two merchants

resting near a tree and they left the booty with them and ran off. The police

caught the two merchants with the stolen goods and they were straight away sent

to the prison. The king himself overlooked to investigate. It is this time the

merchant suddenly realized that this was all on account of his forgetting the

promise to the Lord. At about this time, back home both Lilavathi and her

daughter Kalavathi lost all their belongings due to thefts at home and were

rendered beggars. During one such wandering trying to find some food Kalavathi

sees Sri Satyanarayana Pooja being performed at one house. She goes in, hears

the story and details and returns to tell her mother what had

taken place. Lilavathi now knows that it is their forgetting to do the Pooja

that had created all these problems. Next day she calls her relatives and

friends and performs the Pooja, begs for forgiveness. Accordingly, the king had

a dream that the merchants were innocent and he releases them on inquiry and

gives them lot wealth.

End of Chapter III

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAHCHAPTER IV Suta Puranik continues the story: Thus

released from the custody the merchants were returning home. They reached the

outskirts of their town in their ship. The Lord in order to test them again

comes in the form of an old Sanyasi and inquires as to what the load in the

ship is. The merchant bluffs and says that it contains dried

leaves. The sanyasi says "Tathasthu". When the merchant returns to the ship he

finds that it does contain now dried leaves only. He swoons and when he regains

his consciousness he realizes that these are doings of the Sanyasi whom he had

cursorily dismissed earlier. He seeks him out and begs for forgiveness. The

ever-merciful Lord again forgives him. Now that the merchant was near the town,

he sends a messenger in advance to Lilavathi to let her know that they are on

their way home. Lilavathi. tells her daughter to complete the Satyanarayana

poola they were performing and goes ahead to meet her husband. Kalavathi does

the pooja, but in a hurry to meet her husband, she neglects to take the prasad;

and when she nears the anchorage, she does not find the ship nor her husband! It

looked to her that they both sank/drowned. She swoons and now she decides to

die.The merchant thinks that this must be on account of some fault on their

part in ignoring the Lord and then and there he decides

to do the pooja as a part of expiation from his side for mistakes of omission or

commission. The Lord now pleased makes him realize that it is the daughter’s

oversight in not accepting the prasad that has created this problem and now if

she goes and takes the prasad, everything would be all right.Kalavathi returned

to the altar and took prasad with all faith and reverence. And her husband

returned and from then onwards, they all performed Sri Sathyanarayana Pooja

regularly till the end of their life and finally after death, they reached

Satyaloka.

End of Chapter IV

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAHCHAPTER V{ 5th chapter is important to us as we

too tend to behave like the King in this story, in respect of other peoples’

pooja/worship/religion }In the woods of Nemisharanya Suta Puranikji continued

the story narrating the greatness of this Vrita to Shounaka and other

Rishies:In ancient times, there was a King called Angadwaja. He was good

and righteous king {like all of us, good and righteous}; and yet once he ignored

the prasad of Sri Satyanarayana Pooja and had to suffer very dearly to that.Once

this king was returning from hunting the wild animals in the forests. He rested

under a tree for a while. A few yards away a small group of cowherd boys had

gathered to perform Sri Satyanarayana Pooja. They did not have anything except

their daily bread they were carrying and a talkative among them became their

priest and they played the game of doing a pooja. At the end of the pooja, they

offered the prasad to the king who, out of contempt and pride, left it

untouched. Pretty soon all his wealth was lost; his hundred children died and

he now knew, being a good king that this was all on account of his contempt for

those children’s pooja. Without any delay the king goes to that very spot

where the cowherd boys had done the pooja earlier, gathers them all around him

performs the Satyanarayana Pooja with all shraddha and

bhakthi. Thus the king again got all his wealth and kingdom and kins.Suta now

tells the Rishis that this Vrita is specially effective in Kaliyuga. This Lord

of Lord is called Ishwara, Satyadeva, Sri Satyanarayana and by many other

names. He alone has taken names and forms. One who reads this story and one who

hears it will be rid of all woes and difficulties.

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH

OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAHOM SRI KRISHNARPANAMASTHU

Sent by: "Deepa H" <debu7366 >

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