Padmanabha Dwadashi Vrat Katha

Sage Durvasa said to Sage Satyatapa - "O great-minded one! Listen to the description of the religious merit (Punya) obtained by observing the Padmanabha Dwadashi Vrat during the Shukla Paksha of the month of Ashwin.

In the Satyayuga, there was an extremely strong, valiant, and powerful king named Bhadrashva. The region 'Bhadrashvavarsha' became famous after King Bhadrashva. Once, Sage Agastya visited the palace of King Bhadrashva. Upon seeing the great sage, the king welcomed and honored him appropriately and said - 'O great sage! I am blessed to have your holy sight. Tell me, Lord! How may I serve you?'

Sage Agastya said - 'O King! I have come with the desire to reside in your palace for seven nights.' Bowing his head, King Bhadrashva said to the sage - 'Lord! This is a matter of great fortune and joy for me. Please do favor me by staying here.'

King Bhadrashva had an extremely beautiful and graceful queen named Kantimati. Kantimati's beauty, radiance, and grace were such as if all twelve Adityas had gathered and were shining brilliantly. Similarly, five hundred beautiful women were engaged in the service of the king, who were disciplined in their vows. All those five hundred women were of very sweet temperament and were constantly engaged in tasks like maids. Only Kantimati had the good fortune of being the king's chief queen.

King Bhadrashva used to gaze at the beautiful and cheerful face of Queen Kantimati every moment. One day, Sage Agastya's eyes fell upon Kantimati, who was endowed with such beauty and radiance. Besides her, the sage also saw the beauties who were constantly engaged in work due to fear of the queen. After looking at that supreme beauty and graceful queen, Sage Agastya, overwhelmed with joy, said - 'O King! You are blessed, you are blessed.'

Similarly, on the second day also, after seeing the queen, Sage Agastya said - 'Alas! The whole world remained deprived.' Then on the third day, while looking at Queen Kantimati, he began to say - 'Aho! These fools do not even know Lord Govinda, who, with the pleasure of just one day, provided all this to this king.' On the fourth day, Sage Agastya raised both his hands and said in a loud voice - 'O Lord of the world! Millions of thanks and salutations to you. Women are blessed, O Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas! Thanks to you again and again. O Bhadrashva! Thanks to you. O Agastya! You are also blessed. Prahlad and the great observer of vows Dhruva! You are all blessed.'

Speaking thus in a loud voice, Sage Agastya began to dance before King Bhadrashva. Then, seeing Sage Agastya in this state, the queen and everyone else were astonished, and the king asked - 'O great sage! What is the reason for your being so joyful? Why are you dancing with such bliss?'

Sage Agastya said - 'O King! This is a matter of great wonder. How ignorant you are, and also these ministers, priests, and other followers who follow you are great fools, who are unable to understand my words.'

Upon the sage saying this, the king requested with folded hands - 'O Brahmin! This riddle of yours is beyond the understanding of us dull-witted beings. Therefore, O great one! Please favor us by making us aware of this mystery.'

Sage Agastya said - 'O King! In ancient times, a merchant named Haridatta lived in a city. This queen of yours, Kantimati, worked as a maid in the house of Haridatta the merchant in her previous life. In that birth also, you were her husband. You too worked as an employee at Haridatta's place as a servant. Later, once that merchant prepared to observe the fast of Dwadashi of the Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month according to the rules. He performed the ritual worship of the Lord in the temple of Lord Vishnu himself with flowers and incense, etc. You both, husband and wife, were with that merchant for his protection and service. After the worship, the merchant returned to his home, but so that the lamp should not go out, he ordered both of you to stay there.

After the departure of that merchant, both of you stayed there while keeping the lamps well lit. You did not move from there throughout the night until morning and kept protecting the lamps. After some time, when your life ended, both of you, husband and wife, died. By the influence of that merit, you were born in the house of King Priyavrata, and this wife of yours, who was a maid at the merchant's house in the previous birth, has been established as a queen in this birth.

That lamp belonged to someone else, i.e., that merchant Haridatta. Only the act of keeping it lit in the temple of Lord Vishnu was yours; this is the religious merit of that virtuous deed. Therefore, the merit of one who lights a lamp before Lord Shri Hari from his own wealth and substance is impossible to calculate. That is why I said - 'O King! You are blessed! You are blessed!'

Wise men obtain in Satyayuga by worshiping Lord Shri Hari with devotion for a full year, in Tretayuga for half a year, and in Dvaparayuga for three months; the same fruit can be obtained in Kaliyuga just by chanting 'Namo Narayanaya', there is no doubt about it. That is why 'The whole world has been deprived' came out of my mouth. I have spoken only of devotion. Such rare religious merit has been obtained just by protecting the lamp lit by someone else before Lord Vishnu.

What I said about being a fool means that people do not know the importance of donating lamps (Deepdan) in the Lord's temple. I have thanked the Brahmins and kings because those who worship Lord Shri Hari in the above manner with devotion through various types of sacrifices are always worthy of thanks. I do not see anything else in this creation except that Supreme Father, the Almighty, that is why I called myself blessed as well.

The reason for calling this woman and you blessed is that this woman was a maid in a merchant's house and you also did the work of service. After the master's departure, both of you kept the lamp lit in the Lord's temple. Therefore, this woman and even more so you are worthy of thanks. Although there were elements of demonic nature in the body of devotee Prahlad, yet in his view, there was no other power except the Supreme Father, the Almighty; that is why I have called him blessed as well. Dhruva was born in a king's house, but from childhood, he went to the forest and by worshiping Lord Vishnu there, attained the most excellent and beautiful place. That is why I have called Dhruva a saint too.'

Saying this, Sage Agastya preached the observance of the Dwadashi Vrat to King Bhadrashva and said - 'O King! The festival of Kartik Purnima has arrived. Therefore, I am going to the Pushkar region.' Then Sage Agastya departed from there."

Durvasa says - "O Sage! While going to Pushkar, Sage Agastya had stayed in the palace of King Bhadrashva and he had preached the observance of the Dwadashi Vrat to the king there. At the time of departure, the sage gave the king the boon of obtaining a son. The king followed the Padmanabha Dwadashi Vrat according to the sage's instructions, as a result of which he obtained excellent sons, grandsons, etc. By the religious merit of this fast, King Bhadrashva enjoyed the best of comforts and at the end of his time, was established in the supreme abode of Lord Padmanabha."

|| Thus ends the glory of Padmanabha Dwadashi Vrat described in Shri Varaha Purana ||