Kapardisha Chaturthi Vrat Katha

Vasishtha Muni said to King Dasaratha, "O King! The Ashwina Shukla Paksha Chaturthi is considered boon-bestowing. I will describe the history related to the greatness of this fast which occurred in former times, which will be the bestower of all purposes for you. Therefore, listen carefully."

Starting the story, Vasishtha Muni says, "Under the Raivata Manvantara, there was an extremely illustrious and well-known king who was proficient in all scriptures. His name was Kirtiman, but in some texts, he is also described by the name Dharmadhara. King Dharmadhara performed the five sacrifices and was a knower of ethics, and he nourished his subjects like a son. He had a religious wife who was an extremely virtuous and devoted woman. The king's wife was endowed with all good characteristics and was one who honored and served Brahmins, deities, and guests. King Dharmadhara had a huge army consisting of cavalry, elephantry, and innumerable infantry archers. That king, while protecting the earth with seven continents, had slaughtered invincible and brave enemies in the Devasura-war.

But the king was childless due to the defect of infertility and he made various types of efforts to obtain a son. The king went on many pilgrimages with full rules and procedures and performed worship and rituals for various deities. Therefore, even after performing many types of meritorious deeds, the king did not obtain a son. Subsequently, the king gave up the kingdom and went to the forest along with his wife. While wandering from the royal forest, King Dharmadhara saw a huge great forest. In that great forest, there were many types of animals like lions, snakes, elephants, and deer. That fierce forest was extremely terrifying. With an anxious heart, the king entered that forest. On entering the great forest, the king had the vision of Saubhari Rishi. Bowing to the best of sages Saubhari, the king stood before the sage with folded hands. Saubhari Muni honored the king with sweet words and provided him a seat.

Best among sages Saubhari ji asked the seated king, 'Who are you and for what purpose have you come to this terrifying dense forest?' Upon being questioned thus by the sage, the king said, 'O Great Sage! I reside in the Dravida country and rule the sovereign kingdom. O Sage! By divine coincidence, I am childless; no son has been born to me. I perform many fasts, pilgrimages, and religious activities with the desire to obtain a son. O King of Yogis! I have left my kingdom and come to this forest with the desire to obtain a son. On coming here, I have obtained your meritorious vision. Merely by your vision, my life has become successful and my ancestors have become blessed.

O Sage! Being merciful upon me, tell me any method to obtain a son; I will follow every command according to your order. O Best of Sages! I have not committed any great sin in this birth and have ruled the earth while being terrified of sinful deeds. Yet, this sorrow of childlessness has been obtained by me. Even after much consideration and contemplation, I am not able to know whether this is the sin of my previous birth, or if there is some other reason that I have obtained this infertility defect. Therefore, O Knower of All! Tell me about my great sin; have I committed any grave sin? You are the best among yogis, great-lustrous, and one who bears the body of direct Brahman; please be kind enough to solve my problem.'

Vasishtha Muni says to King Dasaratha, "O King! Upon King Kirtiman making such a humble request to Mahamuni Saubhari, the great devotee of Lord Ganapati, Saubhari Muni, said to the king, 'O Maharaja Kirtiman! You have specifically committed a very grave great sin. O Degraded King! This is not the result of the sin committed by you in your previous birth. O Fool! The Chaturthi fast, which is the best and most fruitful among all fasts, has ceased in your kingdom. O Vile Man! The person who has not observed the Chaturthi fast, all his fasts become unsuccessful. Therefore, all the various types of meritorious deeds you have performed have become unsuccessful due to not observing the Chaturthi fast. O King! According to the description found in the scriptures and religious texts, the king suffers the sin committed in the nation. Therefore, you are the sharer of the sins of those humans who have become fast-less in your kingdom. Therefore, you are undoubtedly a sinful form. That is why, O Vile Man! For this reason, you have obtained infertility.'

Hearing the words of Saubhari Muni, becoming terrified, King Kirtiman said while praying, 'O High-souled One! This sin of not observing that fast occurred through me due to ignorance. Therefore, O Brahmin! Please be kind enough to describe this fast, what it is like and how it is performed, along with the procedure. O Great-minded One! Also tell me any such method to obtain a son by which I may become sin-free, happy, and a father.'

Saubhari Muni said, 'O King! You daily observe the Chaturthi fast and also make all humans do it. By the meritorious influence of this fast, you will become free from all sins. O King! You have committed a very heat-filled sin out of ignorance. Therefore, only by observing the Chaturthi fast will you be sinless and meritorious.' Saying thus, the sage described the greatness of the fast in detail before the king.

Subsequently, King Kirtiman said, 'O Best among Sages! How are these lords of groups (Ganadhishas), whose fast is considered to provide the four Purusharthas—Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha—and to be Brahmabhuyakara, i.e., making one Brahman itself? Please tell me; I will surely perform their sadhana.'

Best among sages Saubhari said, 'The greatness of Lord Shri Gananatha is the bestower of peace and the position of yoga. Previously, I was performing penance while being absorbed in His devotion with many meters (Chhandas). At that time, all the groups of deities became terrified by my penance and began to consider, "It is not known what excellent position this best Brahmin wishes to obtain through penance?"

Subsequently, the deities sent Kamadeva along with his wife Rati with the aim of breaking my penance. Kamadeva struck me with arrows which awaken the feeling of lust along with Urvashi and other apsaras and afflicted me with lust. But by the influence of my penance power, I conquered Kamadeva along with his wife and, making them delusion-less, produced heat. Due to my fierce penance, Kamadeva began to be burnt and, along with the apsaras, fled and sought refuge with Indra. Thereafter, I became introverted through the yogic path and became established in paths like inertia and madness due to yoga, i.e., I became an Avadhuta. At that time, the great yogi Shukadeva ji, an exclusive devotee of Lord Ganesha, appeared there. Seeing me in my ashram, he said, "O Sage! What is your desire?" I said, "O Great-illustrious One! By my great fortune, your vision has been obtained. O Great Yogi! Tell me the path to obtain peace."

Shri Shukadeva ji said, "By giving up five types of Chitta (mind) and merging that Chitta into Shri Ganesha ji, by the cessation (nirodha) of the states of the Chitta, you will surely obtain peace. Therefore, O Best among Brahmins! You worship Chintamani Lord Shri Ganesha with the one-letter mantra. O High-souled One! Your Chitta will be properly merged into that Chintamani. O Blessed One! Giving up all paths like inertia, etc., and becoming devoted to Shama (calmness) and Dama (self-control), meditate on Lord Shri Ganesha." Saying such, the self-willed yogi Shukadeva ji, while singing the glory of the name of Ganesha and chanting the name of Ganesha, disappeared from there.'

Becoming endowed with proper devotion, I meditated on Ganapati by establishing a statue through the one-letter procedure with devotion. Subsequently, in a short time, I obtained peace; yet I continued to perform the worship and prayer of Shri Ganesha. After ten years passed, the obstacle-remover Shri Ganesha ji appeared before me. O King! At that time, I praised Lord Ganesha with various types of hymns (Stotras). Then, being pleased, He provided me the position of Ganapatya and departed to His Swanandakapur. Since that very time, I am continuously worshipping the Brahmanayaka.'

Saying this, he provided the six-letter mantra to the king according to the rules, and saluting, the royal sage departed to his city. Subsequently, that king went to his house on the second day of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Ashwina. In that same month, on the Chaturthi date of the Shukla Paksha, King Kirtiman started observing the fast. The king observed the fast along with the entire subjects and performed Ganesha worship with full rules and procedures in the afternoon.

Children, elderly, etc., along with every class, kept a vigil at night, and all men and women observed the Chaturthi fast with full rules and procedures.

The king proclaimed, 'Those humans who do not observe the fast of the Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha Chaturthi will be punished and censured here and there on this earth.' Thus, inspired by the king's proclamation, all humans began to observe the fast, and the Chaturthi fast became famous on the entire world. Subsequently, ruling on the world, the king provided his kingdom to his son and, himself being without wife, began to worship Lord Ganesha in the forest. In the end, that king became an inhabitant of Swananda and Brahmabhuta, and all the humans who were in his kingdom also became inhabitants of Swananda.

Mahamuni Vasishtha said to King Dasaratha, 'O Best among Kings! In this way, I will tell you another extremely wonderful history produced by the fast in the month of Ashwina; listen to it carefully. In ancient times, there was a great hunter named Bhima, who committed many types of sinful deeds. That hunter used to kill the travelers traveling on the path and loot their wealth and other items. Once that hunter attacked some Brahmin in the forest; being wounded by his attack, the Brahmin began to run to protect his life. At that very time, by coincidence, an armed man riding on a horse arrived there. When that armed man saw the Brahmin running, he immediately took Bhima captive by force. Subsequently, the Brahmin went to his house safely. That armed man brought that hunter Bhima to the king's court. The king threw that hunter into prison where that hunter remained fasting the whole day; by coincidence, that day was the Shukla Paksha Chaturthi date. On the Panchami date, that hunter's life-bird flew away (he died). Therefore, due to observing the fast by staying without food on the Chaturthi date, Lord Ganesha made that hunter Brahmabhuta. O King! Similarly, by the influence of the Chaturthi fast, many humans became inhabitants of Swananda. It seems impossible to describe the glory of the Chaturthi fast.'

After describing the greatness of the Chaturthi fast, Vasishtha Muni said to King Dasaratha, 'O King! I have described the wonderful greatness of the Chaturthi fast before you. This fast performed on the Chaturthi date of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Ashwina is fruit-bestowing and all-success-bestowing. By reading and hearing the greatness of this fast, a human, after enjoying all kinds of worldly happiness, attains liberation at the end time. O King! That human is not alone but along with his friends, dear ones, and sons, grandsons, etc., becomes a claimant of enjoyment and liberation.'

|| Thus ends the Ashwina Shukla Chaturthi Mahatmya described in Shri Mudgala Purana ||