Vasudeva Chaturthi Vrat Katha

King Dasaratha said to Vasishtha Muni, "O Great Sage! I heard the greatness of the Phalguna Shukla Chaturthi fast from your holy mouth, but I have not been satisfied by that hearing. Therefore, please be kind enough to describe the holy greatness of the boon-bestowing Chaitra Shukla Chaturthi."

Vasishtha Muni said, "O King Dasaratha! Listen carefully to the greatness of the Chaturthi of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Chaitra. It is a matter of former times; in the famous city named Shobhabhadra in Bengal, a religious king ruled with excellent policy. That king's name was Chandrapriya and he was extremely brave and valorous. That king, through his arm-strength and prowess, had brought the entire earth under him and ruled being endowed with bravery and wealth-grains, etc.

All ministers, etc., being under him, remained ready in his service. Even the kings of other states served him. King Chandrapriya himself followed religious conduct and also made all humans follow religion according to their varna. The king punished those who ignored varna-dharma. In his kingdom, all were happy and traders also had no fear of theft, etc.

In the course of time, once in his kingdom, all humans became afflicted with various types of serious diseases and women also became endowed with defects like being barren, etc. Being anxious due to diseases, etc., all humans appeared before the king and, asking the king the cause of these diseases, said, 'O Maharaja! You rule religiously along with your ministers and secretaries, and we also follow our respective varna-dharma according to your order. Yet we all have become afflicted with various types of diseases and have become devoid of wealth-grains and childless. Our entire happiness-wealth has been ended. O King! In your kingdom, the earth has become juice-less, trees have become fruit-less, and cows have become milk-less. O Great-minded One! On having a religious king like you, all humans should receive happiness, but here the opposite is happening. The king alone is the strength and protector of the subjects. Therefore, O Best of Kings! Protect us; you alone are our refuge.'

Vasishtha Muni says, 'O Dasaratha! Hearing the pathetic prayer of the subjects, King Chandrapriya decided to go to the forest to find the solution for this crisis and, handing over the kingdom to his chief ministers, he departed toward the forest. While the king was wandering in the forest, the great yogi Rishi Ashtavakra arrived there. The king saluted Ashtavakra Muni and formally worshipped him and, while performing the foot-service of the sage, made him consume food.

Subsequently, King Chandrapriya said to Rishi Ashtavakra, 'O Great Yogi! By obtaining your lucky vision, my chanting-penance, donation, sacrifice, and birth, etc., have become fruitful.' Thereafter, the king described the entire episode before the sage.

Hearing the king's agony, Ashtavakra Muni said, 'O King! Due to the great sin spread in your kingdom, your entire subjects are suffering. The Chaturthi fast, which provides the four Purusharthas—Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha—has disappeared from your kingdom. Therefore, in your kingdom, all humans have become devoid of Purusharthas, due to which in the end they all, along with you, will be travelers to hell.'

Hearing this, the king said, 'O Repository of Mercy! Being kind to me, describe that excellent fast; what kind of fast is this and to which deity it is dear, etc. please be kind enough to describe the facts.'

Rishi Ashtavakra said, 'O King! The fast performed on the Chaturthi of the Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha is called the Ganeshwara fast. For the success of the four Purusharthas, all humans should follow this fast.' Saying this, the sage described the greatness related to the Chaturthi fast, by hearing which King Chandrapriya was amazed.

The king humbly again questioned Rishi Ashtavakra, 'O Sage! Whose fast is so glorious, how is that Ganaraja, Lord Ganesha? Please provide me the introduction to His form. Thereafter, being situated in His form, I will observe this fast with devotion.'

Ashtavakra Muni said, 'O King! I cannot describe the form of Lord Ganesha. Yet you listen to the episode through which you will get knowledge about Lord Ganesha. O King! In ancient times, I was performing penance with effort, at that time many beautiful Apsaras (celestial nymphs) appeared to break my penance. When they repeatedly made evil attempts to break my penance, I became angry and said while cursing those Apsaras, 'You all will go to the Mortal World (Mrityuloka) and there thieves-looters will enjoy you.' On me giving the curse, they all became terrified and began to ask for forgiveness in various ways. From their prayer, I felt mercy for them and I became pleased.

Thereafter, I said to those Apsaras, 'At the time of Dvaparayuga, Lord Vishnu will descend in the Yadava clan. In that incarnation, His name will be Shri Krishna and you all will be His wives, but in the end, you will be obtained by thieves.' O King! Hearing this, the Apsaras disappeared from there and I again became absorbed in penance. By the influence of penance, I obtained inner knowledge. Subsequently, becoming oriented toward Shama (tranquility) and Dama (self-control), I became the one who calms and suppresses the senses. I practiced Samadhi through many types of yoga. Finally, I became situated in Samadhi, but seeing delusion in an equal form there, I was stunned.

O King! I was tolerating excessive pain to obtain peace. At that very time, Maharishi Ribhu appeared there. After bowing and worshipping the great yogi Maharishi Ribhu, I said to him, 'O Great Yogi! By obtaining your merciful vision, I became satisfied. By your vision, my chanting, penance, oblation (Havana), sacrifice, etc., all became successful.' Hearing this, Maharishi Ribhu said, 'O Child! What is your desire? Tell me your desire; I will surely fulfill it.'

Thereafter, I again saluted him and asked the path to obtain yogic peace, upon which that supreme yogi said, 'O Child! Unions (Samyoga) are of five types—Sat, Asat, Sama, Na, and Iti, and are obtained through yoga only on being self-knowable-filled. A-yoga (non-union) is devoid of these five and it is obtained by humans through retirement (Nivritti). There should be union of these two which is obtained through the path of peace. O Great-minded One! Knowing that very Ganaraja, you worship Him, through which you will obtain the happiness of peace.

The letter Ga is union and the letter Na is the indicator of non-union, and the master of these two is Ganesha. Earlier, due to having delusion, I made unions of many and took refuge in spontaneous yoga, and seeing independence there, I was surprised. Subsequently, with the desire for yoga, I went to the refuge of Lord Shiva.

Lord Shiva ordered me to worship Gantnayaka Lord Ganesha. Then I meditated on and worshipped Ganapati through the one-letter procedure, as a result of which I obtained peace. Saying this, Maharishi Ribhu provided me the one-letter Ganesha mantra (Gam), by chanting which I also obtained peace.''

Vasishtha ji says, 'O King Maharaja Dasaratha! Describing the episode thus, Rishi Ashtavakra provided the twelve-syllable mantra to King Chandrapriya and, providing the initiation of the king-of-mantras (Mantraraja) formally, Rishi Ashtavakra disappeared from there. Subsequently, the king became absorbed in the worship of Lord Ganesha. O King! Thereafter, first on the arrival of the Chaitra month Shukla Chaturthi, the king performed the Chaturthi fast with faith along with all humans of the subjects. The proclamation of following the Chaturthi fast in all districts was made by the king. By the king's order, all humans began to observe the fast of the Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha Chaturthi and, by the influence of the fast, all became disease-free, healthy, and endowed with wealth-grains, sons-grandsons, etc.

King Chandrapriya also worshipped Lord Ganesha with exclusive feeling and, transferring the rule to his son, he went to the forest along with his wife. In the course of time, King Chandrapriya, obtaining the vision of Ganesha ji in Swananda, became Brahmabhuta. By the meritorious influence of the fast, all humans residing in the king's kingdom, having the vision of Lord Ganesha in the end time, merged into Brahman.'

Vasishtha Muni further said to King Dasaratha, 'O King! Now listen to another story regarding the Chaturthi of the Shukla Paksha of the month of Chaitra, the greatness of which is the destroyer of sin and the provider of all types of successes (Siddhis). In ancient times, in the Malwa province, a sinful human born from a Shudra resided. Being a greedy of wealth, that low wicked man used to kill beings and travelers wandering in the forest. He was such a sinful human that it was impossible even to count his sins. Once that sinner was sitting hiding on a tree and was killing travelers by lying in wait. By divine coincidence, a terrifying snake arrived on that tree and it bit that sinner. Being hurt and terrified by the snake bite, he went to his house.

O King! As soon as he reached home, the influence of the snake's poison began on him and he became unconscious. O King! By divine coincidence, that day the Chaitra Shukla Paksha Chaturthi date arrived. Therefore, on that day, that Shudra could not consume food and water due to pain and that sinner died on the Panchami date. By the meritorious influence of the fast performed in ignorance alone, he went to Lord Ganesha's Swanandakapur. O King! In this way, many types of sinful humans became Brahmabhuta; it is not possible to describe their character. By hearing or reading this Chaitra Shukla Paksha Chaturthi fast greatness, the desired fruit is obtained.'

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