Mahalakshmi Vrat Katha

After hearing the procedure of the Mahalakshmi Vrat from the holy mouth of Lord Shiva, Lord Skanda said - "O Lord! Who was the first to observe this fast? Who revealed this fast to the world? If you love me, please be kind enough to describe the true story of this fast."

Lord Shiva said - "In ancient times, a brave universal monarch named Mangalarna used to rule. Kundannagar was his magnificent capital. He had a wife named Padmavati. In the course of time, a Brahmin came to him for service. The King named that Brahmin Ajnata (Unknown), but later that pious Brahmin became popular by the name Tavallaka. One day the King went to the forest for hunting. In the forest, he hunted many wild boars and deer. After the hunt, being distressed by thirst, he began to rest at the foot of a tree and sent his servants in all directions in search of water. His servants became exhausted from searching but did not find water anywhere. Tavallaka was also diligently searching for water everywhere in the forest.

In search of water, Tavallaka reached near a cavern, where there was a divine pond filled with extremely beautiful lotus flowers. At the pond, Tavallaka saw celestial maidens (Deva Kanyas) adorned with beautiful clothes and ornaments. Those celestial maidens were worshipping Goddess Mahalakshmi as part of the fast. Seeing them all worshipping in this manner, Tavallaka asked them - 'O Goddesses! What are you doing? Please be kind enough to describe it.'

Those women replied - 'We are all observing the Mahalakshmi Vrat with faith and devotion. This fast is a meritorious one that fulfills all desires.' After knowing the significance of this fast, Tavallaka also accepted the Mahalakshmi Vrat. Then, taking permission from those celestial maidens, he took water for the King and quickly departed from there. After giving water to the King, he sat before him.

After drinking water, the King saw a thread (Dora) tied on Tavallaka's hand and asked him - 'O best among the twice-born! What is this thread on your hand? Have you observed any fast?' Tavallaka described the entire sequence of events at that pond to the King. Hearing the procedure of that fast, the King also accepted the fast and returned to his city along with Tavallaka.

Coming to the palace, the King began to enjoy his time with his wife Padmavati. His wife was of an extremely angry temperament. While they were together, her eyes fell on the thread tied on the King's hand, and she became extremely angry and said - 'Which woman has tied this thread on your hand? Who is that woman who has deceived you?'

Hearing the queen's angry words, the King said - 'Do not say anything more than this, this is the thread of the excellent fast of the divine Mahalakshmi.' Even after King Mangalarna's explanation, the queen's anger did not subside, and she broke that thread with her hand and threw it into the fierce fire. Seeing this audacity of the queen, the King became extremely angry and distressed and said - 'O Queen! Controlled by your foolishness, you have committed a very grave sin.' Saying this, the King, out of anger, took the queen to a dense forest and abandoned her. Thus, by disrespecting the fast, only that wicked queen suffered a loss; no harm came to the King.

As a result of insulting Mahalakshmi, the queen, after leaving the palace, reached a waterless forest. She was wandering here and there in the forest in search of a shelter. While wandering in the forest, she saw an ashram. That ashram was surrounded by various types of wild animals and peaceful black deer. That ashram appeared extremely beautiful and pleasant. Near the ashram, she saw Sage Vashistha.

Upon seeing Vashistha Ji, the queen fell at his feet wailing and fainted due to pain while crying. Sage Vashistha, becoming meditative through his yogic power, knew all the distress of that queen. The great sage came to know that this plight of the queen occurred because of disrespecting Goddess Mahalakshmi. Therefore, the great sage made the queen perform the same Mahalakshmi Vrat. Due to the influence of the fast, the queen's mind became pure and peaceful.

On the other hand, King Mangalarna again came to the same forest for hunting, where the queen was living in exile. The King shot an arrow at a deer, due to which it got injured and started running, and the King, while chasing it, reached near Vashistha Ji's ashram. Vashistha Ji welcomed the King with hospitality. At that time, the King's eyes fell on an extremely beautiful, deer-eyed woman wandering outside Vashistha Ji's ashram. The King's heart was being attracted by the expressions of that woman.

Addressing that woman, the King said - 'O beautiful one! O heart-stealer! Who are you and why are you wandering in the dense forest? O one with a beautiful smile, are you some Kinnari or some Yakshini? My heart is fascinated by you, I have become a prisoner of your trap of love, you too love me and accept my proposal of love, dear.'

Hearing these affectionate and sweet words from the King's mouth, that beautiful woman said - 'O King! I am your better half! Recognize me, I love only you. Because of my disrespect towards the Mahalakshmi Vrat, you had abandoned me, due to which I am living here in exile in this state. The best among sages, Vashistha Ji, gave me shelter in this ashram adorned with beautiful trees and flowers and, showing mercy on this lowly one, made me perform the Mahalakshmi Vrat with complete procedure to eliminate all my troubles. Only due to the meritorious influence of that fast, Mother Mahalakshmi has granted me this beauty, elegance, and radiance.'

Hearing these words from that woman's mouth, the King's eyes blossomed like a lotus. Thereafter, he took permission from Sage Vashistha to take his wife with him and soon, mounted on a chariot decorated with flags and banners along with his servants, he returned to the city with his dear wife Padmavati. All the subjects began to walk with the King while greeting and cheering their emperor. Thereafter, all the subjects also observed the Mahalakshmi Vrat with faith along with the King.

Due to the influence of the Shri Mahalakshmi Vrat, the King enjoyed various types of pleasures on earth and was blessed with many sons and grandsons. Subsequently, he became established as a universal monarch (Chakravarti Samrat) and the Brahmin Tavallaka became his Prime Minister. By the grace of Goddess Mahalakshmi, all types of happiness and prosperity began to reside in his palace. This is the miracle of Goddess Narayani Lakshmi, who fulfills all desires. She is the remover of all sins and the destroyer of sorrows."

Lord Shiva says - "O Skanda! This excellent Mahalakshmi Vrat should be performed for sixteen years. Whoever observes this fast with faith, devotion, and love, all powers (Siddhis) will worship him themselves, and the guardians of the world (Lokpala), being pleased, will automatically fulfill his desires. Whichever woman or man performs this fast carefully, Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh themselves will always be ready to fulfill their desires. All humans will bow their heads at his feet. Goddess Lakshmi will always reside in his family along with Lord Vishnu. Whether a devotee or a non-devotee, whoever performs this noble fast, in the end, Lord Vishnu himself carries that soul across the ocean of worldly existence. Any devotee who reads or listens to this Vrat Katha with concentration, Goddess Lakshmi never abandons him and Alakshmi (misfortune) never enters his life. In the end, that being, becoming free from all sins, resides in heaven." Thus, the Shri Mahalakshmi Vrat Katha described in the Skanda Purana is completed.

॥ Thus the Shri Mahalakshmi Vrat Katha is completed ॥