Lambodara Sankashti Vrat Katha

Lambodara Sankashti Vrat Katha

Goddess Parvati asked - "O dear one! On the Krishna Paksha Chaturthi of Magha month (Amanta Pausha month), which form of Lord Ganesha should be worshipped, what is His name, what offerings should be presented to the Lord on this day, and what kind of food should be consumed during the fast? Please describe in detail."

Lord Ganesha said - "O Mother! In the month of Magha, the form of Ganesha known as Lambodara should be worshipped using the Shodashopachara Vidhi. O Mata Parvati! On this day, prepare ten Sesame Laddus. Offer five of these laddus to the deity, and the remaining five should be donated to a Brahmin. Worship the Brahmin devoutly, present them with offerings, and then give them the five Laddus. O Devi! Consume the remaining five Sesame Laddus yourself. In this context, let me narrate the story of King Harishchandra to you -

In the Satya Yuga, there was a very powerful king named Harishchandra. King Harishchandra was a protector of Kshatriya principles and was simple, truthful, virtuous, and respectful towards learned Brahmins. O Mother! There was not the slightest trace of unrighteousness in his reign, and there was no one needy, unhappy, or impoverished in his entire kingdom. All his subjects lived healthy and prosperous lives. In his kingdom resided a virtuous Brahmin named Rishi Sharma. Shortly after the birth of his son, Rishi Sharma passed away. Following this, his wife began raising their son. The widowed Brahmani sustained her son by begging for alms.

Once that Brahmani observed the Sankata Chaturthi fast in the month of Magha. She was a devoted wife who always created an idol of Lord Ganesha using cow dung and worshipped it. O Mother! With the alms she had gathered, she prepared ten Sesame Laddus as per the prescribed method. While she was making preparations for worship, her five-year-old Son tied the idol of Lord Ganesha to a string and wore it around his neck. He then went out to play. Outside, a potter was roaming around and he trapped the Brahmani's son in a deep pit called Awana (आँवाँ) used for baking clay pots, where intense flames burned. He then ignited it with fire.

After some time, of not finding her son at home, the mother became extremely anxious and began searching for him everywhere. Despite searching extensively, there was no information about the child. With a heavy heart, she prayed to Lord Ganesha, saying, "O Remover of Obstacles! O Lord with the Elephant Face! Your radiance is like the redness of the Surya Deva. O Lord Ganesha with beautiful locks of hair, please protect this helpless being. O Guardian of the helpless! O Gajanana! O Four-Armed Lord! O Moon-Crowned One! O Vinayaka! O Granter of Desired Boons! My son is nowhere to be found, and I am tormented by his absence. Please protect my child." The Brahmani prayed like this until midnight. At dawn, the potter, who came to collect his fired clay pots, opened the pit. To his astonishment, he found the pit filled with water up to the thighs, and the child was playing safely, unharmed.

Fear-stricken by this miraculous event, the potter reported the matter to the royal court. He appeared before King Harishchandra and confessed his sin, saying - 'O Majestic King Harishchandra! For the crime I have committed, I deserve to be punished. O Great Monarch! I have repeatedly tried to bake my clay pots in fire for my daughter's wedding, but all my pots remained unfired. Terrified, I consulted a Tantrika to find the reason behind this. The Tantrika secretly advised me to offer the Sacrifice of a child. As I pondered which child to sacrifice, I happened to see this child and, without hesitation, trapped him in the kiln and ignited the fire. Later, as I thought over my actions, I consoled myself, reasoning that Rishi Sharma has passed away, and his wife sustains herself through begging. What difference would the loss of this boy make to her? If I sacrifice her son, my clay pots will surely bake perfectly. In the morning, when I opened the kiln, I saw the child sitting safely and unharmed, and the kiln was filled with water up to his thighs. Witnessing this astonishing event, I was overwhelmed with surprise and came to inform you.'

Listening to the potter's story, the king was astonished and decided to meet the child. Upon seeing the boy safe and sound, the king declared - 'Find out whose child this is. How did the water fill the kiln up to his thighs? How did lotus flowers and sacred Durva grass grow in it? The fire has not harmed the boy, and he does not seem to have experienced hunger or thirst. Instead, he is playing here as if this were his home As the king spoke, the boy's mother arrived, weeping and embracing her son tightly against her heart.'.

King Harishchandra asked the Brahmani - 'What is the reason this child did not get burnt in the fire? Do you possess some kind of divine power or have you performed any extraordinarily virtuous deeds, because of which this child remains unharmed even amidst the fierce flames?'"

Listening to the king's words, the Brahmani replied - 'Your Majesty, I do not possess any divine powers, nor am I knowledgeable about rituals such as chanting, penance, meditation, or charitable acts. I simply observe the Sankata Nashaka Ganesha Chaturthi fast regularly. It is the power of this fast that has kept my son safe and sound.'

Listening to this, the king declared - 'I believe that everyone in my kingdom should observe this Sankatna Nashaka fast।' Circumambulating the Brahmani, he said - 'O virtuous woman, you are truly blessed.' Following this, the king ordered his entire kingdom to observe Lord Ganesha's fast. From that day onwards, people began keeping the Ganesha Chaturthi fast every month. It was the miracle of this fast that the Brahmani was reunited with her son.

Mahatmya

Concluding the story Lord Shri Krishna said - "O Dharmaraja Yudhishthira! You must observe this supreme fast. By the virtue of this fast, all your desires will be fulfilled. You will attain a kingdom that brings happiness to your friends, sons and grandsons. O Dharmaraja! Those who observe this fast will achieve complete success. Listening to this tale from the divine lips of Lord Shri Krishna, Yudhishthira was filled with immense joy and diligently performed the Magha Krishna Ganesha Chaturthi fast. As a result of this fast, Yudhishthira attained the happiness of an everlasting kingdom."