प्रदोष व्रत कथा

How the fast is kept
On the morning of trayodashi, bathe, think of Shiv ji and take the vow of the fast. During the day, eat fruit or one simple meal, as your health allows.
In the evening around sunset, the pradosh kaal, wash your hands and feet and put on clean clothes.
Offer water, milk or panchamrit on the Shivling. Offer bel leaves, flowers, sandal paste and dhatura, and light a ghee lamp.
Chant “Om Namah Shivaya”, read or listen to this story with a calm mind, then do the aarti and share the prasad.

The story
Long ago, a good king named Satyarath ruled the land of Vidarbha. One day the kings of Shalva attacked Vidarbha. King Satyarath did not survive the war, and the enemies took over the kingdom. The queen was expecting a baby at that time. Somehow she left the city in the dark of night and walked on until she reached the bank of a lake. There, in the shade of a tree, she gave birth to a beautiful son. Feeling thirsty, she stepped into the lake to drink water, but she never came back. The little baby was left alone on the bank.

Just then a poor Brahmin woman named Uma passed by. Her husband had passed away, and she lived by begging, carrying her one-year-old son with her. Seeing the baby crying all alone, her heart melted. As she wondered whose child it was, a sanyasi came there. It is said that he was Shiv ji himself. He said, “Mother, do not hesitate. Raise this child like your own son.” Saying this, he went away.

The Brahmin woman took the baby home. She had named her own son Shuchivrat, and she named this child Dharmagupt. She raised both of them on what she got by begging. The two boys grew up together like brothers.

Some years later, she took both boys to a Shiv temple. There they met the sage Shandilya. With his wisdom the sage told her, “This boy is the son of Satyarath, the king of Vidarbha. His enemies have taken his kingdom.” The Brahmin woman folded her hands and asked, “Maharaj, how will these children find their way?”

The sage said, “On every trayodashi, in the pradosh kaal, that is in the evening, worship Shiv ji with faith. One who is poor may worship as much as they can. Shiv ji is pleased even by one flower offered with a true heart.” Then the sage taught both boys how to do the puja and gave them Shiv ji’s mantra.

The two boys began to worship Shiv ji on every Pradosh, the way the sage had taught them. Four months went by. One day Shuchivrat went alone to bathe in the river. The flowing water had cut away the earth of the bank, and in it a pot full of treasure was shining. He carried it home on his head and said, “Mother, look, Shiv ji has blessed us!”

Happy, the mother called Dharmagupt too and said, “Sons, share this treasure equally between you.” But Dharmagupt said, “Mother, this came to my brother through his own good deeds. It is his by right. Shiv ji will be kind to me too.” The two brothers went on worshipping with the same love, and a year passed.

One day in spring, the two brothers wandered far into a forest. Many Gandharva maidens were playing there. Shuchivrat stopped some distance away, and Dharmagupt went ahead. Among the maidens was Anshumati, the daughter of the Gandharva king. She welcomed Dharmagupt with respect and asked who he was. Dharmagupt told her the truth, that he was the prince of Vidarbha whose kingdom had been taken by enemies.

Anshumati had been drawn to him from the moment she saw him, and she wished to marry him. Dharmagupt said, “I am only a poor prince who has lost his kingdom. And you have a father; you should follow his wishes.” Anshumati smiled and said, “All right. Come back here the morning after tomorrow.”

When Dharmagupt came there with Shuchivrat on that day, the Gandharva king was waiting with his daughter. He seated them with respect and said, “Yesterday I went to Kailash. There Shiv ji told me that on the earth there is a prince named Dharmagupt who follows his guru’s word and always worships him. He asked me to help this prince get his kingdom back. Taking this as Shiv ji’s wish, I give you my daughter Anshumati in marriage.”

The Gandharva king held a grand wedding, gave many gifts, and sent his army along to help Dharmagupt. With the help of the Gandharvas, Dharmagupt took Vidarbha back from his enemies. The ministers and Brahmins crowned him king.

Even as king, Dharmagupt did not forget his childhood. He always honoured Uma as his mother, and he treated Shuchivrat as his brother and made him his chief minister. Dharmagupt and Anshumati ruled with dharma and remained devotees of Shiv ji all their lives.

This story teaches kindness and contentment. The Brahmin woman took in a child who had no one, and Dharmagupt did not wish for his brother’s treasure.
May Shiv ji keep kindness, contentment and peace in every heart.
Bolo Umapati Mahadev ki Jai! Har Har Mahadev!