Brihaspati ji said – O Brahma ji! You are extremely intelligent, the best among those who know all the scriptures and the four Vedas. O Lord! Please listen to my words. Why is the fast and celebration of Navratri observed in the Shuklapaksha of Chaitra, Ashwin, Magh and Ashadha months? Oh God ! What is the result of this fast? What is the right way to do it? And who observed this fast first? So tell in detail.
Hearing such a question from Brihaspati ji, Brahma ji started saying, O Brihaspati! You have asked a very good question with the desire to benefit living beings. Blessed are those people who meditate on Durga, Mahadevi, Surya and Narayana who fulfill their desires. This Navratri fast is going to fulfill all the wishes. By doing this, the one who wants a son can get a son, the one who wants wealth can get wealth, the one who wants knowledge can get knowledge and the one who wants happiness can get happiness. By observing this fast, the disease of a sick person gets cured and the person in prison is freed from bondage. All the troubles of a person go away and all the wealth becomes available in his house. By observing this fast of Bandhya and Kaak Bandhya, a son is born. There is no such wish which cannot be fulfilled by observing this fast which removes all sins.
If the fasting person is unable to fast for the whole day, then he should eat food once and on that day listen to the story of Navratri fast along with his relatives. Oh Jupiter! Let me narrate to you the sacred history of the one who first observed this Mahavrat. You listen carefully. In this way, after hearing the words of Brahma Ji, Brihaspati Ji said Om – O Brahmin! The history of this fast which brings welfare to human beings is told to me, I am carefully listening to Om. Have mercy on me who has come to you for refuge. Brahma ji said – There lived a Brahmin named Anath in a beautiful city named Peethat. He was a devotee of Goddess Durga. A very beautiful girl named Sumati was born, having all the virtues as if she was the first creation of Brahma. That girl Sumati, while playing with her friends in her childhood, started growing in the same way as the phase of the moon grows in the Shukla Paksha. His father used to worship Durga and perform Homa every day. At that time she also used to be present there as per the rule. One day that Sumati started playing with her friends and did not attend the worship of Bhagwati. Her father got angry after seeing such carelessness of his daughter and said to his daughter, O wicked daughter! You have not worshiped Goddess Bhagwati since morning, that is why I will marry you to a poor man with leprosy and Jai Mata Di. Sumati felt very sad after hearing the words of her angry father and started saying to her father, O father! I am your daughter. I am subordinate to you in every way, you can marry me as per your wish. Whatever is written in my destiny will happen, I have full faith in it.
A person does not know how many desires he thinks about, but what happens is what the Creator has written in his destiny. Whatever one does, he gets the result according to that action, because doing action is under the control of man. But the result is under the control of God. Just as the straw lying in a fire makes the lamp more luminous, in the same way the Brahmin became more angry after hearing such fearless words spoken by his daughter. Then he married his daughter to a leper and gave ‘Om’ and became extremely angry and said to his daughter, “Go quickly and enjoy the fruits of your deeds.” See what she does by relying only on luck?
Hearing her father’s harsh words spoken in such a way, Sumati started thinking in her mind, Oh! It is my great misfortune that I got such a husband. Thinking about her sorrow in this way, Sumati went to the forest with her husband and spent that night in great pain at that place full of Kusha in the terrible forest. Seeing such condition of that poor girl, Bhagwati appeared under the influence of her previous virtue and started saying to Sumati, O Brahmin! I am happy with you, you can ask for whatever boon you want. I am going to give the desired results when I am happy. In this way, after hearing the words of Goddess Durga, the Brahmin started saying that who are you that you are pleased with me, you said all this for me and please please me the maid with your kindness. Hearing such words from the brahmin, the goddess started saying that I am the original power and I am Brahma, Vidya and Saraswati. When I am happy, I remove the suffering of living beings and provide them happiness. Hey Brahmin! I am pleased with the effect of your virtue of your previous birth on you.
Listen, let me tell you the story of your previous birth! In your previous birth, you were a wife of Nishad (Bhil) and were very devoted to your husband. One day, because your husband Nishad had committed theft, both of you were caught by the soldiers and taken to jail. They did not even give food to you and your husband. Thus, during the days of Navratri, you neither ate anything nor drank water. Therefore, Navratri fast was observed for nine days. Hey Brahmin! Pleased with the effect of the fast observed in those days, I am giving you the desired thing. Om, whatever you wish, ask for it. Hearing the words of Durga, the Brahmin said, O Durga, if you are happy with me! I salute you. Please cure the leprosy of your dead husband. The goddess said, offer the virtue of one day of the fast that you had observed during those days to get rid of leprosy from your husband and with my influence, your husband will become free from leprosy and will have a body like gold. Brahma ji said, after hearing the words of the goddess, the Brahmin woman became very happy and agreed with her wish to cure her husband. Said like this. By then, by the grace of Goddess Durga, her husband’s body was cured of leprosy and became extremely radiant whose radiance
Even the brightness of the moon diminishes in front of it. Seeing the beautiful body of her Brahmin husband, she started praising the goddess considering her to be very powerful and saying, O Durga! You are the one who removes the troubles of the three worlds, the one who removes all the sorrows, the one who cures the sick person, the one who gives the desired thing when happy and the one who destroys the evil person. You are the mother and father of the entire world. Hey Ambe! My father, who was innocent and innocent, married me with leprosy and threw me out of the house. I, taken out by him, started roaming on the earth. You are the one who has saved me from this sea of objections. Oh goddess! I salute you. Protect me poor. Lord Brahma said, O Jupiter! Similarly, Sumati praised the Goddess a lot from her heart. Hearing her praise, the Goddess was very satisfied and started saying to the Brahmin, O Brahmin! You will soon have a very intelligent, wealthy, famous and intelligent son named Udayal. Saying this, the goddess again said to the Brahmin, O Brahmin, whatever is your wish, you can ask for the desired thing. Hearing such words of Bhagwati Durga, Sumati said, O Bhagwati Durga! If you are happy with me then please tell me the Navratri method. Oh Dayavati! Describe for me in detail the method by which Navratri fast makes you happy and its results. Thus, after hearing the words of Brahmini, Durga started saying, O Brahmini! Let me tell you the Navratri fasting method which removes all the sins.
By listening to which one gets liberated from all sins and attains salvation. Fast for nine days starting from Pratipada of Shukla Paksha of Ashwin month. If you cannot fast for the whole day, then eat one meal. Ask educated Brahmins to establish a Ghat and make a garden and irrigate it with water every day. Make idols of Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati and worship them with daily rituals and offer Arghya with flowers as per the rituals. By offering Arghya from Bijora flower, one attains beauty. The work is accomplished with the help of nutmeg and kirti grapes. Amla brings happiness and banana brings jewellery. In this way, after seeing Arghya with fruits, perform Havan as per the prescribed procedure. Perform Havan with sugar, ghee, wheat, honey, barley, sesame, rice, coconut, grapes and Kadamba. By performing wheat homa one attains Lakshmi, by offering kheer and champa flowers one attains wealth and from leaves, one attains glory and happiness. You get fame from gooseberry and a son from banana. Lotus brings royal honor and sorrow and brings happiness and wealth. The person observing the fast should perform the Homa with utmost humility and pay obeisance to the Acharya and give him Dakshina for the completion of the Yagya. Whoever observes this Mahavrat according to the method mentioned earlier, all his wishes are fulfilled. There is no doubt in this that whatever charity etc. is given during these nine days, it gets millions of fold results. The results of Ashwamedha Yagya are achieved only by fasting on this Navratri. Hey Brahmin! This best fast which fulfills all the wishes should be observed as per the rituals in the pilgrimage temple or at home. Lord Brahma said, O Jupiter! In this way, after telling the method and results of the fast to the Brahmin, the goddess disappeared. The man or woman who observes this fast with devotion attains happiness in this world and ultimately attains the rare salvation. It’s Jupiter! I have explained the importance of this rare fast for you. Hearing such words of Brahma ji, Brihaspati ji became thrilled with joy and started saying to Brahma ji – O Brahma ji! You were very kind to me and told me the importance of this Navratri fast like nectar. Oh, Lord! Who else can narrate this greatness without you? Hearing such words of Brihaspati ji, Brahma ji said, O Brihaspati, you have asked for this supernatural fast which is beneficial for all living beings, hence you are blessed. This Bhagwati Shakti is going to follow the entire worlds, who can know the influence of this Mahadevi.
