सनातन पुस्तकालय Sanatan Cultural Library

The Pradosh vrat is kept twice every month — on the Trayodashi (thirteenth lunar day) of both the dark and the bright fortnight. 'Pradosh' is the evening hour when the sun is setting and night is about to begin. It is believed that at this time Lord Shiva dances in joy on Mount Kailash while all the gods sing his praises. It is also said that when Mahadev drank the poison that rose from the churning of the ocean and so protected creation, it was in this very twilight that the gods glorified him. The vrat is kept on the day when Trayodashi falls in pradosh kaal. Check the exact pradosh time for your city in the panchang. On the day of the vrat, bathe in the morning and make the sankalpa while remembering Lord Shiva. Fast through the day, or take fruit and milk according to your capacity; avoid grain and salt. A little before sunset, bathe again and put on clean clothes, white if possible. Purify the place of worship with Ganga water, make a small mandap or square with cow-dung or rice flour, and sit facing north or east. In pradosh kaal, bathe the Shivling with water, milk, curd, honey, ghee, sugar and Ganga water. Then offer sandalwood, unbroken rice, bel leaves, dhatura, aak and white flowers; offer the articles of suhag to Mother Parvati; light incense and a lamp, and offer sweets or fruit. Chant the mantra 'Om Namah Shivaya'. After this, hear or recite with faith first the main Pradosh katha and then the katha of the weekday on which the Pradosh falls. Finally perform Shiva's aarti and distribute prasad. Most people break the fast after the puja with fruit or simple sattvic food; in some families it is broken the next morning. Those who cannot keep the vrat throughout the year keep the Pradosh of a particular weekday — for example Shani Pradosh for children, or Som Pradosh for freedom from illness — eleven or twenty-six times, and then perform the udyapan.

In ancient times a poor brahmin woman lived in a certain town. Her husband had died, and no one was left in the house to earn a living. She had a small son named Shuchivrata. To feed herself and the child she went out every morning with her son to beg alms, and in the evening returned home content with whatever she had received. Even in such poverty she never gave up her devotion to Lord Shiva. One day, returning from her rounds, she saw on the riverbank an exceedingly handsome boy sitting alone, hungry and frightened. His face bore a royal radiance, but his body was covered with dust and his eyes were full of tears. The brahmin woman lovingly asked who he was. He was Dharmagupta, son of King Satyaratha of the land of Vidarbha. Enemies had attacked, killed his father in battle and seized the kingdom. His mother, hiding from the enemy, had wandered into the forest and, going down to the river to quench her thirst, had been seized by a crocodile. And so the little prince had been left utterly alone in the world. Hearing the boy's story, the brahmin woman's heart filled with compassion. She thought: "God gave me one son; today he has given me another." She brought Dharmagupta home and began to raise him as her own son. Now she took both boys with her when she begged, and the three of them shared whatever they received. Some time later the brahmin woman went with both boys to a temple where the sage Shandilya was staying. She bowed to the sage and told him her sorrowful story. The sage looked at the prince in meditation and said: "This is the prince of Vidarbha. In a former life his father put other affairs before the worship of Lord Shiva at the time of pradosh; that is the fruit which he and this boy have had to suffer in this life. Now, if the three of you keep the Pradosh vrat with faith, all your sorrows will be removed by Lord Shankar's grace." The sage also explained to them the full method of the Pradosh vrat. From that day the brahmin woman and both boys kept the Pradosh vrat faithfully on every Trayodashi. In the evening they worshipped the Shivling, heard the katha and chanted 'Om Namah Shivaya'. Only a few days later, the two boys went to bathe in the river. While they were playing there, the brahmin's son Shuchivrata found in the earth of the riverbank a pot full of gold coins. He brought it home in delight. The brahmin woman understood that this was the first fruit of the Pradosh vrat. She divided the wealth equally between the two boys and gave thanks to Lord Shiva.

Time passed, and both boys grew into young men. One day, wandering, they went far into the forest. There, on the bank of a beautiful lake, some gandharva maidens were at play. The brahmin's son hesitated and stayed at a distance, but Prince Dharmagupta went forward. Among the maidens was an exceedingly lovely gandharva princess named Anshumati. The moment she saw the prince she was captivated. She sent her companions a little way off and began to speak with him. Anshumati asked who he was. Dharmagupta told her that he was the prince of Vidarbha — how his father had been killed and his kingdom taken, and how a brahmin woman had raised him like a mother. Moved by the prince's character and speech, Anshumati said: "I am Anshumati, daughter of the king of the gandharvas. My heart has already accepted you as my husband. Come again to this very place the day after tomorrow; I will speak to my parents." Saying this, she gave the prince the pearl necklace from her own neck and went away with her companions. Returning home, Dharmagupta told everything to the brahmin woman and to his brother. The brahmin woman said: "Son, all this is Lord Shiva's play. Be sure to go there on the appointed day." On the third day, when the prince reached the lake, Anshumati was there with her father, the gandharva king. The gandharva king welcomed the prince and said: "Prince, I went to Kailash for the darshan of Lord Shankar. There Mahadev himself told me: 'Dharmagupta, the prince of Vidarbha, is suffering without a kingdom. He is my devotee; give your daughter to him in marriage and help him.' So, at the Lord's command, I entrust my daughter Anshumati to you." Dharmagupta and Anshumati were married with great celebration. As dowry, the gandharva king gave not only immense wealth but also a vast and mighty gandharva army. With that army Dharmagupta marched on Vidarbha, defeated in battle the enemies who had killed his father, and won back his ancestral kingdom. The people of Vidarbha were overjoyed to have the son of their old king once more. As soon as he became king, Dharmagupta's first act was to invite with honour to the palace the brahmin woman who had mothered him in the hard days. He gave her the place of queen mother, and accepting her son Shuchivrata as his own brother, he made him chief minister of the kingdom. They all lived happily. One day Queen Anshumati asked: "Maharaj, after such misfortune, how did you gain all this?" Dharmagupta said: "All this is the glory of the Pradosh vrat. We worshipped Lord Shiva at pradosh with faith; by that the poor brahmin woman received wealth, her son received honour, and I received a wife, an army and my lost kingdom." From that time this vrat spread throughout the world. (In tradition this main katha is read especially on Som Pradosh; many families also read it as the katha of Shani Pradosh.)

In a village there lived a poor brahmin with his wife and son. With great difficulty they managed two meals a day. The brahmin's wife was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and kept the Pradosh vrat faithfully. One day their son left home to bathe in the Ganga. On the way some thieves surrounded him and asked threateningly: "Tell us, where has your father hidden his money in the house?" The boy replied simply: "Brothers, we are very poor. There is no money in our house." Pointing at his bundle, the thieves asked: "Then what is in this?" The boy said: "Rotis my mother made." The thieves opened the bundle and found nothing but dry rotis. Seeing his honesty and poverty, they took pity on him and let him go. Walking on, the boy reached a town. Tired, he lay down in the shade of a banyan tree outside the town and fell asleep. At that time there had been thefts in that town, and the king's soldiers were searching for the thieves. They saw the unknown boy sleeping under the tree, took him for the thief, seized him and brought him before the king. The boy pleaded again and again that he was innocent, but no one listened, and the king had him thrown into prison. Meanwhile, the brahmin woman was frantic because her son had not returned. The next day was Pradosh. She kept the fast with complete faith and in the evening prayed before Shiva in tears: "O Bholenath, wherever my son is, protect him." Lord Shiva heard her cry. That very night he appeared to the king in a dream and said: "O king, the boy you have imprisoned is not a thief; he is an innocent brahmin's son. Release him at dawn, or your kingdom and splendour will be destroyed." At daybreak the king sent for the boy and questioned him. The boy told his whole story truthfully. The king at once summoned his parents to the court. They came in fear, but the king seated them with respect and told them of his dream. Then, asking their forgiveness, the king gave the brahmin family five villages, which ended all their poverty, and they lived happily ever after. Thus by keeping the Ravi Pradosh vrat the brahmin woman's son was saved from danger and the family gained wealth and honour. Keeping the Pradosh that falls on a Sunday brings long life, good health, happiness and prosperity.

Monday is dear to Lord Shiva, and 'Soma' is a name of the Moon. So the Pradosh that falls on a Monday is called Som Pradosh, and this story of the Moon god is linked with it. (In many families the main katha above — the brahmin widow and Prince Dharmagupta — is itself read on Som Pradosh; reading both is also excellent.) Prajapati Daksha had twenty-seven daughters, who are the twenty-seven nakshatras of the sky. Daksha gave them all in marriage to Chandradev, the Moon. Of them all the Moon loved Rohini most. He spent most of his time with Rohini and neglected his other wives. Grieved, the other twenty-six sisters went to their father Daksha and told him of their pain. Daksha called the Moon and advised him to treat all his wives equally. The Moon gave his word but did not change his ways. When his daughters complained a second time, Daksha in anger cursed the Moon: "May you be struck by a wasting disease and lose your radiance." By the force of the curse the Moon began to waste away day by day. His cool light diminished, and with it the healing herbs and plants of the earth began to wither. A cry of distress rose throughout the world. The sorrowing Moon went with the gods to Brahma. Brahma said: "Only Lord Shiva can free you from this curse. Go to Prabhas, establish a Shivling and worship the Lord who conquers death." At Prabhas the Moon installed a Shivling, performed severe austerities for a long time and chanted the Mahamrityunjaya mantra. Pleased with the Moon's devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in the twilight of pradosh and said: "Chandra, Daksha's curse cannot be wholly undone, but I save you from death. In one fortnight your digits will wane, and in the other they will grow again." More than that, Mahadev placed one digit of the Moon upon his own head. From then on Lord Shiva has been called 'Chandrashekhar' and 'Somnath', and the Shivling established at Prabhas became famous as the Somnath Jyotirlinga. Just as Lord Shiva removed the Moon's wasting illness and gave him new life, so the one who keeps the Som Pradosh vrat is freed from illness, mental unrest and fear, and his heart's wishes are fulfilled.

In a certain town there lived an old woman. She had only one son, named Mangaliya. The old woman was a devoted worshipper of Hanuman ji and faithfully kept a fast and worshipped him every Tuesday. On Tuesdays she neither plastered her floor nor dug the earth, for that was her rule. One Tuesday Hanuman ji decided to test her. Taking the form of a holy man, he came to her door and called out: "Is there a devotee of Hanuman here who will fulfil my wish?" The old woman came out and said with folded hands: "Maharaj, command me." The holy man said: "I am hungry and will cook my own food. Plaster a little piece of ground for me." The old woman was caught in a dilemma of dharma and said: "Maharaj, on Tuesday I do not plaster the ground or dig earth. Anything else you ask, I will surely do." The holy man made her promise three times that she would do as he said. Then he said: "Then call your son. I will lay him face down, light a fire on his back and cook my food on it." Hearing this, the ground seemed to slip from under the old woman's feet. But she had given her word. With a trembling heart and complete trust in God, she called Mangaliya and handed him to the holy man. The holy man laid the boy face down, lit a fire on his back and cooked the food. Full of grief, the old woman went inside the house and kept remembering Hanuman ji. When the food was ready, the holy man called the old woman and said: "Now call your son, so that he too may come and eat." The old woman burst into tears: "Maharaj, do not pain my heart further by making me speak his name." But when the holy man insisted again and again, she called out, weeping: "Mangaliya!" At that very moment Mangaliya came running, laughing and perfectly well, and threw his arms around his mother. There was not even a mark of injury anywhere on his body. Amazed, the old woman fell at the holy man's feet. Then Hanuman ji appeared in his true form and said: "Mother, this was a test of your devotion and of your keeping your word, and you passed it completely." He blessed the old woman with happiness and prosperity and vanished. The Pradosh that falls on a Tuesday is called Bhaum Pradosh. Worshipping Lord Shiva together with Hanuman ji, who is a part of Shiva, and hearing this katha on that day brings freedom from illness, debt and fear and protects the family.

A man had recently been married. After the wedding his wife had gone to her parents' home for a while. Some days later the man arrived at his in-laws' house to bring his wife back. The day on which he wanted to return with her was a Wednesday. His parents-in-law advised him: "Son, in our family we do not send a daughter away on a Wednesday. Stay today and leave tomorrow." But the man listened to no one and, insisting, set out that same day with his wife in a bullock cart. When they had gone some distance from the town, the wife grew very thirsty. The man took a lota and went to fetch water, while his wife sat in the shade of a tree and waited. A little later, when he returned with the water, he saw his wife drinking water from a lota brought by another man and laughing and chatting with him. Most astonishing of all, that other man's looks, build and clothes were exactly the same as his own. Seeing this, he was filled with anger and began to quarrel with the stranger: "Who are you, sitting beside my wife?" The other said the very same thing: "She is my wife — who are you?" The dispute grew between them. Hearing the noise a crowd gathered, and soldiers of the kingdom arrived too. The soldiers asked the woman: "Tell us, which of these two is your husband?" But the two were exactly alike; the poor woman could not decide at all and began to weep. Then the man understood that all this was the result of his own mistake. Silently he prayed to Lord Shiva: "O Bholenath, I made a great mistake in not heeding my elders and insisting on bringing my wife away on a Wednesday. Forgive me and save me from this trouble. I promise I will not make such a mistake again, and I will keep the Budh Pradosh vrat with faith." The moment his sincere prayer was heard, the other man suddenly vanished from that place. Everyone was astonished. Husband and wife thanked Lord Shiva and reached home safely. From that day both of them faithfully kept the Budh Pradosh vrat, and their life was filled with happiness. Keeping the Pradosh that falls on a Wednesday purifies the intellect, removes the fault of mistakes made unknowingly, and fulfils every wish.

Once a terrible war broke out between the gods and the asuras. Led by Indra, king of the gods, the gods defeated the asura army and put it to flight. Seeing his army's plight, Vritrasur, the mighty commander of the asuras, was filled with rage. By his magic he made his body so huge that his head touched the sky. Terrified by his dreadful form and his blows, the gods began to flee, and together they took refuge with Brihaspati, the guru of the gods. Brihaspati said to Indra: "King of the gods, first learn who Vritrasur really is; only then will you understand how to conquer him. In his former birth Vritrasur was a glorious king named Chitraratha. He was a great ascetic and a devotee of Shiva. Once he went in his celestial chariot to Mount Kailash. There he saw Mother Parvati seated at Lord Shiva's left side. Seeing this, he mocked: 'We ordinary men are caught in illusion and attachment — but even the Lord of the world sits in open assembly with a woman beside him!' Hearing these insulting words of Chitraratha, Mother Parvati grew angry and cursed him: 'Wicked one! You have mocked the father and mother of the world. Go — you shall be born as a demon.' Lord Shiva said: 'This is only the fruit of his own deeds.' Because of that curse, Chitraratha was born as Vritrasur through the austerities of the sage Tvashta. But, king of the gods, Vritrasur has been a devotee of Shiva since childhood, and the strength of his former austerities is still with him. So it is impossible to conquer him by ordinary means. Keep the Pradosh vrat of Thursday with faith and please Lord Shankar. Only by his grace will you gain victory." Obeying the guru of the gods, Indra kept the Guru Pradosh vrat with full rites and worshipped Lord Shiva at dusk. By Lord Shiva's grace new strength and courage entered the gods. Battle was joined again, and this time Indra defeated Vritrasur. Peace was restored once more in the world of the gods. Keeping the Pradosh that falls on a Thursday brings victory over enemies, the blessings of one's guru and elders, and the removal of obstacles in one's undertakings.

In ancient times three close friends lived in a certain town — a prince, a brahmin's son and a merchant's son. All three were married. The wives of the prince and the brahmin's son had already come to their husbands' homes, but the merchant's son's gauna — the bride's formal coming to her husband's home — had not yet taken place, so his wife was still at her parents' house. One day the three friends sat talking about their wives. The brahmin's son said: "A house without its lady, its griha-lakshmi, feels empty — like a haunt of ghosts." These words took root in the merchant's son's mind, and he decided then and there that he would go at once to fetch his wife. Going home, he told his parents of his decision. They advised him: "Son, Venus (Shukra) is set these days. Bringing a bride home while Shukra is set is not considered auspicious. Wait a little." But he would not listen and went to his in-laws' house. There too his parents-in-law tried hard to dissuade him, but they had to give way before his insistence and sent their daughter with him. Husband and wife had gone only a little way from the town in their bullock cart when a wheel of the cart broke and one of the bullocks hurt its leg. The wife too was injured. Somehow they went on, but on the way bandits surrounded them and robbed them of all their money and belongings. When at last they reached home, a snake bit the merchant's son. Physicians were called; after examining him they said he would not live more than three days. When the brahmin's son heard the news, he came to see his friend and said to the merchant: "Seth ji, all this trouble has come because the bride was brought home while Shukra was set. Take him at once with his wife back to her parents' home, and keep Lord Shiva's Shukra Pradosh vrat. He will surely be saved." The merchant did exactly that. The son and daughter-in-law were sent to her parents' home, and at home the Shukra Pradosh vrat and Shiva puja were performed with faith. As soon as the merchant's son reached his in-laws' house his condition began to improve, and within a few days he was completely well. Later, when an auspicious muhurat came, he brought his wife home with proper rites, and the two lived happily. Keeping the Pradosh that falls on a Friday increases good fortune, marital happiness, wealth and plenty, and removes the troubles of life.

In ancient times there lived in a certain town a very wealthy merchant. He was kind, charitable and righteous; no one ever left his door empty-handed. There was no lack of wealth or grain in the house, yet the merchant and his wife were always sad, because even after many years of marriage they had no child. After much thought, the two decided to entrust their business to faithful servants and go on a pilgrimage. Choosing an auspicious day, they set out. They had gone only a little way from the town when they saw a radiant holy man sitting absorbed in meditation beneath a huge tree. The merchant and his wife thought they should receive this great soul's blessing before beginning their journey. They sat before the holy man with folded hands and waited for him to come out of his meditation. Morning turned to evening, but the two sat on patiently. At dusk, when the holy man opened his eyes, he smiled and said: "I know the sorrow in your hearts. You long for a child. Both of you keep the Shani Pradosh vrat with faith — fast on the Trayodashi that falls on a Saturday and worship Lord Shiva at dusk. Lord Shankar will surely fulfil your wish." The holy man explained the full method of the vrat and also taught them a hymn of praise to Lord Shiva. With the holy man's blessing the merchant and his wife went on their pilgrimage, and on their return they began to keep the Shani Pradosh vrat with complete faith. Some time later, by Lord Shiva's grace, the merchant's wife conceived, and in due time she gave birth to a beautiful, radiant son. Songs of rejoicing rang through the merchant's house, and the empty lap was filled. The Pradosh that falls on a Saturday is kept especially for the blessing of children and for their protection. It also pacifies the afflictions of Shani and removes the hardships of life. (In some tellings — many families read the main katha of the brahmin widow and Prince Dharmagupta on Shani Pradosh.)

The glory of the Pradosh vrat is boundless. The devotee who fasts with restraint on Trayodashi, worships Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati in pradosh kaal, and hears or tells this katha with faith, is freed from sorrow, poverty and fear. The weekday on which the Pradosh falls brings its own special fruit — Ravi Pradosh gives long life and health; Som Pradosh, the fulfilment of wishes and peace of mind; Bhaum Pradosh, freedom from illness and debt; Budh Pradosh, wisdom and the fulfilment of desires; Guru Pradosh, victory over enemies; Shukra Pradosh, good fortune and prosperity; and Shani Pradosh, the joy of children. Just as Lord Shankar gave wealth to the poor brahmin woman, a kingdom to the orphaned prince, new life to the Moon and victory to Indra, so may he bless all devotees who keep this vrat, who tell this katha and who hear it. Jai Umapati Mahadev! Har Har Mahadev! Om Namah Shivaya!