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SHRI
SATYANARAYANA KATHA
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INTRODUCTION
Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (Ch4.9) " Janma Karmacha may divyam yevam yo veththi tha-thwathah...." " Onewho knows My divine birth and activities will not be bornagain". Sri Sathyanarayana katha is one such activity of theLord, by studying which we have every chance of being liberated.Sri Sathyanarayana katha forms a vital and integral part of thispooja. Not listening to the katha will be a major loss.Repeatedly hearing this story and meditating on its differentaspects will make us more and more interested in the Lord and Hisactivities. As the Lord Himself says further in Gita (Ch9.14)"Sathatham keerthayantho maam yathanthascha dradhavrathaah:"The mahaatmaas among devotees, always speak and sing Myglories, and try with determination, to realize Me"
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
CHAPTER I
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
Shri Sathyanaranayana katha is from Skandha purana, Revakaanda. Sutha Puraanikji was the narrator of these stories, inNeimishaaranya to the rishis lead by Shounakji who wereperforming a 1000 year yajna for the benefit of mankind.
Shounakaji and others now ask Suta Puranikji an importantquestion. "When a man has a desire, how can he fulfill thatethically sound desire? By worshipping whom, by what vrita, ortapas? Please let us know.
Sutaji was pleased to know that this question they asked, wasfor the benefit of the mankind and not for their personalbenefit, for, they had abandoned their homes and all desires.Sutaji said " this question was also asked by DevarshiNaradaji once to Lord Narayana Himself; Let me tell you thatstory.
Once Naradaji was traveling all over the worlds and finallycame to Bhuloka, where he found almost everyone was suffering oneor the other misery on account of their past Karmas and were notknowing how to extricate themselves from their untold miserieswhich were multiplying everyday on account of their ignorance.Being a Satjana his heart felt their agonies and immediately hereached Vaikunta, to Lord Narayana to find the right answer forgetting the people out of their miseries. But when he sees theLord, being a great devotee of the Lord, he forgets his purposeand starts praising the Lord. The Lord Narayana smiles at him andasks the purpose of his visit, knowing that normally Naradajidoes not visit Him without a purpose. Naradaji tells Him what hesaw and requests Him a panacea for all such miseries. The Lord isnow happy at this question of Naradaji because of Naradaji’sintention of benefiting the world by seeking the right answer.The Lord said:
Yes, there is a vrita called Sri Satyanarayana vrita which isnot known to the inhabitants of the Bhuloka. This is a secret andyet since your interest is the benefit of the mankind, I shallnarrate to you this vrita. This can be performed by anyone(anyone means it does not need an expert or a priest to worshipthe Lord - ANYONE of any caste, community, creed can worship theLord directly) and very easily. One who does this, will get allthe benefits and the pleasures of this world and will eventuallyget Moksha too. Now Narada wants to know more details of thisvrita. The Lord says, this can be done any day, in the evening.Gather friends and relatives and perform this vrita with faithand devotion. The prasad for this vrita is known as Sapaad whichis prepared thus: Take an equal measure of rava, Milk, Ghee,Banana, Sugar ( the measure should be 1 1/4 or multiples thereof) cook it till all mix into a paste. The night should be spent inBhajans and praise of the Lord. All those attending Pooja shouldbe given food and respect. Thus the performer will get all hiswishes fulfilled.
End of Chapter 1
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
CHAPTER II
Sri Lord Narayana tells Narada the further story:
There was an old and poor Brahmin in the city of Kashi. He wasa man of virtue and yet extremely poor and was always begging forthe next meal. Since the Lord is Viprapriya- (Brahmana priyameans Lover of Brahmana- Brahmana means anyone on the devotionalpath ) - He came in the guise of an old Brahmin and accosted him" Tell me my friend, what ails you?". The brahminreplied "I am an old and very poor man and I shall begrateful if you can tell me how to get rid of this poverty ofmine which does not seem to leave me". The Lord replied"Why don’t you perform Sri Satyanarayana Vrita",and He told him how to perform the Vrita.
The poor man now desires to do this vrita and thinking overthese thoughts of the Lord he goes to bed. He could not sleep onaccount of these thoughts. Again in the morning he had samethoughts and he says to himself, "whatever I earn today bybegging I shall use it to perform the vrita". Since the Lordlikes such feelings, (Bhavena Devam - Lord does not want ourmaterial possessions, he is won by the genuineness of ourfeelings) that day, he got plenty of money while begging and thuspleased, he took the necessary articles and performed the vrita.
Very soon he became rich and had all the things of the worldand thereafter he started performing the vrita every month andthus he enjoyed all the pleasures of the world and finallyreached the Moksha too.
Now Shaunakji and other rishis want to know how this vritaspread in the world. Also those who have heard the story, whatbenefits they got. Sutaji replies:
Once when this brahmin was performing the Sri SatyanarayanaPooja there came to his house a woodcutter. He saw the pooja andwanted to know what it is and what are its fruits. The brahminsaid, "This is Sri Satyanarayana Pooja. Whatever desires youhave in your mind will be fulfilled by performing this vrita. Myown poverty and troubles all ended by my very decision to performthis vrita". On hearing this, the woodcutter prostrates tothe Lord, takes prasad, and decides to perform this pooja nextday. He thought in his mind, "Whatever amount I get from thesale of the wood tomorrow, I will use it for the performance ofthe vrita." That day he sold the wood for twice the price.Happily thinking of the Lord Satyanarayana he proceeds to do thispooja, inviting his friends and relatives. Thus performingregularly he became rich and happy and finally reached Satyaloka.
End of Chapter II
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
CHAPTER III
Suta Puranikji continues the story:
Once there was a good king called Ulkamukha. He was wedded totruth and sense- control. Everyday he used to go to the temple,worship the Lord, distribute alms to the needy. Once he wasperforming Sri Satyanarayana Vrita on the banks of a river. Atthat time there came a merchant in a ship loaded with preciousgoods. He approached the king and wanted to know the details ofthe pooja and also its fruits. The king said, "My friend,what we are doing is a vrita called Sri Satyanarayana Pooja. Thisis done with a desire to have progeny, wealth, property, etc. Bythis, we are worshipping Lord Narayana or Mahavishnu".
The merchant said, "Please tell me the details as to howto perform this vrita, because I would like to have children whomI have not been fortunate to have till now." The king tellshim the details of the vrita and the merchant returns home. Hetells the details to his wife and they decide to perform thisvrita if they get a child. Sometime later his wife Lilavathibecame pregnant and delivered a girl who was named Kalavathi.Lilavathi reminded her husband about the vrita and he keptpostponing it, till his daughter grew of age and was ready to bemarried. The father finds a suitable groom and marries her offand again forgot to perform the vrita although he had decided todo so at the time of marriage of his daughtier. The Lord nowwanted to remind him.
The merchant and his son-in-law were in a city calledRatnasara where king Chandrakethu was ruling. There was a theftat the palace and the burglars were chased by the police. Therunning burglar saw these two merchants resting near a tree andthey left the booty with them and ran off. The police caught thetwo merchants with the stolen goods and they were straight awaysent to the prison. The king himself overlooked to investigate.It is this time the merchant suddenly realized that this was allon account of his forgetting the promise to the Lord. At aboutthis time, back home both Lilavathi and her daughter Kalavathilost all their belongings due to thefts at home and were renderedbeggars. During one such wandering trying to find some foodKalavathi sees Sri Satyanarayana Pooja being performed at onehouse. She goes in, hears the story and details and returns totell her mother what had taken place. Lilavathi now knows that itis their forgetting to do the Pooja that had created all theseproblems. Next day she calls her relatives and friends andperforms the Pooja, begs for forgiveness. Accordingly, the kinghad a dream that the merchants were innocent and he releases themon inquiry and gives them lot wealth.
End of Chapter III
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
CHAPTER IV
Suta Puranik continues the story:
Thus released from the custody the merchants were returninghome. They reached the outskirts of their town in their ship. TheLord in order to test them again comes in the form of an oldSanyasi and inquires as to what the load in the ship is. Themerchant bluffs and says that it contains dried leaves. Thesanyasi says "Tathasthu". When the merchant returns tothe ship he finds that it does contain now dried leaves only. Heswoons and when he regains his consciousness he realizes thatthese are doings of the Sanyasi whom he had cursorily dismissedearlier. He seeks him out and begs for forgiveness. Theever-merciful Lord again forgives him. Now that the merchant wasnear the town, he sends a messenger in advance to Lilavathi tolet her know that they are on their way home. Lilavathi. tellsher daughter to complete the Satyanarayana poola they wereperforming and goes ahead to meet her husband. Kalavathi does thepooja, but in a hurry to meet her husband, she neglects to takethe prasad; and when she nears the anchorage, she does not findthe ship nor her husband! It looked to her that they bothsank/drowned. She swoons and now she decides to die.
The merchant thinks that this must be on account of some faulton their part in ignoring the Lord and then and there he decidesto do the pooja as a part of expiation from his side for mistakesof omission or commission. The Lord now pleased makes him realizethat it is the daughter’s oversight in not accepting theprasad that has created this problem and now if she goes andtakes the prasad, everything would be all right.
Kalavathi returned to the altar and took prasad with all faithand reverence. And her husband returned and from then onwards,they all performed Sri Sathyanarayana Pooja regularly till theend of their life and finally after death, they reachedSatyaloka.
End of Chapter IV
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
CHAPTER V
{ 5th chapter is important to us as we too tend to behave likethe King in this story, in respect of other peoples’pooja/worship/religion }
In the woods of Nemisharanya Suta Puranikji continued thestory narrating the greatness of this Vrita to Shounaka and otherRishies:
In ancient times, there was a King called Angadwaja. He wasgood and righteous king {like all of us, good and righteous}; andyet once he ignored the prasad of Sri Satyanarayana Pooja and hadto suffer very dearly to that.
Once this king was returning from hunting the wild animals inthe forests. He rested under a tree for a while. A few yards awaya small group of cowherd boys had gathered to perform SriSatyanarayana Pooja. They did not have anything except theirdaily bread they were carrying and a talkative among them becametheir priest and they played the game of doing a pooja. At theend of the pooja, they offered the prasad to the king who, out ofcontempt and pride, left it untouched.
Pretty soon all his wealth was lost; his hundred children diedand he now knew, being a good king that this was all on accountof his contempt for those children’s pooja. Without anydelay the king goes to that very spot where the cowherd boys haddone the pooja earlier, gathers them all around him performs theSatyanarayana Pooja with all shraddha and bhakthi.
Thus the king again got all his wealth and kingdom and kins.
Suta now tells the Rishis that this Vrita is speciallyeffective in Kaliyuga. This Lord of Lord is called Ishwara,Satyadeva, Sri Satyanarayana and by many other names. He alonehas taken names and forms.
One who reads this story and one who hears it will be rid ofall woes and difficulties.
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SHRI SATHYANARAYANAYA NAMAH
OM SRI KRISHNARPANAMASTH