शुक्रवार व्रत कथा

In a village there lived an old woman with seven sons. Six of them earned a living; the seventh was good for nothing, neither working nor earning. The old woman fed her six sons with love and served the seventh their leftovers. He was simple-minded and never noticed. But his wife, the youngest daughter-in-law of the house, saw it all and grieved in silence. Whatever scraps remained came to her.

One day there was a feast at the house and many dishes were cooked. The youngest wife thought, today let me see what my mother-in-law gives my husband. She watched from hiding: the old woman fed the six sons their fill and served the seventh the leavings from their plates. The wife could bear it no longer. She said to her husband, 'What you eat from your mother's hand is leftovers. How long will you live like this?' He did not believe her at first, then saw it for himself, and his eyes were opened.

He said to his mother, 'Mother, I will go abroad and earn.' She said, 'Go, go tomorrow.' Taking leave of his wife he said, 'I have nothing to give you.' She said, 'I want nothing; just give me a token of yours.' He gave her his ring, took the print of her oiled finger on his cloth, and left. In a far city he found work at a merchant's shop. Seeing his hard work and honesty, the merchant put everything in his hands, and little by little he grew rich.

At home, the youngest wife's life grew harder still. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law made her do all the housework, sent her to the forest for firewood, and gave her bran bread and water to eat. One day, carrying wood home, she saw some women keeping a vrat at a temple on the way. She asked, 'Sisters, whose fast is this, and what does it give?' They said, 'This is Santoshi Mata's Friday vrat. Sorrows go, poverty leaves, one whose dear one has gone abroad gets him back, and the childless get a child.'

The youngest wife asked how it was done. The women told her: 'Every Friday take a little jaggery and roasted gram, worship Santoshi Mata, hear the katha and eat one meal. On that day eat nothing sour and give nothing sour to anyone. Do sixteen Fridays and then the udyapan: feed eight boys kheer, puris and a gram curry, but never give them anything sour, not even as a parting gift.' She sold her bundle of wood, bought a little gur and chana with the coins, and began the fast that very Friday.

Only a few Fridays had passed when a letter came from her husband, and money with it. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law fell silent. But the wife prayed to the Mother: 'Ma, I do not want money, I want my husband.' Santoshi Mata sent the husband a dream in the far city: 'Your wife is waiting for you. Go home.' He said, 'The merchant's accounts are not settled, the goods are unsold, how can I go?' The Mother said, 'Look in the morning.' In the morning he found all the goods sold and every account closed. He came home to the village with money and jewels. The house was in an uproar. The old woman embraced her daughter-in-law; the sisters-in-law held their tongues.

Now the youngest wife said to the Mother, 'Ma, the sixteen Fridays are complete; I will do the udyapan.' She invited her sisters-in-law's children. Kheer, puris and gram curry were made. But envy burned in the sisters-in-law. They coached their children: 'After eating, ask for something sour. Say you want tamarind, or the food will not digest.' The children did just that. The wife explained, 'Children, nothing sour can be given today,' and gave them a few coins instead. With those coins the children bought tamarind in the market and ate it.

Santoshi Mata was angered. At that very hour the king's soldiers came and took the wife's husband away on a false charge of theft. The house was thrown into grief again. Weeping, the wife went to the Mother's temple: 'Ma, what wrong did I do? I gave nothing sour.' The Mother said, 'You gave the children money and they ate sour with it; your udyapan is broken.' The wife asked forgiveness and said, 'Ma, I will do the udyapan again. Only give me back my husband.'

The Mother was pleased. The truth came out before the king and the husband returned home with honour. The next Friday the wife did the udyapan afresh: this time she called eight Brahmin boys of her own village, fed them kheer and puris, gave them fruit and dakshina, and let not even the word 'sour' be spoken in the house. By Santoshi Mata's grace a beautiful son was born to her some time later. Her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law owned their mistake, and the whole family began keeping the Mother's fast together. It is said that whoever keeps the sixteen-Friday vrat with faith and hears this story has their home filled by Santoshi Mata with comfort, wealth and children.

On Friday morning, bathe and put on clean clothes; red or white is considered auspicious. Place a picture or image of Santoshi Mata in the shrine, set up a kalash (water pot), and on it a bowl filled with gur and chana. Take the vow of sixteen Fridays.

Offer the Mother red flowers, sindoor, a chunri, and jaggery with roasted gram as bhog. Light a ghee lamp and show incense. If you wish, worship Lakshmi alongside Santoshi Mata.

Before the katha, take a little gur-chana in your hand and keep it there while you read or listen; this is a special custom of this vrat. Afterwards feed that gur-chana to a cow or mix it into the prasad. Sprinkle the water of the kalash in the corners of the house and pour the rest on the tulsi plant.

The great rule: eat nothing sour on Friday and give nothing sour to anyone. No tamarind, lemon, curd, pickle, tomato, sour fruit, nothing. Do not serve anything sour to any member of the household that day.

Eat one meal in the day, after the katha and aarti. Keep it sattvic and free of anything sour. Fruit, milk and water may be taken at other times. A full fast is not required; contentment is the spirit of this vrat.

Share the gur-chana prasad every Friday without fail. In the story the youngest wife sold firewood to buy a few coins' worth of gur-chana; the offering may be small, but it must not lapse.

How many weeks: this vrat is specifically sixteen Fridays, followed by the udyapan. It can begin on any Friday; a Friday in the bright fortnight is considered best.

Avoid quarrels on the day and keep contentment in the heart. Envy and complaint, which were the sisters-in-law's nature in the story, run against this vrat.

Perform the udyapan on the sixteenth Friday, or the Friday after it. Give Santoshi Mata a special puja that day and feed eight boys a meal of kheer, puris and gram curry. If there are no children in your own house, invite neighbours' or Brahmins' children. After the meal give them fruit and dakshina.

There must be nothing sour anywhere: not in the udyapan meal, not in the house, not in the parting gift. Avoid giving the children money, since in the story the children bought tamarind with it; give fruit, sweets or toys instead. Let no member of the household eat anything sour that day.

If the udyapan is somehow broken, do as the youngest wife did in the story: ask forgiveness and repeat it the next Friday. After the udyapan the fast may continue if you wish, or you may simply keep the gur-chana offering and the no-sour rule every Friday.

By tradition the Santoshi Mata fast removes poverty, brings back a dear one gone abroad, quiets strife in the home and gives a child to the childless. The message of the story is in her name: contentment. The youngest wife had nothing, yet she made her offering from what she had, and the Mother gave her everything.

Venus is the planet of comfort, married life, beauty and enjoyment. This Friday fast trains that very Venus through restraint and contentment: giving up sour food, one meal a day, satisfaction in a small offering. Those whose married life has turned sour, whose money will not stay in the house, or who face obstacles in comforts of home and vehicle are said to gain the most from this vrat.

The katha ends with the aarti 'Jai Santoshi Mata'. After the aarti, share the gur-chana prasad. The Santoshi Mata aarti and the Lakshmi Chalisa are being added to this collection.