Shodasa Gauri Vrat Katha

Shodasa Gauri Vratha Katha, Shodasa Gowri Vrat Story, Shodasa Gowri Vratha Katha, Legend of Shodasa Gauri Vrat

Shodasa Gauri Vratham is to be performed on the third day of the waxing phase of the moon of Bhadrapada Month, i.e on Bhadrapada Suddha Tadiya.

The great sage Suutha had preached the importance of the Shodasa Gauri Vrata and it benefits to other sages. Sage Sutha discussed the way the Vrat has to be performed and also explained that how by performing the Vrat one will be able to live a happy married life and would enjoy all the wealth and happiness in the world.

He started to say as follows:

Once in Treta Yuga there lived a person by the name of Dharmavarthi. He was a pious and god fearing person. He was a great scholar. He had two daughters, Challamma and Mallamma. Both of his daughters were beautiful. Hearing of their beauty the king of Magdha came to see them and married them.

The sudden rise in the status as the queen of a kingdom had made Chellamma  arrogant. But Mallamma  was her natural self, pious, god fearing. In the mean time the month of Bhadrapada arrived. On the trithiya or the third day Mallamma was preparing for the Shodasa Gauri Vratham. Seeing this Challamma made fun of Mallamma, stating that they were the queens and they could get what ever they want. She said that there was no use of performing the Vrat. She had to face the wrath of Goddess Gauri for this and from that day onwards, the king showed little interest in her, her wealth started to reduce, her cows were eaten by tigers etc. Challamma was very unhappy and visited her sister Mallammas house. Mallammas house was full with wealth, the king was deeply in love with Mallamma, all the relatives were coming to Mallamma. Challamma was jealous and that brought her sadness. To add to that there was no one who would even talk to her.

Overcome by her sadness, she left the palace and headed towards the forest. While wandering Challamma remembered of Goddess Gauri and wanted to seek her. She saw a stone and asked the stone wether it had seen Goddess Gauri. The stone replied that it had not seen and asked Chellamma to find out the reason for it to be a stone, once she meets Goddess Gauri.

In her search, Challamma came across a flowerless Kutaja Tree, a steel bowl that was very hot, a pond with no birds,a flowerless creeper called madhavilatha, a Buffalo incapable of giving milk, an unmarried girl,a log, a hunter in place where there was no water, Goat, Donkey, Elephant, a village without any people, a grass,milk,rice which were never touched by anyone.

All these asked Challamma to find out the reason for they being like this when she meets Goddess Gauri. She travelled further and became unconscious because of the long walk without food and water.

Goddess Gauri was moved at her stubbornness in finding her and presented herself to Challamma. All the stress and strain, wounds on Challamma disappeared with the blessings of the Goddess. Challamma was greatfull to the Goddess and prayed to her. Challamma asked the Godess to forgive her and seeked her blessings. She recited the following sloka

Namasthe Girijamatre lokamatre namonamaha

Namasthe loka sakshiniyi tubhyam bhuyo bhuyo namaha

Godess Gauri was pleased with her. She told her that all her troubles are over and blessed her with wealth and prosperity. She also blessed her that she would have great children and grand children.

Challamma thanked the Godess and asked about the things,persons and animals etc that she met on her way.

The Godess replied as follows:

A wife who would give respect to her husband became the stone.

A person who had not performed any worshipping or did not donate any alms even being capable of doing them has become a flowerless tree called KutujaVruksham

A Mother In Law, who had not given food and clothes to her daughter in laws even though she had loads of food grains and clothes had become the hot bowl in the forest.

A Brahmin who had not given water to anyone had become the pond at place where it was not useful anyone.

A lady who had not given flowers to God, other people, women even when the flowers were abundant had become the creeper without flowers.(Malathilatha)

A queen who had not observed a Vrat or Fasting had become a Buffalo without milk.

A girl who rejected the marriage alliance brought by her father, by stating some reason or the other had become a girl in the forest and was all alone.

A Brahmin even after reading the Vedas, was talking abusively, had never done a good work had become the log.

A king, who killed animals for fun became the hunter at an area where there was no water.

A king who was abusive had become the Donkey.

A Scholar, who had given wrong judgments by taking bribe became the Elephant.

A queen, even though having fertile lands had donated non fertile lands had become the cow at a place where there was no water.

A queen who had donated a village without proper facilities had become an abandoned village.

A person, who does not clean his house and who keeps on commenting on the people on the road had become the grass.

A person who had wealth and never gave a single penny as donation became the rice heap which no one touched.

A mother who had not given milk to her child, even though there was milk within her had become the milk bowl.

The Goddess then explained the procedure of how to perform the Shodasa Gauri Vratham

This Vratham has to be performed on the  third day of the Bhadrapada Month, Bhadarapada Suddha Tritiya.

Sixteen Rangolis are to be drawn on the flower and on each rangoli a Deepam or Diya has to be placed.

Sixteen Namaskarams and Sixteen Pradikshinas are to be done.

A Thoram made of sixteen threads has to be tied to the wrist.

Sixteen varieties of recipes(Pindi Vantalu) are to be given as Vaayanam to a Married Women.

Recite the story of the Vrat.

This has to be repeated for sixteen years.

On the sixteen year, one has to donate 32(16 pairs) of Chatalu, along with sixteen kinds of recipes to sixteen different Married Women.

The following slok has to be recited.

Jayadevi jagdvandyeh jaya sankara vallabhe

Pujam gruhana math prityie safalam madratvamkuru

Then the idol of the Godess Gauri has to be taken to a place with sand on an elephant if possible and pray her with the following sloka

Saikatairagatasi twam saikathenavardhase

Tadaiva saikatham gacha mam siddhim prayachame 

And return over the sand.

After  explaining the Vrat Procedure the Goddess disappeared. Challamma returned home and performed the Shodasa Gauri Vrat and lived happily.

Sutha  narrated the above and said that the ones who listened to this story would also be blessed and would live a happy life.

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