Shri Brihaspati/Guruvaar (Thursday) Vrat Katha PDF English

Shri Brihaspati/Guruvaar (Thursday) Vrat Katha English Lyrics

|| Brihaspati/Thursday/Guruvaar Vrat Katha in English PDF ||

For those who regularly engage in Brihaspati Puja (worship of Lord Brihaspati), the tales associated with the Brihaspati Vrat Katha hold profound importance. This sacred narrative essentially reveals the significance of observing the Brihaspati fast and performing Brihaspati Puja in one’s life. Presented below is the Brihaspati Vrat Katha, translated into English for your convenience.

In ancient times, there lived a powerful and generous king. He diligently observed a fast every Thursday and offered his prayers. However, his queen strongly disliked this practice. She neither fasted herself nor donated even a single coin in charity. Furthermore, she would often forbid the king from his pious observances.

One day, the king ventured into the forest for a hunt, leaving the queen and her maids alone in the palace. During his absence, Lord Brihaspati, disguised as a saint, arrived at the palace seeking alms. When the saint requested charity from the queen, she retorted, “O Saint! I am weary of giving alms. Tell me a way by which all this wealth will disappear, and I may live comfortably.”

Lord Brihaspati, in the guise of the saint, replied, “O Devi, you are most peculiar! Is there anyone on earth for whom children and wealth become a source of misery? If you possess abundant wealth, you can perform auspicious deeds, which will bring you happiness both in this world and in heaven.”

But the saint’s words did not please the queen. She said, “I desire no such wealth that requires me to give to others in charity or waste my time in its upkeep.”

The saint then said, “If this is your wish, then do as I instruct. On Thursdays, smear your house with cow dung, apply yellow clay to your hair while bathing, consume meat and wine with your meals, and give your clothes to the washerman. If you do this for seven consecutive Thursdays, all your wealth will be destroyed.” With these words, Lord Brihaspati, in the guise of a saint, vanished.

Scarcely three Thursdays had passed when, following the saint’s advice, all the queen’s wealth was indeed lost. The royal family began to starve. One day, the king said to the queen, “O Queen! You remain here, and I shall go to another land to earn our livelihood by taking up ordinary work. It would not suit my status to do so in our own kingdom.” Saying this, the king departed for a foreign country. There, he began to earn his living by cutting firewood in the forest and selling it in the town.

The queen and her maids deeply felt the king’s absence. Once, after seven continuous days of starvation, the queen said to one of her maids, “My sister lives in the nearby town; she is very wealthy. Go and bring something from her so that we may manage our meals for a few days.”

The maid went to the house of the queen’s sister. It was a Thursday, and the queen’s sister was listening to stories related to Lord Brihaspati. The maid conveyed the queen’s message, but the sister gave no reply. The maid was greatly distressed and angered by this lack of response. She returned and recounted everything to the queen, who, now helpless, began to curse her fate.

Meanwhile, the queen’s sister thought, “My sister’s maid came, and receiving no reply from me, she must be terribly upset.” So, after listening to the stories of Lord Brihaspati and offering her prayers, she went to the queen’s palace and said, “O sister! I was observing a fast in worship of Lord Brihaspati. During the time one listens to the stories of a deity, one should neither speak nor leave the place of worship. Thus, I had to remain silent. Now, please tell me why you sent your maid to my house.”

The queen replied, “Sister! I sent my maid because we had nothing to eat.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she recounted how she and her maids had been starving. The queen’s sister said, “Look, Lord Brihaspati fulfills everyone’s wishes. Go and check inside; you might find grains somewhere in your palace.”

Hearing this, one of the maids went inside to look and found a pitcher full of grains in a corner. The maid was astonished, as she had checked all the vessels and pitchers earlier, and they were all empty. She informed the queen of her discovery and said, “O queen! In a way, we can say that we observe a fast when we have nothing to eat, so why not inquire from your sister about the method of observing this fast, and then we too shall observe it?”

Following her maid’s advice, the queen asked her sister about observing fasts in the worship of Lord Brihaspati. Her sister explained, “During the Brihaspati fast, one should offer gram pulses and raisins at the base of a banana tree and worship Lord Vishnu. Take meals prepared with yellow ingredients and listen to the stories related to Lord Brihaspati. This pleases the deity and fulfills all wishes.” Having detailed the method of observing the fast and offering worship, the queen’s sister returned home.

The queen and her maid resolved to definitely offer their worship to Lord Brihaspati. After seven days, they observed the fast. They collected gram and jaggery from the stable and offered gram pulses at the base of the banana tree. They worshipped Lord Vishnu. Now, they wondered where to obtain meals prepared with yellow ingredients. They became very sad, but because they had observed the fast, Lord Brihaspati was pleased with them. He appeared in the guise of an ordinary person carrying two platters filled with yellow food. He handed them to the maid and said, “O maid! This is for you and your queen; both of you should partake of it.” The maid was overjoyed to receive the food and told everything to the queen.

From that day onwards, both the queen and her maid began observing fasts and offering their worship to Lord Brihaspati. With his kind blessings, they began to prosper once again. However, the queen once again became as lethargic as she was before. Then her maid said, “Look, queen! Earlier too, you were very lazy, and it was a burden for you to manage your money and wealth, which is why you lost it all. Now that we are prospering again through the blessings of Lord Brihaspati, you are being lazy as before. We have regained our prosperity with great difficulty, and so we must now give in charity. You should provide food to the hungry, arrange water for thirsty travelers, make donations to Brahmins, build wells, ponds, water tanks, temples, and schools for knowledge, and arrange marriages for unmarried girls. In essence, you should start spending for good causes, which will bring fame to your family, ensure a place in heaven for yourself and please your ancestors.”

Acting on her maid’s advice, the queen began spending on virtuous deeds, earning her great renown.

One day, the queen and her maid wondered, “God knows how the king is and in what circumstances he is living.” They offered prayers to Lord Brihaspati with great devotion, “Wherever the king may be, may he return soonest.”

On the other side, in a foreign land, the king was leading a very sad life. He would bring firewood from the forest every day and barely manage to survive by selling it in the town market. One day, remembering his prosperous past, he became very sad and began to weep.

Just then, Lord Brihaspati, disguised as a saint, approached the king and said, “O woodcutter, why do you sit alone in this desolate forest? What troubles you? Tell me.”

Hearing this, tears filled the king’s eyes, and he recounted his situation and his plight to the saint. Saints are compassionate, and he said to the king, “O king, your wife committed a transgression against Lord Brihaspati, and it is because of that that you are facing these difficulties. But do not worry now; God will grant you more than what you possessed before. Look, your wife has already begun observing fasts on Thursdays. Now you too should take gram pulses and jaggery, put them in a mug of water, and offer it in worship to the banana tree. Afterward, either narrate or listen to the stories related to Lord Brihaspati. God will fulfill all your wishes.”

Hearing the saint speak thus, the king said, “O Saint, I barely earn my livelihood by selling firewood; I cannot save a single coin. Last night, I saw my queen in great distress in my dream. It is impossible for me to know her well-being. Besides this, I have no knowledge of any story related to Lord Brihaspati. How would I narrate them?”

The saint replied, “O king, resolve to observe fasts and offer worship to Lord Brihaspati. He himself will guide you. Go to the town to sell firewood on Thursdays as you do on other days; you will earn twice as much. The amount you earn will be sufficient to buy your meals and the materials for the worship of Lord Brihaspati. And the story related to Lord Brihaspati is as follows:”

|| The Story of Poor Brahmin’s Daughter related to Brihaspati God ||

In ancient times, there lived a very poor Brahmin who had no children. He worshipped God every day, but his wife neither bathed in the morning nor worshipped any deity. Because of this, the Brahmin was always very sad.

With the kind blessings of God, a daughter was born in his house. The girl grew up gradually. She would bathe early in the morning and offer her worship to Lord Vishnu. She also observed fasts on Thursdays. After her worship, while going to school, she would carry barley in her fists and scatter the grains on the way. On her return, the barley grains would transform into gold, which she would collect and take home. One day, while she was winnowing the barley grains with a winnowing basket, her mother saw her and said, “Dear daughter, for winnowing golden barley grains, the winnowing basket should also be made of gold.”

The next day was a Thursday, and the girl was observing a fast. She prayed to Lord Brihaspati for a golden winnowing basket. Lord Brihaspati decided to answer her prayer. Like other days, the girl went to school, scattering barley grains on the way. On her return, she not only found the grains transformed into gold but also discovered a golden winnowing basket on her path. She took it home and began winnowing the barley grains with it. However, her mother remained unchanged in her ways.

One day, while the girl was winnowing barley grains with the golden winnowing basket, a prince happened to pass by. He was captivated by her unparalleled beauty. He returned to his palace, stopped eating and drinking, and lay motionless in his room.

When the king learned that the prince had stopped consuming food and water, he came and inquired about the reason. The prince told him everything and also gave him the girl’s address. The king’s minister went to the Brahmin’s house and conveyed the king’s proposal. Within a few days, the girl’s marriage was solemnized with the prince.

But as soon as the girl left home for her in-laws’ house, the Brahmin became poor again. One day, saddened by his poverty, the Brahmin went to meet his daughter. Seeing her father, the girl inquired about her mother’s well-being. The Brahmin told her everything. His daughter gave him a large sum of money and bid him farewell. However, after a few days, the Brahmin was once again struggling with poverty. He went to his daughter again and narrated his plight. His daughter said, “O father, bring my mother here. I shall tell her how to get rid of poverty.” The Brahmin returned home and then went back to his daughter with his wife. The girl said to her mother, “O mother, bathe early in the morning and offer worship to Lord Vishnu; this will help you overcome poverty.” But the Brahmin’s wife did not heed her daughter’s words. Instead, she would eat her daughter’s leftovers in the morning.

One day, her daughter became very angry with her. She locked her in a room. The next day, she forced her to bathe and offer worship, thus setting her on the right path.

After this, the Brahmin’s wife began worshipping and observing fasts on Thursdays religiously. The effect of observing this fast was such that she went to heaven after her death. The Brahmin enjoyed all prosperity in this mortal world and also went to heaven after his death. Having narrated this story, the saint vanished.

Gradually, time passed. The next Thursday, when the king went to town to sell firewood, he earned more than usual. He bought gram and jaggery from the market and observed the fast. From that day on, he began to live happily; his bad days were over. However, on the following Thursday, he forgot to observe the fast, which displeased Lord Brihaspati.

On that day, the king of the town had organized a grand Yagna (sacrificial ritual). He had invited all his subjects to the palace for a meal and had announced that no one should cook at home. Disobeying his orders would result in capital punishment.

As per the royal decree, all the king’s subjects came to the palace for their meals, but the woodcutter arrived late. The king took him inside. While the king was serving him food, the queen noticed that her necklace, which she had hung on a peg in the wall, was missing. The queen suspected that the woodcutter had stolen it. She called her soldiers and had him imprisoned.

In prison, the woodcutter began to ponder, “What sin must I have committed in my past life to deserve this fate?” He remembered the saint he had met in the forest. Lord Brihaspati appeared to him in the guise of the saint and said, “O fool, you are suffering because you neither listened to nor narrated the stories related to Lord Brihaspati. But do not worry now. On Thursday, you will find four coins lying at the prison door. Use that money to offer worship to Lord Brihaspati, and all your troubles will end.”

On Thursday, the woodcutter indeed found four coins at the prison door. He used them to buy the necessary materials for worship and narrated the story of Lord Brihaspati to those present. That same night, Lord Brihaspati appeared to the king of the town in a dream and said, “O King, the person you have imprisoned is innocent. Release him tomorrow.” When the king woke up early the next morning, he saw the necklace hanging on the peg. He sent for the woodcutter, begged his forgiveness, and, giving him many beautiful clothes and jewels, bid him farewell.

As per the saint’s instructions, the woodcutter (now the king again) set out for his town. He was greatly surprised when he reached its vicinity. He noticed more gardens, ponds, wells, pilgrim houses, and temples than had existed before. Upon inquiry, the king learned that the queen and her maid had built all of these. The king was astonished and also somewhat angered, thinking, “Where did the queen get so much money in my absence that she could construct so many new buildings?”

On the other side, when the queen heard that the king was returning home, she said to her maid, “O maid, the king left us in a very pitiable condition. Ensure that the king does not become confused and go back upon seeing us in our changed circumstances. Go and stand by the palace entrance.” Obeying the queen’s orders, the maid stood by the palace entrance and brought the king in when he arrived. The king angrily drew his sword and demanded, “Tell me, where did you get all this money from?” Then the queen narrated the entire sequence of events.

The king decided that he would observe fasts every day and narrate the stories of Lord Brihaspati three times a day. From then on, the king always kept some gram pulses tied in a corner of his scarf and narrated the stories of Lord Brihaspati three times each day.

One day, the king thought of visiting his sister’s house. He set out on his horse. On the way, he saw some people carrying a dead body. The king stopped them and said, “O Brothers! Listen to the story of Lord Brihaspati and then proceed.” They replied, “Look at him! We are already saddened by the death of our relative, and he wants to tell us a story!” But some of them said, “Alright, tell us the story; we shall listen.”

The king took out the gram pulses and began narrating the story. He had hardly narrated half of it when the dead man began showing signs of life. By the time the story concluded, the dead man had regained full consciousness and stood up, uttering the name of Lord Rama.

The king continued his journey, and around evening, he saw a farmer plowing his field. The king offered to tell him the story of Lord Brihaspati, but the farmer declined.

The king kept moving, but meanwhile, the farmer’s oxen suddenly collapsed and fainted, and the farmer was struck with a severe stomach ache. Just then, the farmer’s wife came with meals for her husband and son. She was shocked to see the farmer and the oxen in such a pitiable state. Upon inquiry, her son explained everything in detail. The farmer’s wife ran to the horseman (the king) and said, “I shall listen to your story; please come to our field and tell it there.” The king returned to the farmer’s field and narrated the story. As a result, the oxen revived, and the farmer also became completely well.

And thus, the king arrived at his sister’s house. His sister extended him warm hospitality. The next day, when the king woke up, he saw everyone busy eating. The king asked his sister, “Is there anyone who has not yet eaten? At least I can narrate the story of Lord Brihaspati to them.” His sister replied, “Brother, this country is very strange; here, people are accustomed to eating before starting their work.”

Then she went to the house of a potter whose son was ill. She found that no one in the house had eaten for three days. She asked, “Would you like to hear sacred stories from my brother?” The potter agreed.

The king came and narrated the sacred stories of Lord Brihaspati. Upon hearing them, the potter’s son became well. Everyone began praising the king for his kindness. One day, the king said to his sister, “O sister, I would like to return home now; you too get ready.” The king’s sister went to seek permission from her mother-in-law, who said, “Alright, you may go, but do not take your sons along, as your brother has no children.” The king’s sister said to the king, “O brother, I shall certainly accompany you, but not my sons.” Hearing this, the king became very sad and returned home alone, without his sister.

The king narrated this sad story to the queen and then went inside and lay down. The queen said,