Purnmasi Vrat Ki Pujan Samagri
Milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar, Ganges water, roli (vermilion), mauli (sacred thread), betel leaf, betel nut, incense, flowers (white oleander), sacred thread (Yajnopavita), white cloth, red cloth, calotropis procera, bael leaves, flower garland, datura, bamboo basket, mango leaves, rice, sesame seeds, barley, coconut (with water), lamp, seasonal fruits, unbroken rice grains, offerings, kalash (pot), five-colored powder, sandalwood, flour, sand, sacrificial wood, kusha grass, clothes for the priest, idol of Shiva and Parvati, durva grass, mat, etc.
Purnmasi Vrat Ki Pujan Vidhi
The person performing the puja should, after completing their morning ablutions, prepare a sacred space by drawing a square with flour on a clean surface, erect a canopy made of banana leaves, and install images of Shiva and Parvati. Then, wearing new clothes, they should sit facing east on an आसन (seat) and, holding water in their hand, make a vow while reciting the time and place of the ritual. After that, they should invoke and worship Lord Ganesha. Subsequently, they should invoke Varuna and other deities, perform Kalasha Puja (worship of the water pot), offer sandalwood and other items, show the Kalasha Mudra (hand gesture), and ring the bell. They should then offer reverence to the bell and lamp with incense and unbroken rice grains. After this, they should sprinkle water on the puja materials and themselves while reciting the mantra: 'Om Apavitrah Pavitro Va Sarvavastham Gatoapi Va. Yah Smaret Pundarikaksham Sa Vahyabhyantarah Shuchih' (Whether impure or pure, or in whatever state one may be, whoever remembers the lotus-eyed Lord becomes pure both externally and internally). They should then invoke and worship Indra and the eight Lokapalas (guardians of the directions). Finally, they should bathe Lord Shiva with the following mantra.
मन्दार मालाकुलिजालकायै, कपालमालाकिंतशेखराय। दिव्याम्बरायै च सरस्वती रेवापयोश्णीनर्मदाजलैः। स्नापितासि मया देवि तेन शान्ति पुरुष्व मे।
Mandaar maalaakulijaalakaayai, kapaalamaalaakintashekharaay. Divyaambaraayai ch sarasvatee revaapayoshṇaeenarmadaajalaiah. Snaapitaasi mayaa devi ten shaanti puruṣv me.
Bathe Goddess Parvati with the following mantra:
नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै सततम नमः। नमः प्रकृत्यै भद्रायै नियताः प्रणता स्मताम्।
Namo devyai mahaadevyai satatam namah. Namah prakrityai bhadraayai niyataah praṇaataa smataam.
After this, perform the Panchopachara Puja. Offer sandalwood paste, unbroken rice grains, flowers, incense, and a lamp. Then offer food (Naivedya) and perform Achamana (ritual sipping of water). Afterwards, offer a cleansing paste for the hands. Then offer betel nut, present a monetary offering (Dakshina), and offer salutations. Following this, immerse the offerings (Nirmalya) in the north direction and perform the Maha Abhisheka (grand ablution). Then offer beautiful clothes and adorn the deity with the sacred thread (Yajnopavita). Offer sandalwood paste, unbroken rice grains, and seven types of grains. Then offer turmeric, vermilion, auspicious sindoor, etc. Offer palm leaves (Bhojpatra), a necklace, etc. Offer fragrant flowers and incense. Show the lamp and offer food (Naivedya). Then offer water for washing the hands and face. Offer sandalwood paste. Offer a coconut and seasonal fruits. Offer betel leaf, betel nut, and a monetary offering (Dakshina). Perform the camphor Aarti (waving of lamps) and offer a handful of flowers (Pushpanjali). After performing all the rituals, listen to the story (Katha).
Purnmasi Vrat Katha
Once upon a time, during the Dvapara Yuga, Yashoda said to Krishna, "O Krishna! You are the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the entire universe. Today, please tell me about a vow that, if observed, would free women in the mortal world from the fear of widowhood, and which would also fulfill the desires of all people." Lord Krishna replied, "O Mother! You have asked a very beautiful question. I will explain this vow to you in detail. To attain good fortune, women should observe the vow of thirty-two full moons. By observing this vow, women receive good fortune and prosperity. This vow bestows lasting good fortune and increases devotion towards Lord Shiva in all human beings." Yashoda then asked, "O Krishna! Please tell me in detail who first observed this vow in the mortal world.
Lord Krishna began to narrate: On this earth, there was a very famous city called 'Katika', ruled by King Chandrahasa, and filled with all kinds of precious gems. In that city lived a Brahmin named Dhaneshwar, and his wife was extremely virtuous and beautiful. Both lived in that city with great love. There was no shortage of wealth and provisions in their house. However, they had one great sorrow: they had no children, and this grief tormented them greatly. One day, a great ascetic yogi came to that city. This yogi would collect alms from all the houses except the Brahmin's house and then eat. He never accepted alms from Rupavati (Dhaneshwar's wife). One day, the yogi, instead of taking alms from Rupavati, took alms from another house and went to the banks of the Ganges, where he was lovingly eating the alms when Dhaneshwar somehow witnessed all this.
Distressed by the disregard shown to his alms, Dhaneshwar said to the yogi, "O great soul! You accept alms from all the houses, but you never accept alms from my house. What is the reason for this?" The yogi replied, "The alms from a childless person's house are equivalent to the food of the fallen, and whoever eats the food of the fallen also becomes fallen. Since you are childless, I do not accept alms from your house for fear of becoming fallen." Hearing this, Dhaneshwar was deeply saddened and, joining his hands, fell at the yogi's feet and pleaded with great anguish, "O revered one! If that is the case, then please tell me the way to obtain a son. You are omniscient; please bestow this grace upon me. There is no shortage of wealth in my house, but I am extremely unhappy because I have no son. Please alleviate my sorrow; you are capable of doing so." Hearing this, the yogi said, "O Brahmin! You should worship Goddess Chandi." Returning home, he told his wife everything and then went to the forest for penance. In the forest, he worshipped Chandi and observed a fast. On the sixteenth day, Chandi appeared to him in a dream and said, "O Dhaneshwar! Go, you will have a son, but he will die at the age of sixteen. However, if you and your wife observe the vow of thirty-two full moons properly, he will have a long life. Make as many lamps of flour as you can afford and worship Lord Shiva, but there should be thirty-two lamps on the full moon night. In the morning, you will see a mango tree near this place; climb it, pluck a fruit, and quickly return home. Tell your wife everything. After her ritual bath, she should purify herself, meditate on Lord Shankar, and eat that fruit. Then, by the grace of Lord Shankar, she will conceive.
When the Brahmin woke up in the morning, he saw a mango tree near that place with a very beautiful mango fruit on it. The Brahmin tried to climb the mango tree to pluck the fruit, but despite several attempts, he could not climb it. Then the Brahmin became very worried and began to pray to Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles: "O merciful one! You who destroy the obstacles of your devotees and accomplish their auspicious tasks, the destroyer of the wicked, the bestower of prosperity and success, please be kind to me and give me the strength to fulfill my desire." After praying to Ganesha in this way, by his grace, Dhaneshwar climbed the tree and saw a very beautiful mango fruit. He thought that this was the fruit received as a boon, and no other fruit was visible. The Brahmin Dhaneshwar quickly plucked the fruit and gave it to his wife, and his wife, according to her husband's instructions, ate the fruit and became pregnant. By the boundless grace of the Goddess, she gave birth to a very beautiful son, whom they named Devidas. With the joy and sorrow of his parents, the child grew up in his father's house like the waxing moon of the bright fortnight. By the grace of Bhavani, the child became very beautiful, well-behaved, and very proficient in his studies. Following Goddess Durga's instructions, his mother began observing the vow of thirty-two full moon fasts so that her son would have a long life.
As soon as Devidas turned sixteen, his parents became very worried that their son might die that year. They wondered how they would bear such a tragedy if it were to befall them. Therefore, they called Devidas's maternal uncle and said, "We wish for Devidas to go to Kashi for a year to study, and he shouldn't be left alone. So, please go with him and bring him back after a year." After making all the arrangements, his parents put Devidas on a horse and sent him to Kashi with his uncle, but they didn't tell his uncle or anyone else the real reason. Dhaneshwar and his wife began worshipping Goddess Durga and observing the full moon fasts for their son's well-being and long life. In this way, they completed the vow of thirty-two full moon fasts.
Some time later, one day, the uncle and nephew were staying in a village for the night. That day, a Brahmin's extremely beautiful, virtuous, learned, and accomplished daughter was to be married in that village. Devidas and his uncle were staying in the same guesthouse where the groom and his wedding party were staying. Coincidentally, after the rituals of anointing the bride with oil and other ceremonies were performed, the groom suffered a stroke at the time of the wedding ceremony. Therefore, the groom's father, after consulting with his family members, decided that Devidas was as handsome as his own son, and that he would have the wedding ceremony performed with him, and the other marriage rituals would be completed later with his own son. Thinking this, he went to Devidas's uncle and said, "Lend us your nephew for a short time so that all the wedding rituals can be completed smoothly." Then his uncle said, "Whatever gifts, such as the Madhuparka (a ritual offering), are given to the groom at the time of the Kanyadaan (giving away of the bride), should all be given to us, then my nephew will become the groom of this wedding party." The groom's father agreed to this, and he sent his nephew to become the groom, and all the marriage ceremonies were duly completed with him that night. He could not eat with his wife and began to wonder to himself what kind of woman she was. He sighed deeply in solitude, lost in these thoughts, and tears welled up in his eyes. Then the bride asked, "What's wrong? Why are you so dejected and sad?" Then he told her everything that had transpired between the groom's father and his uncle. Then the girl said, "How can this be contrary to a Brahma marriage? Before the gods, the Brahmins, and the sacred fire, I have accepted you as my husband, therefore you are my husband. I will remain your wife and no one else's." Then Devidas said, "Don't do this, because my life is very short. What will become of you after me? Consider these things carefully." But she was resolute and said, "Whatever your fate is, that will be my fate. O Lord! Get up and eat, you must surely be hungry." After this, Devidas and his wife ate their meal and slept for the rest of the night. In the morning, Devidas gave his wife a ring studded with three gems and a handkerchief, and said, "My dear! Take this and understand the sign, and be at peace. To know about my life and death, create a flower garden. Plant a fragrant jasmine plant in it, water it daily, and play, dance, and celebrate with joy. The moment and the day I die, these flowers will wither, and when they become green again, know that I am alive. Understand this for certain; there is no doubt about it." After explaining this, he left. As soon as morning arrived, musical instruments began to play, and when the groom and all the wedding party came to the pavilion to complete the marriage ceremonies, the girl looked carefully at the groom and said to her father, "This is not my husband. My husband is the one with whom I was married last night. I am not married to this man. If he is indeed the one, then let him tell me what I gave him, let him show the ornaments I gave him during the Madhuparka and Kanyadaan ceremonies, and let him repeat all the secret things I said to him last night." The father summoned the groom as per her instructions. After hearing all that the girl said, the groom replied that he knew nothing. After this, he left with a humiliated look on his face, and the entire wedding party also returned from there feeling disgraced.
Lord Krishna said, "O Mother! Thus, Devidas went to Kashi to study. After some time, a serpent, instigated by Time, came there at night to bite him. Due to the serpent's venom, his sleeping place became surrounded by poisonous flames. But, due to the power of the vow, the serpent could not bite him because his mother had already observed the vow of thirty-two full moons. After this, at midday, Time himself came there and tried to take his life, causing him to fall unconscious to the ground. By God's grace, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati arrived there at that very moment. Seeing him unconscious, Goddess Parvati prayed to Lord Shiva, 'O Lord! This boy's mother had previously observed the vow of thirty-two full moons, and due to its power, O Lord, please grant him life.' At Bhavani's request, the compassionate Lord Shiva granted him life. Due to the power of this vow, even Time had to retreat, and Devidas recovered and sat up.
Meanwhile, his wife was waiting for his return. When she saw that there were no leaves or flowers left in the flower garden, she was greatly astonished, and when it became lush and green again, she knew that he was alive. Seeing this, she happily told her father, 'Father! My husband is alive, please find him.' When the sixteenth year passed, Devidas also left Kashi with his maternal uncle. Just as his father-in-law was about to leave his house to search for him, the two, uncle and nephew, arrived there. Seeing him, his father-in-law happily brought him into the house. At that time, the residents of the city also gathered there, and everyone concluded that this was indeed the boy to whom the girl had been married. When the girl saw the boy, she recognized him and said, 'This is the same one who left after giving a sign.' Then everyone said, 'It is good that he has come,' and all the townspeople rejoiced." A few days later, Devidas, along with his wife and maternal uncle, departed from his father-in-law's house, carrying many gifts. When he approached his village, several people saw him and went ahead to inform his parents that their son, Devidas, was coming with his wife and maternal uncle. Upon hearing this news, they initially couldn't believe it, but when others also confirmed it, they were greatly surprised. Soon, Devidas arrived and bowed his head at his parents' feet in reverence, and his wife touched the feet of her in-laws. The parents embraced their son and daughter-in-law, and tears of joy flowed from their eyes. In celebration of their son and daughter-in-law's arrival, Dhaneshwar held a grand feast and pleased the Brahmins by giving them many gifts and offerings.
Lord Krishna said, "In this way, Dhaneshwar became a father through the power of observing the Vrat (religious vow) of thirty-two full moons. Any woman who observes this vow will never experience the sorrow of widowhood in any of her lives and will always remain fortunate. This is my promise; there is no doubt about it. This vow bestows sons and grandsons and fulfills all desires. By observing the Vrat of thirty-two full moons, all the wishes of the devotee are fulfilled by the grace of Lord Shiva."
