Monday fast is observed to please Lord Shiva. This fast is especially observed to attain happiness, peace, and wealth. Unmarried girls observe this fast to get a desired groom.
The Story of the Monday Fast
There was a very wealthy merchant who lacked nothing in terms of riches. However, he was extremely unhappy because he had no son. He remained constantly worried about this and therefore observed the Monday fast and worshipped Lord Shiva every Monday, praying for a son. In the evening, he would go to Shiva's temple and light a lamp. Seeing his devotion, one day Goddess Parvati said to Lord Shiva, "O Lord! This merchant is a great devotee of yours and always observes your fast and worships you with great devotion. Therefore, his wish should be fulfilled." Lord Shiva said, "Parvati! This world is a field of karma. Just as a farmer reaps what he sows in his field, similarly, in this world, one experiences the consequences of their actions." Parvati insisted, "Lord! Since he is such a devotee of yours, and if he is suffering any kind of sorrow, you must surely alleviate it, because you are always merciful to your devotees and remove their sorrows. If you do not do this, why would people serve, fast, and worship you?" Seeing Parvati's insistence, Lord Shiva was pleased and said, "O Parvati! He has no son. He is extremely unhappy because of this worry about having a son. Even though it is not in his destiny to have a son, I grant him the boon of a son, but that son will only live for twelve years. After that, he will die. I cannot do anything more for him." The merchant heard all this. He felt neither joy nor sorrow, and he continued to observe the Monday fast and worship Lord Shiva as before. After some time, the merchant's wife became pregnant, and in the tenth month, she gave birth to a very beautiful son. There was much rejoicing in the merchant's house, but the merchant, knowing that his son would only live for twelve years, did not express much happiness and did not reveal the secret to anyone. When the boy turned eleven years old, his mother asked his father to arrange his marriage, but the merchant replied, "I will not marry him off yet; I will send him to Kashi (Varanasi) to study." Then the merchant called his brother-in-law, the boy's maternal uncle, and giving him a large sum of money, said, "Take this boy to Kashi to study, and wherever you go along the way, perform yajnas (fire rituals), give alms, and feed Brahmins." Thus, the uncle and nephew traveled together, performing yajnas and feeding Brahmins everywhere they went. On the way, they came to a city. The king of that city's daughter was getting married, and the son of another king, who had come with the wedding procession, was blind in one eye. The boy's father was very worried that the bride's parents might create some kind of obstacle in the marriage upon seeing the groom. Therefore, when he saw the very handsome merchant's son, he thought to himself, "Why not have this boy act as the groom at the wedding ceremony?" Thinking this, the king spoke to the boy and his uncle, and they agreed. They bathed the merchant's son, dressed him in the groom's clothes, and mounted him on a horse, taking him to the wedding venue. Everything proceeded smoothly. Now the groom's father thought, "What harm would there be if the marriage ceremony itself were also performed by this boy?" Thinking this, he said to the uncle, "If you would also perform the circumambulation around the sacred fire and the giving away of the bride, we would be greatly indebted to you, and we will give you a lot of money in return." They agreed to this as well, and the marriage ceremony was completed successfully. However, when the boy was about to leave, he wrote on the corner of the princess's veil, "Your marriage has taken place with me, but the prince you are being sent with is blind in one eye, and I am going to Kashi to study." When the princess found this written on her veil, she refused to go with the prince and said, "This is not my husband; my marriage did not take place with him. He has gone to Kashi to study." The princess's parents did not send their daughter with the wedding procession, and the procession returned. Meanwhile, the merchant's son and his uncle reached Kashi. There, they began performing a yagna (fire ritual), and the boy started studying. When the boy was twelve years old, one day, while they were performing a yagna, the boy said to his uncle, "Uncle, I'm not feeling well today." The uncle told him to go inside and rest. The boy went inside and lay down, and after a short while, he died. When his uncle came and saw that he was dead, he was greatly saddened and thought that if he started weeping and lamenting now, the yagna would remain incomplete. Therefore, he quickly finished the yagna and, after going to the Brahmins' houses, began weeping and lamenting. Coincidentally, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were passing by at that time. When they heard the loud weeping and lamenting, Parvati urged Shiva to go to the boy. Seeing the beautiful boy dead, she said, "Lord, this is the same merchant's son who was born through your blessing." Shiva said, "Parvati, his lifespan was only this long, and he has completed it." Parvati said, "Lord, please grant this child more life, otherwise his parents will die of grief." Upon Parvati's repeated pleas, Shiva granted him a boon. By the grace of Lord Shiva, the boy came back to life. Shiva and Parvati then returned to Kailash. Then the boy and his uncle, performing the same ritual, set off towards their home and arrived in the same city where the boy had been married. When they arrived there and began performing the ritual, the boy's father-in-law recognized him and brought him to his palace, where he treated him with great respect and hospitality. He also sent his daughter and son-in-law off with many gifts, including a large amount of grain and female servants, with great honor and respect. When they approached their own city, the uncle said that he would go ahead and inform the family. At that time, the boy's parents were sitting on the roof of their house, having vowed that if their son returned home safely, they would happily come down, otherwise they would throw themselves from the roof and end their lives. Just then, the boy's uncle arrived and gave them the news that their son had returned, but they did not believe him. Then the uncle swore an oath, saying that their son had returned with his wife and much wealth. The merchant then welcomed him with great joy, and they all lived happily together. Similarly, whoever observes the Monday fast or reads or listens to this story will have their sorrows removed and all their desires fulfilled. They will enjoy various kinds of happiness in this world and finally attain the abode of Lord Shiva.Significance of Monday fast
- Happiness and peace: By observing this fast, mental and family peace is attained.
- Fulfillment of wishes: Unmarried girls observe this fast to get a good groom.
- Spiritual progress: Worshiping Lord Shiva leads to spiritual purification.
- Economic prosperity: By the grace of Lord Shiva, poverty and suffering are removed.
Method of Monday fast
- Take a bath in the morning and wear clean clothes.
- Go to the temple of Lord Shiva or establish Shivling in the house.
- Offer water, milk, Belpatra, sandalwood, Dhatura, and flowers on Shivling.
- Chant the mantra "Om Namah Shivaya".
- Perform the aarti of Lord Shiva and Read the Vrat Katha.
- Eat fruits throughout the day and meditate on Lord Shiva.
- In the evening, worship the Shivling again and take the prasad.
