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Brihaspati (Jupiter) Vow

One way to spread the story is by chain letters, for example "Santoshee Maa chain letters". This is a Thursday chain letter that must not be broken and is about an individual's Thursday vow observance -

There used to be a merchant who made lots of money by traveling to foreign countries for trade. He was a very kind-hearted man, always ready to help poor people. But his wife did not approve this habit, because she was very miser, she could not him spending even a penny.

One day that merchant set off for another journey. Lord Brihaspti assumed the form of a Saadhu and came to the merchant's house and begged for alms. The merchant's wife told him, "O Great Soul, I am fed up with my husband's generosity. His entire wealth is spent in donations. You tell me some method so that his all wealth is lost and I don't have to manage his money. The Saadhu said - "You a very strange person who does not like money and children. But if you have lots pf money, then spend it in auspicious works." But the queen was not happy Saadhu's this suggestion. So she again said - "I do not like this, but you tell me the way so that my all wealth is destroyed."

Saadhu said - "As you wish. I tell you just now. It is not difficult. You do the same as I tell you. On Thursdays, you smear your house with the yellow clay (Multaanee Mittee used to wash hair in India), wash your hair with the same clay, tell the King for hair cut on that day, eat meat and drink liquor and wash your clothes on that day. If you will do this on 7 Thursdays, your all wealth will be destroyed." After saying this Saadhu went away.

The Queen did the same as that Saadhu told her to do. As she finished only five Thursdays, that her all wealth got destroyed. All the members of the family did not get even food. One day the King said to his Queen - "You stay back here only, I go to some other country to get some work. Here everybody knows me so I cannot do any low kind of work." And the King left that country in search of work. He could not get any work, so he just cut wood from the forest and sold in the village market and thus lived upon that income.

After the King left, the Queen and her servants and maids were very sad. One day came when the Queen had to remain hungry for 7 days. She said to her maid - "My sister lives in nearby city, you go to her and bring something so that we can eat for a few days." She went to her sister. But when she arrived there, the Queen's sister was hearing Brihaspati Vaar's story, so when the maid told her the message of her Queen, she did not answer anything to her. At not getting any reply from her, the maid got angry and came back to the Queen and said - "I gave your message but she did not reply anything."

On the other side the Queen's sister thought "My sister's maid came and I did not speak to her, so my sister must be angry, let me go to her and ask her why did she sent her to me. So she hurriedly rushed to the Queen's house and said to her sister - "I am sorry, when your maid came I was listening to Brihaspati Vaar's story. While listening to it, talking to anybody or getting up is not allowed, that is why I did not speak to her. Tell me why did you send her to me?" The Queen said - "Sister, I do not have any thing to eat and we have not eaten for the past seven days that is why I sent her to you." and saying this her eyes filled with tears. The Queen's sister said - "See Sister, Brihaspati Bhagavaan fulfills everybody's wish, he will fulfill your wish too. Go and see if you have some grains in your house. Although the Queen was sure that she had nothing in her house, but still she sent her maid to recheck the store again. Luckily she found one pot full grains. She was so astonished to see it, because she herself had checked it and she did not see it.

The maid told the Queen - "When we did not have food, then also we were fasting, so why not we ask the method of doing this Vrat and the Kathaa to tell on that day and we will also do the same." The Queen asked her sister about the method of doing Vrat and Kathaa. Her sister told her that she should worship Vishnu in the roots of Banana tree with Chanaa Daal (broken black gram without skin) and jaggery and light a lamp before Him. Hear Vrat Kathaa and eat yellow food. This pleases Guru Dev and he fulfills all wishes. Thus her sister went to her house after telling her the method of doing Vrat.

After 7 days when the next Thursday came, they observed fast. They brought some Chanaa Daal and jaggery from a stable, worshipped Guru Dev in the roots of a Banana tree with it Daal, and told Kathaa. But now from where to bring yellow food? Brihaspati Jee got very pleased with them so he assumed the form of an ordinary man and gave two plates of yellow food to the maid and said - "These are two plates of yellow food, one for you and one for your mistress." The maid got very happy to get the food. She told all this to the Queen.

From now on they started keeping fast and worshipping Bhagavaan Brihaspati on Thursday. By the grace of Brihaspati Bhagavaan they had now lots of wealth. After getting this the Queen again started being lazy, the maid said - "You were lazy before also. Because you felt difficulty in keeping money, that is why your all money was lost. Now we have this money after so much hardship, do not lose it. Feed the poor people, build inns and temples, donate knowledge by building schools, marry unmarried girls. This will spread your family's fame. So the Queen started doing all this with that money.

One day the Queen and her maid were talking about the King that where was the King and in which condition? So they prayed Brihaspati Bhagavaan that wherever the King is, should come back home well and sound.

On th other side, the King was passing his days in great difficulty, so one day he got very sad and started weeping. Brihaspati Jee came to him in the disguise of a Saadhu and asked him - "Why are sitting here alone and what is worrying you? Tell me." The King told him the whole story. Saadhu said - "Your wife committed crime against Brihaspati Jee that is you are in this condition, Now you don't worry, Bhagavaan will give you lots of money. Your wife has already started doing Brihaspati's Vrat; now you also start doing it. Take some Chanaa Daal and jaggery, place it in a pot of water and worship Brihaspati Jee in the roots Banana tree. After this either tell the story or listen to the story of Brihaspati Bhagavaan. He will fulfill all your desires." The King said - "Prabhu, I have no money left after selling my wood, how will I do all this? Yesterday night I saw my wife disturbed, I have no means to know about her. Besides which story I should tell, I do not know." Saadhu said - "Nothing to worry, Just intend to worship Brihaspati Bhagavaan, he himself will show you the way. On next Thursday you will get more money for your wood, so you can do it. The Kathaa of Brihaspati Vaar is like this :--

Story of Brihaspati Vaar (Thursday)
Read the same story here also

Long long time ago there lived a poor Braahman with his wife. They had no child. He used to worship Bhagavaan daily, but his wife neither took bath nor worshipped any Devtaa. This made Braahman very sad. By the grace of God one day a beautiful daughter was born to them. Gradually she grew up. From the very beginning she was a devotee of Vishnu. She did Vishnu's name Jap and after a while she started observing Brihaspati's fast also. When she went to school, she took a handful of barley and scattered on the road. While returning from the school, those barley grains turned into golden barley grains, so she collected them on her way back to home.

One day when she was cleaning the golden barley grains in her winnowing basket, her mother said - "You should have a golden winnowing basket o winnow your golden barley." Next day the girl prayed to Brihaspati Bhagavaan to give her a golden winnowing basket, so when she returned from her school, she found a golden winnowing basket. So she started winnowing her barley in golden winnowing basket.

One day the Prince of that kingdom saw her and got enchanted by her beauty and innocence. He went back home and lay down on his bed. He left eating and drinking. When the King heard this he went to see his son and asked the reason for this. He told him clearly that if he would marry, he would marry to only that girl with golden winnowing basket. Seeing no alternative the King married him to that girl.

Now as the girl came to the palace, her parents again became poor. So her father went to palace for her help. She gave him some money but for how long that money would continue. The Braahman again became poor. So he again came to his daughter. This time daughter said - "Father, You send my mother to me, I will tell her how to become rich." So he sent her mother to her. She asked her mother to worship Brihaspati Devtaa everyday before eating anything. But her mother wouldn't listen to and they still remained poor.

One day the girl got very angry and she shut her mother in a room for over night. Next day she gave her bath, asked her to do her daily Poojaa and then gave her something to eat. Then her mother's mind became all right. After this she started worshipping Bhagavaan daily and regularly. She started the Vrat of Brihaspati Vaar also. After a while they became rich. After they died they went to Swarg Lok." After telling this story Saadhu went away.

When next Thursday came, the King got double the money for his wood. He bought some Chanaa Daal and jaggery, kept fast of Thursday, and worshipped Brihaspati Bhagavaan. From that day on his condition started improving. But on next Thursday he forgot to keep that fast. Brihaspati Bhagavaan got angry at this. On that day the King of that kingdom had organized a great Yagya, so he announced that all people should have food at his place, nobody should burn his stove in his house. Now this King also went there, but he got a bit late, so the King took him inside. When the King was feeding him, his Queen looked at the peg where her valuable necklace was hanging, she did not see it there. She thought that this man had stolen it. The King called his soldiers and they put him in jail.

Now this King thought why he was put in jail, maybe this is the result of some bad Karm of previous life. That Brihaspati Bhagavaan appeared before him in the disguise of  a Saadhu and told him that he forgot to keep fast on that Thursday. But you don't worry, on next Thursday you will find four Paisaa lying outside the door of the jail, Worship Brihaspati Bhagavaan from that money, your all worries and troubles will be over."

Next Thursday he got four Paisaa lying outside the door of the jail. He asked somebody to bring him the worshipping materials and worshipped Brihaspati Bhagavaan from that materials. The same night, the King saw a Saadhu in his dream, he said to him - "This man is innocent, release him." Next day morning he saw the necklace hanging from the peg, he asked the King for his forgiveness, gave him lots of money and golden ornaments and released him.

According to the advice of that Saadhu, the King set off to his own country. When he entered his country, he got surprised to see many temples, inns, well there. He asked somebody, "Who has built them?" They told him, it was the Queen. Now the King got mad out of anger. He left her in a pitiable condition and now she became so rich that she built all these things behind his back. Where did she get this money?

When the Queen heard this that the King was coming back, she said to her maid - "See, The King left us in a pitiable condition, lest he goes back seeing us in this condition, you go and wait for him at the door. When he comes escort him here." So the maid waited for the King and when he came she brought him inside. The King took out his sword and asked the Queen - "Where did you get so much money?" The Queen told him all what had happened behind his back. Now the King had all the time Chanaa Daal and jaggery and he told the Kathaa three times a day.

Mahaatmya of Kathaa

One day he thought to to see his sister. On the way to her house he saw some people carrying a dead body. He said to them - "Come and listen to my Brihaspati Vaar's Kathaa." They said - "Our man has died and you want to tell us your Kathaa?" But some of them said - "OK, We will listen to your Kathaa." So the King took out his Daal and jaggery and started telling the Kathaa. When he finished his Kathaa half, the dead body started shaking and when the Kathaa was over, he stood up saying "Raam, Raam".

The King proceeded towards his sister's house. Evening fell on the way, so he again intended to tell Kathaa. One farmer was working in his farm, so he asked him to listen to Brihaspati's Kathaa, but he refused. As the King went a little forward, his bulls fell down and he had a severe stomachache. At the same time the farmer's mother came there with his food. She asked him what happened. He told her everything. She immediately ran to the King and said - "O Man, Come I will listen to the Kathaa. Tell your Kathaa on my farm." The King went back to that woman's farm and told the Kathaa. As all listened to the Kathaa the bulls stood up and the stomachache of the farmer also stopped.

Now the King arrived at his sister's house. His sister welcomed him and offered her best hospitality to him. Next morning when the King rose, he found that all members of the family were eating food there. The King asked his sister - "Is there anybody here who has not taken food yet? And who can listen to my Brihaspati Vaar's Kathaa?" The sister said - "Brother, This is the tradition here that people first eat food then they do any work." Then she remembered something and went to a clay pot maker's house. His son was taken ill. She came to know that nobody had eaten anything for three days in that house. So the King's sister asked him to listen to her brother's Kathaa. He got ready. The King went to his home and told his Kathaa there. Listening to the Kathaa, his son got cured. Everybody admired the King.

One day the King wanted to come back to his home, so he asked his sister also to get ready to go with him. The sister asked her mother-in-law to go to her brother's house. She said - "You can go but don't take your sons there, because your brother is childless. The sister told her brother that she was ready to go but she could not take her children there as he had no child of his own. The King came back with a heavy heart leaving his sister there only. When the night fell he prayed lying on the bed - "Hey Bhagavaan, You have given us everything, give us a child too." And he slept. In the night he saw a dream in which Brihaspati Dev said to the King - "Don't worry at all, your wife is pregnant."

When the time came the Queen gave birth to a beautiful boy. The King said to her - "See, A woman can live without food but cannot live without talking. Do not tell anything to my sister when she comes here." Hearing the news his sister came rushing to her brother's house. The Queen pretended to be angry with her saying that "When your brother was bringing you here, you did not come, and today you have come without any invitation." The sister said - "If I had not said like that, you could not have a child."

Thus Brihaspati Dev fulfills all wishes. Whoever keeps fast of Brihaspati Dev, or reads his Kathaa, or listens to his Kathaa, he always protects him. That is why do not ignore him (Guru) even unknowingly. After listening to the Kathaa, all should take Prasaad.