The Story Of Mangala Gowri Vrata

Mangala Gowri Vrata is an important ritual performed by the married women in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and in some parts of Maharashtra and Goa. Women perform the Vrata for a happy married life and for the long life of their husbands.

The vrat is observed on every Tuesday of the Shravan month. This year, the dates of Mangala Gowri Vrata falls on the 18th of August, 25th of August, 1st of September and the 8th of September. Women perform the Vrat for five consecutive years and then they conduct the udyapan (the finish). In some areas, unmarried girls too perfom the Vrat. If a girl performs the Vrat for 4 years before the marriage, she will need to do it only for one year after her marriage.

Mangala Gowri Vratha And Pooja Vidhanam

Like most Vratas, Mangala Gowri Vrata too has a story behind it that exalts the virtues and the benefits of observing it. The story may differ from region to region but the theme and the purpose behind the story remains the same. The story that is gong to be narrated below is popular in Karnataka as the Mangala Gowri Haddu which means the song of Mangala Gowri.

Once upon a time, there lived a king and his queen. They were staunch devotees of Lord Shiva and were just and wise to their subjects. The only thing that made them sad was the fact that they were childless.

In those days, it was a norm for children undergoing education under a Guru to go from door to door asking for alms. Following the tradition, a boy was going around seeking alms. When the queen tried to offer him alms, he refused and went away. The next day, the same thing happened. The queen was distressed and talked to the king about this. The next day, the king interfered when the boy refused the alms. The king asked the boy why he was doing so. The boy replied that the king and queen were childless and it was unlucky to accept alms from a childless couple.

The king grew angry at the answer. He burst out saying that the boy was no one to determine who was lucky and who was unlucky. Only Lord Shiva was capable to do that. When his anger dissipated, the king understood that the boy was none other than Lord Shiva in disguise. The king immediately asked for forgiveness and asked Lord Shiva to bless him with a child.Lord Shiva said that a child would be born to him but would only live to be 16.

A boy was born to the king and the queen whom they named Chandrashekhar. When the young prince Chandrashekhar turned 15, the king and queen remembered the words of Lord Shiva. They decided to send the prince to Kashi as anybody who dies there would be freed of the cycle of life and death. When informed about his fate, Chandrashekhar left for Kashi along with his uncle.

On the way, lay a kingdom and while passing through it, the prince and his uncle saw a group of girls performing the Mangala Gowri Vrata. The princess of the kingdom was one among them too. The prince overheard the prinncess boasting that whoever marries her shall live a long life as she had performed the Vrata with a pure heart full of devotion.

They moved forward into another kingdom where prince Chandrashekhar and his uncle met the prince of that kingdom. The prince was supposed to get married but was sick and wasn't be able to make it to his fiance's kingdom on the day of their marriage. The prince requested Chandrashekhar to go in his stead and perform the rituals of the first day and he would get there for the next day's rituals.

Accordingly, prince Chandrashekhar went to replace the other prince. He found that the bride was the same princess he had met earlier. The days rituals passed smoothly and at night, Chandrashekhar told the princess about his imminent death and the real prince. He told her that the next morning, he would be leaving for Kashi.

As he slept that night, the princess saw a snake approach Chandrashekhar. The princess immediately threw a handful of grains that she had used for the Mangala Gowri Vrata at the snake. The grains caused the snake to die. The princess hid the body of the snake in the kalash (pot) that was used in the Mangala Gowri Vrata.

Next morning, Chandrashekhar left his ring behind and continued his journey to Kashi. The real bridegroom appeared to take his place in the next day's ritual. But the princess refused to get married to the prince as she considered only Chandrashekhar as her husband.

Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar reached Kashi and spent the year waiting for his death. But such was the princess's devotion that he did not die. Chandrashekhar decided to go back to his parents and his kingdom. When he reached the princess's kingdom, he decided to see her from afar as he believed that the princess would now be married to the other prince.

Chandrashekhar came to know that the princess fed everybody who passed through the kingdom. He too went and took a seat among the people waiting to be fed. The princess came forward and as she served the food, she would carefully scan the crowd for Chandrashekhar. She had started the practice since the day Chandrashekhar left as she firmly belived that one day, he would pass through her kingdom again. As soon as she saw Chandrashekhar, she recognised him. The princess showed him his ring and explained that she had not gotten married and also told him what had happened on the night of their marriage. They soon got married with all the rituals and lived happily ever after.

This story explains how perfoming the Vrat with complete dedication and devotion can save a person from death that was predicted by god himself.