In what is known as the region of Vidharbha in modern day Maharashtra, there ruled a king by the name of Satyaratha. Satyaratha was a good king but was careless when it came to worshipping Lord Shiva. The neighbouring kingdom of Shalya,was ruled by the king Durmarshana. Both the kingdoms were at odds with each other for some time and one day Durmarshana attacked Vidharbha with a large army.
The sudden attack had taken the entire kingdom bysurprise and the king was ill prepared. Satyaratha was eventually killed in battle. The Shalya's eventually entered the kingdom. The Queen, who was expecting, out of fear for her own safety and for the safety for her unborn child fled into the neighbouring forest.
Once a Queen who had hundreds of servants to do her bidding, she was now wandering in the forest not knowing where to go.She was tired and thirsty. The grief of having lost her husband was too much for her. A baby boy was born to her right under a treewhere she rested. After some time she realised that she was not too far away from a small lake. She went to have a drink of water. But as fate would have it, a crocodile caught hold of her and dragged her back into the water. The baby lay in the forest alone and helpless.
Lord Shiva is all seeing and all knowing. Just then a brahmin widow was passing through the forest with her one year old son.Hername was Uma. She saw the baby lying unattended to under the tree. She called out hoping that someone would come to claim the child but no oneresponded. She did not know if she should take the child with her or not. Who were his parents?What family did he belong to?What social order didhe belong to? Just then, Lord Shiva appeared in the guise of a hermit and told her that she need not worry about such things.The child was of high birth, of the warrior caste and a prince. Lord Shiva then vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared.She named the baby Dharmagupta and her own son was named Suchivrata.
Uma fed the child her own milk and she with her new son, made way towards the city of Ekachakra. Ekachakra had a magnificent Shiva Templeand Sage Shandilya was the chief priest. On seeing Uma and her two children, he spoke to her about their difficult circumstances. All the good and bad things that happen to us are just the effects of our own respective acts in previous births. He then began to narrate the stories of why her children were suffering in poverty.
Sage Shandilya told Uma that Dharmagupta's father was the slain king Satyaratha. Satyaratha worshipped Lord Shiva but once neglected his duty towardscompleting his prayers. Some captured enemy soldiers were brought in front of him when he was performing his prayers. He left his prayers, killed the captured soldiers and the had dinner, forgetting that he had not completed his prayers. For this he died an early death at the hands of the enemy that attacked his kingdom.
Dharmagupta's birth mother had killed the second wife of her husband Satyaratha and this wife had reincarnated as the same crocodile that had slain herin the forest. Dharmagupta himself had not performed prayers to Lord Shiva and hence was forced to loose both parents and live life like an ordinary person though he was rightfully the king of the same region.
Suchivrata was a greedy man in his previous birth and had not done any charity, had taken on curses from many people and was lusty towards women. Thus, he too had lost his father and was living a life of poverty with his mother and brother.
On telling her of all this, Sage Shandilya also advised the two boys to undertake the Pradosh Vrat. This involved offering special prayers to Lord Shiva on the thirteenth day of every fortnight, known as 'trayaodashi'. They were to fast on thecomplete day and partake only remnants of what had been offered to Lord Shiva in the evening. With Sage Shandilya's blessings, the boys began the Vrat.
Almost four months had passed since the boys had begun the Pradosh Vrat. Suchivrata was making his way through the forest one daywhen he accidentally discovered a hidden treasure which he promptly took home to his mother and brother. Both of them were pleased.He offered half of it to his brother Dharmagupta, who promptly declined. He explained that as he was king, everything in this kingdom was rightfully his and thathe intended to take his kingdom back. He asked his brother to keep all the riches for himself.
Some months later, Dharmagupta was in the forest and he came across the beautiful young daughter of the Gandharva king Kodravina. Her name was Anshumati.Both of them feel in love and decided to get married.She told him to come to her home and ask her father for her hand in marriage.King Kodravina had been told by Lord Shiva that he should get his daughter married to the king of Vidharbha whose name wasDharmagupta. So, three days later when Dharmagupta met Kodravina and asked Anshumati's hand in marriage, Kodravina was more than happy. Along with great wealth, Dharmagupta received as gifts, a large army, a vast array of celestial weapons and the services of one of the finest generals of Kodravina's army. All this would nowenable him to rightfully take back his kingdom from the Shalya king.
With his mighty army and able generals, Dharmagupta was able to vanquish his enemy and take back his kingdom. On an auspicious day he ascended the throne and ruled for many years with his wife, mother and brother at his side. He glorifed Sage Shandilya whose advise had helped him get his kingdom back.Both the brothers continued worshipping Lord Shiva and followed the Pradosh Vrat. Eventually, Dharmagupta retired from his duties of a king and ascended to the abode of Lord Shiva with this wife, mother and brother and engaged in eternally worshipping an glorifying Lord Shiva.
It is said that one who chants the holy name of Lord Shiva, is free from material bondage and one who has taken up the Pradosh Vrat is glorified in the three worlds.Thus ends the narration of the story from the Skanda Purana that glorifies the Pradosh Vrat.
The sudden attack had taken the entire kingdom bysurprise and the king was ill prepared. Satyaratha was eventually killed in battle. The Shalya's eventually entered the kingdom. The Queen, who was expecting, out of fear for her own safety and for the safety for her unborn child fled into the neighbouring forest.
Once a Queen who had hundreds of servants to do her bidding, she was now wandering in the forest not knowing where to go.She was tired and thirsty. The grief of having lost her husband was too much for her. A baby boy was born to her right under a treewhere she rested. After some time she realised that she was not too far away from a small lake. She went to have a drink of water. But as fate would have it, a crocodile caught hold of her and dragged her back into the water. The baby lay in the forest alone and helpless.
Lord Shiva is all seeing and all knowing. Just then a brahmin widow was passing through the forest with her one year old son.Hername was Uma. She saw the baby lying unattended to under the tree. She called out hoping that someone would come to claim the child but no oneresponded. She did not know if she should take the child with her or not. Who were his parents?What family did he belong to?What social order didhe belong to? Just then, Lord Shiva appeared in the guise of a hermit and told her that she need not worry about such things.The child was of high birth, of the warrior caste and a prince. Lord Shiva then vanished just as suddenly as he had appeared.She named the baby Dharmagupta and her own son was named Suchivrata.
Uma fed the child her own milk and she with her new son, made way towards the city of Ekachakra. Ekachakra had a magnificent Shiva Templeand Sage Shandilya was the chief priest. On seeing Uma and her two children, he spoke to her about their difficult circumstances. All the good and bad things that happen to us are just the effects of our own respective acts in previous births. He then began to narrate the stories of why her children were suffering in poverty.
Sage Shandilya told Uma that Dharmagupta's father was the slain king Satyaratha. Satyaratha worshipped Lord Shiva but once neglected his duty towardscompleting his prayers. Some captured enemy soldiers were brought in front of him when he was performing his prayers. He left his prayers, killed the captured soldiers and the had dinner, forgetting that he had not completed his prayers. For this he died an early death at the hands of the enemy that attacked his kingdom.
Dharmagupta's birth mother had killed the second wife of her husband Satyaratha and this wife had reincarnated as the same crocodile that had slain herin the forest. Dharmagupta himself had not performed prayers to Lord Shiva and hence was forced to loose both parents and live life like an ordinary person though he was rightfully the king of the same region.
Suchivrata was a greedy man in his previous birth and had not done any charity, had taken on curses from many people and was lusty towards women. Thus, he too had lost his father and was living a life of poverty with his mother and brother.
On telling her of all this, Sage Shandilya also advised the two boys to undertake the Pradosh Vrat. This involved offering special prayers to Lord Shiva on the thirteenth day of every fortnight, known as 'trayaodashi'. They were to fast on thecomplete day and partake only remnants of what had been offered to Lord Shiva in the evening. With Sage Shandilya's blessings, the boys began the Vrat.
Almost four months had passed since the boys had begun the Pradosh Vrat. Suchivrata was making his way through the forest one daywhen he accidentally discovered a hidden treasure which he promptly took home to his mother and brother. Both of them were pleased.He offered half of it to his brother Dharmagupta, who promptly declined. He explained that as he was king, everything in this kingdom was rightfully his and thathe intended to take his kingdom back. He asked his brother to keep all the riches for himself.
Some months later, Dharmagupta was in the forest and he came across the beautiful young daughter of the Gandharva king Kodravina. Her name was Anshumati.Both of them feel in love and decided to get married.She told him to come to her home and ask her father for her hand in marriage.King Kodravina had been told by Lord Shiva that he should get his daughter married to the king of Vidharbha whose name wasDharmagupta. So, three days later when Dharmagupta met Kodravina and asked Anshumati's hand in marriage, Kodravina was more than happy. Along with great wealth, Dharmagupta received as gifts, a large army, a vast array of celestial weapons and the services of one of the finest generals of Kodravina's army. All this would nowenable him to rightfully take back his kingdom from the Shalya king.
With his mighty army and able generals, Dharmagupta was able to vanquish his enemy and take back his kingdom. On an auspicious day he ascended the throne and ruled for many years with his wife, mother and brother at his side. He glorifed Sage Shandilya whose advise had helped him get his kingdom back.Both the brothers continued worshipping Lord Shiva and followed the Pradosh Vrat. Eventually, Dharmagupta retired from his duties of a king and ascended to the abode of Lord Shiva with this wife, mother and brother and engaged in eternally worshipping an glorifying Lord Shiva.
It is said that one who chants the holy name of Lord Shiva, is free from material bondage and one who has taken up the Pradosh Vrat is glorified in the three worlds.Thus ends the narration of the story from the Skanda Purana that glorifies the Pradosh Vrat.
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