5 - The glory of Punyaka Vrata

Narayana said - After listening to the method of performing the Punyaka-vrata, the mind of goddess Durga was fully delighted. Thereafter, she enquired about the sacred vrata from lord Shiva. 

Parvati said - О lord, this is an astonishing type of vrata. You kindly tell me the way of performing it, its result, its story and who started it. 

Mahadeva said - Once Shatarupa the wife of Manu, felt concerned because of the non availability of a son. She was desirous of the same and she went to Brahma and said. 

Shatarupa said - О Brahmana, you are the creator of the universe and the cause of the creation of the same. Therefore, you kindly tell me, how a barren woman can achieve a son. 

Because О Brahmana, the household in which there is no son, the life of the householder is of no consequence besides the riches and the fortune. The house is devoid of glory. 

The merit earned by performing tapas and charity is useful in the other worlds and the son provides pleasure to the parents besides salvation. 

A person having a son earns the merit of performing the Ashvamedha sacrifice because his son protects him from falling in the hell named Pum. Therefore, you kindly tell me, whose mind is filled with grief, a remedy for begetting a son or otherwise I shall retire to the forest with my husband. 

You take away our kingdom, fortune, riches and the land filled with people because, О father, in case we remain childless then what could we do with all these. 

The intellectual people do not want to see the face of a childless person, who is considered inauspicious and the one having no son also feels shy of facing others.

Or otherwise, I shall jump into the fire flame by consuming poison, because a household without sons, grandsons and housewife is considered to be inauspicious. 

Thus speaking, she started crying before Brahma. Thereafter the merciful Brahma spoke looking at her. 

Brahma said - О daughter, I will tell you the pleasant way of begetting a son, which is quite auspicious, bestows riches and fulfils all the desires. 

There is a vrata called Supunyaka which is performed on the bright thirteenth day of the moon in the month of Magha. This vrata should be performed with devotion in the auspicious time for lord Krishna who fulfils all the wishes. 

О lady, this vrata is the destroyer of all the obstructions and has to be completed in one full year. For that purpose, one should give away in charity all the things that are prescribed in the Vedas. О chaste lady, thus according to Kanvasakha, all the wishes are fulfilled by performing this vrata and with the completion of this vrata one gets a valorous son with the grace of lord Vishnu. 

On hearing the words of Brahma, she performed that vrata as a result of which she got two sons named Priyavrata and Uttanpada. By performing the same auspicious Punyaka-vrata, Devahuti begot a son named Kapila who possessed the rays of Ishvara and Narayana. 

Arundhati on the other hand got a son named shakti, after performing this vrata and the wife of shakti after performing this vrata achieved Paras'ara as her son. 

By performing this vrata, Aditi got a son who happened to be the dwarf incarnation and Indrani, the goddess of all the gods, achieved a son named Jayanta by performing this vrata. 

The wife of Uttanapada got a son named Dhruva after performing this vrata and the wife of Kubera got two sons named Nala-Kubara. Sanjna, the wife of Atri got a son named Candrama. 

The wife of Angira then got a son named Bruhaspati who happened to be the priest of the gods. The wife of Bhrgu got a son named Sukra who happens to be the priest of the demons, who was born from the rays of Narayana and was quite illustrious.

О goddess, I have, therefore, narrated to you the details about the best of the vratas. Therefore, О chaste lady, О daughter of Himalaya, О auspicious one, you also perform this vrata. О great ascetic, the chief queens can perform this vrata. It provides pleasure to the goddesses and is liked by the chaste ladies better then their lives. 

Because of the influence of this vrata, Krishna happens to be the lord of cowherds beside being lord of all the bhutas and will be your son also. 

О Narada, thus speaking Shiva kept quiet. Thereafter the goddess accepting the command of Shiva performed this vrata. 

Thus, I have spoken everything to you which provides pleasure, salvation and is the cause for the birth of Ganesha; what else do you want to listen to from me.