Bahut samay pehle ek nagar mein ek dhanvan vyapari rehta tha. Dhan-daulat ki koi kami nahi thi, par ghar mein santaan nahi thi — aur yahi dukh use din-raat khaye jaata tha. Vyapari bhagwan Shiv ka param bhakt tha. Har Somvar vrat rakhta, Shiv mandir mein deepak jalata aur puri shraddha se puja karta.
Parvati ji ka prashna
Uski nishtha dekh kar ek din mata Parvati ne Mahadev se kaha — praneshwar, ye bhakt itne varshon se aapki seva kar raha hai, iski manokamna puri kyun nahi karte? Mahadev ne kaha — iske bhagya mein santaan ka yog nahi hai. Par Parvati ji ke aagrah par bholenath maan gaye aur vardaan diya — putra hoga, par ye keval solah varsh tak jeevit rahega.
Vyapari ne prabhu ki ichchha samajh kar vardaan sweekar kiya. Yathasamay putra hua. Ghar mein khushiyan aayin, par pita ke man ke ek kone mein wo shart kaanta ban kar chubhti rahi. Usne vrat nahi chhoda — balki aur gehri shraddha se Somvar vrat karta raha.
Solahvan varsh
Putra jab solah varsh ka hua, use vivah ke liye mama ke saath doosre nagar bheja gaya. Raaste mein wahi ghadi aa gayi jiska bhay tha — nidra mein hi balak ke praan nikal gaye. Mama vilaap karne laga. Par usi samay us maarg se Shiv-Parvati ka aana hua. Balak ke parivar ki varsho ki shraddha aur uske pita ke akhand Somvar vrat ko yaad kar mata Parvati ka hriday pighal gaya. Unke aagrah par Mahadev ne balak ko jeevan-daan de diya — aur is baar bina kisi shart ke.
Katha ka saar
Ye katha ye nahi sikhati ki vrat se honi tal jaati hai. Ye sikhati hai ki shraddha kabhi vyarth nahi jaati — bhagya ki likhi rekha ke aage bhi bhakti ka ek adhyay hota hai. Somvar vrat rakhne wale isi vishwas ke saath vrat karte hain: jo Mahadev denge, mangal hi denge.
Long ago, in a prosperous town, there lived a wealthy merchant. He lacked nothing — except a child, and this one sorrow consumed him day and night. The merchant was a devoted worshipper of Lord Shiva: every Monday he fasted, lit a lamp at the Shiva temple and prayed with a full heart.
Parvati's question
Moved by his steadfastness, Mother Parvati one day asked Mahadev — my lord, this devotee has served you for years; why not fulfil his wish? Mahadev replied — a child is not written in his destiny. But at Parvati's insistence, the compassionate lord granted a boon: a son would be born, but he would live only sixteen years.
Understanding the divine will, the merchant accepted. In time a son was born. Joy filled the house, yet in one corner of the father's heart the condition kept pricking like a thorn. He did not abandon his vrat — he kept the Monday fast with even deeper faith.
The sixteenth year
When the boy turned sixteen, he was sent with his uncle to another town for his wedding. On the way, the feared hour arrived — the boy's life slipped away in his sleep. The uncle wept helplessly. But at that very moment, Shiva and Parvati happened to pass that way. Remembering the family's years of devotion and the father's unbroken Monday vrat, Mother Parvati's heart melted. At her urging, Mahadev restored the boy to life — this time without any condition.
The essence
This story does not teach that fasting cancels fate. It teaches that faith is never wasted — beyond the written line of destiny, there exists one more chapter that devotion can write. Those who keep the Monday vrat do so with exactly this trust: whatever Mahadev gives, it will be for good.