In India, there once ruled a king who was very powerful and generous. He regularly helped the poor and the Brahmins. His queen, however, did not approve of this; she neither gave alms to the poor nor worshipped God, and she often tried to dissuade the king from giving charity.
One day, the king had gone hunting in the forest, and the queen was alone in the palace. At that time, Brihaspati, disguised as a sage, came to the king's palace to beg for alms. The queen refused to give him anything and said, "O revered sage, I am tired of all this charity and good deeds. My husband keeps squandering all our wealth. I wish that all our wealth would be destroyed; then there would be no more trouble."
The sage said, "Goddess, you are very strange. Everyone desires wealth and children. Even a sinner should have sons and Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) in their house. If you have abundant wealth, then feed the hungry, build wells for the thirsty, and open rest houses for travelers. Arrange the marriages of poor girls whose parents cannot afford to marry them off. There are many such good deeds that you can do, which will spread your fame in this world and the next." But the queen remained unmoved by his advice. She said, "Maharaj, please don't try to explain anything to me. I don't want wealth that I have to keep distributing everywhere." The sage replied, "If that is your wish, then so be it! Do this: on Thursday, clean your house, wash your head with yellow clay and bathe, and wash your clothes by heating water in a furnace. By doing this, all your wealth will be destroyed." Saying this, the sage disappeared from there.
As the sage had instructed, the queen did exactly as he said. Only six Thursdays had passed when all their wealth was lost, and they both began to suffer from hunger. They became miserable due to worldly pleasures. Then the king said to the queen, "You stay here, I will go to another country because everyone here knows me, so I cannot find any work." Saying that "stealing in one's own country is the same as begging in a foreign land," the king went to another country. There, he would go to the forest, cut wood, and sell it in the city, thus earning his livelihood.
One day, feeling distressed, he sat down under a tree in the forest. He became distraught remembering his plight. It was a Thursday. Suddenly, he saw a sage appear in the deserted forest. The sage was none other than Lord Brihaspati himself in disguise. He came before the woodcutter and said, "O woodcutter! Why are you sitting here so worried in this desolate forest?" The woodcutter folded his hands in प्रणाम (respectful greeting) and replied, "Great sage! You know everything, what can I say?" Saying this, he began to weep and narrated his story to the sage. The great sage said, "Your wife insulted Lord Brihaspati on Thursday, and because of that, he became angry and brought you to this state. Now, cast aside your worries and follow my instructions, and all your troubles will be removed, and God will give you even more wealth than before. You should perform the Brihaspati Katha (story/ritual) on Thursdays. Get chickpeas and raisins worth two paise, prepare the prasad (offering) from them, and mix sugar in a pot of pure water to prepare the amrit (nectar). After the Katha, distribute the amrit and prasad among your entire family and all the devotees who listen, and you too should partake of it. By doing this, God will fulfill all your desires."
Hearing these words from the sage, the woodcutter said, "O Lord! I don't earn enough money from selling wood to even save anything after buying food. I saw my wife distressed last night. I have nothing with which I can send for news of her." The sage said, "O woodcutter! Don't worry about anything. On Thursday, as usual, take the wood to the city." You will receive double the amount of money every day, which will allow you to eat well and also buy the necessary items for worshipping Lord Brihaspati. Saying this, the sage disappeared. As time passed, the same Thursday arrived again. The woodcutter went to sell the wood he had cut from the forest in a city and received more money that day than usual. The king brought chickpeas, jaggery, etc., and observed the Thursday fast. From that day onwards, all his troubles disappeared, but when Thursday came again, he forgot to observe the Thursday fast. Because of this, Lord Brihaspati became angry.
From that day, the king of that city organized a grand sacrifice and announced throughout the city that no one should cook food or light a fire in their homes; all the people should come to his place to eat. Anyone who disobeyed this order would be sentenced to death by hanging. This announcement was made throughout the city. According to the king's order, all the people of the city went to eat. But the woodcutter arrived a little late, so the king took him home with him. While they were eating, the queen's gaze fell on the peg where her necklace was hanging. It was not there. The queen decided that this man had stolen her necklace. Immediately, she called the soldiers and had him thrown into prison. When the woodcutter was in prison, he became very sad and began to wonder what past life's karma had brought him this suffering, and he remembered the sage he had met in the forest. At that very moment, Lord Brihaspati appeared in the form of a sage and, seeing his condition, said, "Oh fool! You did not recite the story of Lord Brihaspati, and because of this, you have received this suffering. Now do not worry, you will find four coins lying at the prison gate on Thursday. Use them to worship Lord Brihaspati, and all your troubles will be removed." On Thursday, he found four coins. The woodcutter recited the story. That same night, Lord Brihaspati appeared in the king's dream and said, "O King! The man you have imprisoned is innocent. He is a king; release him." The queen's necklace was hanging on that very peg. If you don't do as I say, I will destroy your kingdom. Having seen this dream at night, the king woke up in the morning, saw the necklace on the peg, called the woodcutter, apologized to him, and gave him fine clothes and ornaments before sending him away.
Now listen to what happened to the queen after the king left the city:
Once, when the queen and her maid had to go without food for seven days, the queen said to her maid, "O maid, my sister lives in a nearby city. She is very wealthy. Go to her and bring something so that we can manage for a while."
The maid went to the queen's sister. It was Thursday, and the queen's sister was listening to the story of the Thursday fast. The maid gave the queen's sister the queen's message, but the queen's older sister did not reply. When the maid received no answer from the queen's sister, she was very sad and also angry. The maid returned and told the queen everything.
Meanwhile, the queen's sister thought, "My sister's maid came to my house, but I didn't speak to her, so she must have been very upset." After hearing the story and finishing her prayers, she went to her sister's house and said, "Sister, I was observing the Thursday fast. Your maid came to my house, but while the story is being recited, one neither gets up nor speaks, so I didn't speak to her. Tell me, why did the maid come?" The queen replied, "Sister, what can I hide from you? We don't even have grain to eat in our house." Saying this, tears welled up in the queen's eyes. She told her sister the whole story of how she and her maid had been starving for the past seven days.
The queen's sister said, "Look, sister, Lord Brihaspati fulfills everyone's wishes. Look, perhaps there is some grain kept in your house." At first, the queen didn't believe her, but at her sister's insistence, she sent her maid inside, and she actually found a pot full of grain. Seeing this, the maid was greatly surprised. The maid said to the queen, "O Queen, when we don't get food, we observe fasts, so why not ask them about the method of observing the fast and reciting the story, so that we too can observe the fast?" Then the queen asked her sister about the Thursday fast.
From that day onwards, the king of that city organized a grand yagna (fire sacrifice) and announced throughout the city that no one should cook food or light a fire in their homes; all the people should come to his palace for food. Anyone who disobeyed this order would be sentenced to death by hanging. This announcement was made throughout the entire city. According to the king's order, all the people of the city went to eat. But the woodcutter arrived a little late, so the king took him home with him and was feeding him when the queen's gaze fell on the peg where her necklace was hanging. It was not there. The queen decided that this man had stolen her necklace. Immediately, she called the soldiers and had him thrown into prison. When the woodcutter was imprisoned, he became very sad and began to wonder what past life karma had caused him this suffering. He remembered the sage he had met in the forest. At that moment, Brihaspati Dev (Jupiter) appeared in the form of a sage and, seeing his condition, said, "O fool! You did not recite the story of Brihaspati Dev, that is why you have received this suffering. Now do not worry, you will find four coins lying at the prison gate on Thursday. Use them to worship Brihaspati Dev, and all your troubles will be removed." On Thursday, he found the four coins. The woodcutter recited the story, and that very night, Brihaspati Dev appeared in the king's dream and said, "O King! The man you have imprisoned is innocent. He is a king; release him. The queen's necklace is hanging on that very peg. If you do not do this, I will destroy your kingdom." Seeing this dream at night, the king woke up in the morning, saw the necklace on the peg, called the woodcutter, apologized to him, and gave him suitable fine clothes and ornaments before sending him away.
Now listen to what happened to the queen after the king left the city:
Once, when the queen and her maid had to go without food for seven days, the queen said to her maid, "O maid, my sister lives in a nearby city. She is very wealthy. Go to her and bring something so that we can manage for a while."
The maid went to the queen's sister. It was Thursday, and the queen's sister was listening to the story of the Thursday fast. The maid gave the queen's sister the queen's message, but the queen's elder sister did not reply. When the maid received no answer from the queen's sister, she became very sad and also angry. The maid returned and told the queen everything.
Meanwhile, the queen's sister thought that her sister's maid had come, but she had not spoken to her, which must have made her very sad. After listening to the story and finishing the puja, she went to her sister's house and said, "Sister, I was observing the Thursday fast. Your maid came to my house, but during the storytelling, one neither gets up nor speaks, so I didn't say anything. Tell me, why did the maid come?" The queen replied, "Sister, what can I hide from you? We don't even have grain to eat in our house." Saying this, tears welled up in the queen's eyes. She told her sister everything about how she and her maid had been starving for the past seven days.
The queen's sister said, "Look, sister, Lord Brihaspati fulfills everyone's wishes. Look, perhaps there is some grain kept in your house." At first, the queen didn't believe her, but at her sister's insistence, she sent her maid inside, and the maid actually found a pot full of grain. The maid was very surprised to see this. The maid said to the queen, "O Queen, when we don't get food, we observe fasts, so why not ask them about the method of observing the fast and the story, so that we can also observe the fast?" Then the queen asked her sister about the Thursday fast.
Her sister explained, "On the Thursday fast, offer gram lentils and raisins at the base of a banana tree, light a lamp, listen to the fast's story, and eat only yellow food. This pleases Lord Brihaspati and Lord Vishnu." After explaining the method of the fast and worship, the queen's sister returned home. Seven days later, when Thursday arrived, the queen and the maid observed the fast. They went to the stable and brought gram and jaggery. Then they worshipped the banana tree and Lord Vishnu. Now, they were very worried about the yellow food. Since they had observed the fast, Lord Brihaspati was pleased with them. He appeared in the form of an ordinary man and gave the maid two plates of yellow food. The maid was happy to receive the food and then ate it with the queen. After that, they began observing the fast and worship every Thursday. By the grace of Lord Brihaspati, they regained their wealth, but the queen again became lazy as before.
Then the maid said, "Look, Queen, you were also lazy like this before, you had trouble managing your wealth. Because of this, all the wealth was lost, and now that you have received wealth again by the grace of Lord Brihaspati, you have become lazy again." Explaining to the queen, the maid said that they had obtained this wealth after great difficulties. Therefore, they should perform acts of charity, feed the hungry, and spend the wealth on auspicious deeds. This will increase the glory of your family, you will attain heaven, and your ancestors will be pleased. Following the maid's advice, the queen began to spend her wealth on auspicious deeds. Because of this, her fame spread throughout the city.
According to Lord Brihaspati's instructions, the woodcutter set off for his city. When the king reached near his city, he was greatly surprised. There were more gardens, ponds, and wells, and many rest houses and temples than before. The king asked whose gardens and rest houses these were, and all the people of the city said that they all belonged to the queen and the maid. The king was surprised and also angry. When the queen heard the news that the king was coming, she said to the maid, "O maid! See how badly the king left us." "Stand at the door so that he doesn't turn back upon seeing our condition," she instructed. The maidservant stood at the door as instructed. When the king arrived, she brought him inside. Then the king angrily asked his queen how she had obtained all this wealth. She replied, "We have received all this wealth through the power of observing this fast of Brihaspati Dev."
The king decided that although everyone worships Brihaspati Dev after seven days, he would recite the story three times a day and observe the fast daily. Now, the king always kept some gram lentils tied in his scarf and recited the story three times a day. One day, the king thought, "Let me go and visit my sister." Having decided this, the king mounted his horse and set off towards his sister's house. On the way, he saw some men carrying a dead body. Stopping them, the king said, "O brothers! Listen to my story of Brihaspati Dev." They replied, "Look! Our man has died, and he's worried about his story!" But some men said, "Alright, tell us, we will listen to your story." The king took out the lentils, and when the story was halfway through, the dead body began to stir, and when the story was finished, the man got up, saying "Ram, Ram."
Further along the road, he met a farmer plowing his field. The king saw him and said, "O brother! Listen to my story of Brihaspati Dev." The farmer replied, "By the time I listen to your story, I will have plowed four furrows. Go and tell your story to someone else." The king continued on his way. As soon as the king left, the oxen stumbled and fell, and the farmer experienced a terrible pain in his stomach. At that moment, his mother arrived with food. When she saw this, she asked her son what had happened, and when the son told her everything, the old woman ran to the horseman and said, "I will listen to your story. Tell your story at my field." The king went to the old woman's field and told the story, and as soon as he finished, the oxen got up, and the farmer's stomach pain also stopped. The king reached his sister's house. His sister gave him a warm welcome. The next morning, when the king woke up, he saw that everyone was eating. The king said to his sister, "Is there anyone who hasn't eaten yet? Tell them to come and listen to my Thursday story." His sister replied, "Brother, this is how things are in this country; people eat first and then do other things. I'll go and see if there's anyone in the neighborhood who hasn't eaten." Saying this, she went to look, but she couldn't find anyone who hadn't eaten. So she went to a potter's house whose son was ill. She learned that no one in their house had eaten for three days. The queen asked the potter to listen to her brother's story, and he agreed. The king went and narrated the Thursday story, after which the potter's son recovered. Now, everyone began to praise the king.
One day, the king said to his sister, "Sister, we are going home. Get ready too." The king's sister told her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law said, "Yes, go ahead. But don't take your sons with you, because your brother has no children." The sister said to her brother, "Brother, I will go, but no children will go with me." The king said, "If no children go, then what will you do?" With a heavy heart, the king returned to his city. The king said to his queen, "We are childless. We have no right to show our faces to anyone," and he did not eat anything. The queen said, "O Lord! Brihaspati Dev has given us everything. He will surely give us children." That very night, Brihaspati Dev appeared to the king in a dream and said, "O King, wake up. Cast aside all your worries. Your queen is pregnant." The king was overjoyed to hear this. In the ninth month, a beautiful son was born to them. Then the king said, "O Queen! A woman can live without food, but she cannot live without speaking. When my sister comes, don't say anything to her." The queen agreed.
When the king's sister heard this good news, she was very happy and came to her brother's house to congratulate him. Then the queen said, "You didn't come riding a horse, you came riding a donkey!" The king's sister replied, "Sister-in-law, if I hadn't said that, how would you have received a child? Brihaspati Dev is like that; He fulfills the desires of everyone according to their wishes. Whoever observes the fast of Thursday with good intentions and reads or listens to the story and tells it to others, Brihaspati Dev fulfills their desires."
Lord Brihaspati Dev always protects them. In this world, those who worship and observe the fast of Lord Brihaspati Dev with a true heart, He fulfills all their desires. Just as the queen and the king glorified His story with true devotion, Brihaspati Dev fulfilled all their wishes. Therefore, after listening to the complete story, one should take the prasad (offering). One should contemplate it in their heart and chant His name.
