In ancient times, there lived a Brahmin who was very poor. He had no children. His wife lived in a very unclean manner. She neither bathed nor worshipped any deity, which greatly distressed the Brahmin. He tried to reason with her, but to no avail. By God's grace, the Brahmin's wife gave birth to a daughter, a precious gem. As the girl grew older, she began to bathe every morning, chant the name of Lord Vishnu, and observe the Thursday fast. After completing her prayers and rituals, she would go to school, carrying a handful of barley in her fist, scattering it along the way. These barley grains would turn into gold, and on her return, she would collect them and bring them home.
One day, while the girl was winnowing the golden barley in a winnowing basket, her father saw her and said, "O daughter! For golden barley, there should be a golden winnowing basket." The next day was Thursday, and the girl observed the fast and prayed to Lord Brihaspati (Jupiter), saying, "If I have worshipped you with a true heart, please grant me a golden winnowing basket." Lord Brihaspati granted her prayer. As usual, the girl went scattering the barley, and when she returned and was collecting the grains, by the grace of Lord Brihaspati, she found a golden winnowing basket. She brought it home and began cleaning the barley in it. But her mother's habits remained unchanged. One day, while the girl was cleaning the barley in the golden winnowing basket, the prince of that city passed by. He was captivated by the girl's beauty and her actions, and upon returning home, he refused to eat or drink and lay down dejected. When the king learned of this, he went to his son with his prime minister and said, "O son, what troubles you? Has someone insulted you, or is there some other reason? Tell me, and I will do whatever will make you happy." Hearing his father's words, the prince replied, "By your grace, I have no sorrow, and no one has insulted me, but I wish to marry the girl who was cleaning barley in a golden winnowing basket." Hearing this, the king was astonished and said, "O son! You yourself find that girl. I will certainly arrange your marriage with her." The prince revealed the girl's address. The minister then went to the girl's house and told the Brahmin everything. The Brahmin agreed to marry his daughter to the prince, and the marriage was performed according to the prescribed rituals.
As soon as the daughter left home, poverty returned to the Brahmin's house, just as before. Now, even food was difficult to come by. One day, saddened, the Brahmin went to his daughter's house. The daughter saw her father's distressed state and inquired about her mother. The Brahmin recounted everything. The daughter gave her father a large sum of money and sent him away. The Brahmin lived comfortably for some time. After a few days, the same situation arose again. The Brahmin went to his daughter's house again and told her everything. The girl said, "Father, bring Mother here. I will tell her the method to overcome poverty." The Brahmin brought his wife with him, and the daughter began to explain to her mother, "Mother, if you bathe first thing in the morning and worship Lord Vishnu, all your poverty will be removed." But her mother did not listen to a single word and instead, got up in the morning and ate the leftovers of her daughter's children. This angered the daughter greatly, and one night she removed all the belongings from a room and locked her mother inside. In the morning, she let her out, made her bathe, and had her perform the prayers. Her mother's mind became clear, and she began observing the fast every Thursday. Due to the effect of this fast, her parents became very wealthy and were blessed with sons, and by the grace of Lord Brihaspati (Jupiter), they enjoyed the pleasures of this world and attained heaven.
All hail Lord Vishnu! All hail Lord Brihaspati!
