Brahma Deva then began to narrate the tale, ‘In ancient times, there lived an orphan Brahmin named Peethat in the city of Manohara Nagar. He was a devoted worshipper of Bhagawati Durga. To him was born a girl named Sumati of extraordinary beauty and virtue. Every day, when her father worshipped Durga and performed household rituals, Sumati faithfully joined in. However, one day, when she was engrossed in playing with her friends, she missed the worship of Bhagawati. Her father, upset with his daughter’s negligence, scolded her, saying, ‘O wicked daughter! Today you neglected the worship of Bhagawati, for this I will marry you to a leper or a poor man.’
On hearing her father’s words, Sumati was filled with sorrow and said, ‘O father! I am your daughter and am completely devoted to your will. You may marry me to any king, wrestler, pauper, leper or poor person you think fit. Nevertheless, whatever is destined for me will happen. I firmly believe that one gets results in accordance with one’s actions, for when human beings act, the results are controlled by the divine.’
On hearing his daughter Sumati say this, the brahmin became angry and in a fit of rage he quickly married his daughter to a leper. And the brahmin shouted, “Go and enjoy the fruits of your actions and see the result of your dependence on fate.” Faced with such harsh words from her father, Sumati silently thought, “Oh, what a misfortune it is to have such a husband.” Immersed in her sad thoughts, Sumati went with her husband to the forest, where they spent a night full of hardships in the dreadful, desolate forest of dense grass.
Seeing the plight of the unfortunate girl, the goddess Bhagawati, impressed by Sumati’s past virtues, appeared before her and said, “O helpless brahmin lady! I am pleased with your devotion. You can ask for any boon you wish.” Hearing these words of goddess Durga, the brahmini asked, “Please tell me your identity.” The Goddess replied, “I am the incarnation of Adi Shakti Bhagawati, Brahmavidya and Saraswati. When I am satisfied, I alleviate the suffering of sentient beings and bestow happiness on them. “O helpless Brahmin lady! I have come to you because of your pious deeds of your previous life. To this Sumati said, “O Goddess Bhagawati you tell me about my previous life, then listen carefully.
In your previous life, you were the wife of a Nishad (Bhil) and you had unwavering loyalty towards your husband. One unfortunate day, your husband committed theft, due to which both of you were captured and imprisoned by the soldiers. While being in captivity, you were deprived of food and water, even during the days of Navaratri. In this way, you kept a fast for nine days, abstaining from both food and water. Impressed by the effect of the fast you had observed in those days, I have now come to grant you a boon. Ask for whatever your heart desires.”
