Satyanarayan Bhagwan Ki Katha: Chapter Three

Shree sootajee bole - shreṣṭh muniyon! Ab main punah aage kee kathaa kahoongaa, aap log sunen. Praacheen kaal men ulkaamukh naam kaa ek raajaa thaa. Vah jitendriy, satyavaadee tathaa atyant buddhimaan thaa. Vah vidvaan raajaa pratidin devaalay jaataa aur dhan dekar braahmaṇaon ko santuṣṭ karataa thaa. Kamal ke samaan mukh vaalee usakee dharmapatnee sheel, vinay evn saundary aadi guṇaon se sampann tathaa patiparaayaṇaa thee. Raajaa ek din apanee dharmapatnee ke saath bhadrasheelaa nadee ke taṭ par shreesatyanaaraayaṇa kaa vrat kar rahaa thaa. Usee samay vyaapaar ke anek prakaar kee puṣkal dhanaraashi se sampann ek saadhu naam kaa baniyaa vahaan aayaa. Bhadrasheelaa nadee ke taṭ par naav ko sthaapit kar vah raajaa ke sameep gayaa aur raajaa ko us vrat men deekṣit dekhakar vinayapoorvak poochhane lagaa. Saadhu ne kahaa - raajan! Aap bhaktiyukt chitt se yah kyaa kar rahe hain? Kripayaa vah sab bataa_iye, is samay main sunanaa chaahataa hoon. Raajaa bole - he saadho! Putr aadi kee praapti kee kaamanaa se apane bandhu-baandhavon ke saath main atul tej sampann bhagavaan viṣṇau kaa vrat evn poojan kar rahaa hoon. aajaa kee baat sunakar saadhu ne aadarapoorvak kahaa - raajan ! Is viṣay men aap mujhe sab kuchh vistaar se batalaa_iye, aapake kathanaanusaar main vrat evn poojan karoongaa. Mujhe bhee santati naheen hai. ‘isase avashy hee santati praapt hogee.’ aisaa vichaar kar vah vyaapaar se nivritt ho aanandapoorvak apane ghar aayaa. Usane apanee bhaaryaa se santati pradaan karane vaale is satyavrat ko vistaar poorvak bataayaa tathaa - ‘jab mujhe santati praapt hogee tab main is vrat ko karoongaa’ - is prakaar us saadhu ne apanee bhaaryaa leelaavatee se kahaa. Ek din usakee leelaavatee naam kee satee-saadhvee bhaaryaa pati ke saath aanand chitt se rritukaaleen dharmaacharaṇa men pravritt huii aur bhagavaan shreesatyanaaraayaṇa kee kripaa se usakee vah bhaaryaa garbhiṇaee huii. Dasaven maheene men usase kanyaaratn kee utpatti huii aur vah shuklapakṣ ke chndramaa kee bhaanti din-pratidin baḍhxne lagee. Us kanyaa kaa naam 'kalaavatee ' rakhaa gayaa. Isake baad ek din leelaavatee ne apane svaamee se madhur vaaṇaee men kahaa - aap poorv men snkalpit shree satyanaaraayaṇa ke vrat ko kyon naheen kar rahe hain? Saadhu bolaa - ‘priye! Isake vivaah ke samay vrat karoongaa.’ is prakaar apanee patnee ko bhalee-bhaanti aashvast kar vah vyaapaar karane ke lie nagar kee or chalaa gayaa. Idhar kanyaa kalaavatee pitaa ke ghar men baḍhxne lagee. Tadanantar dharmagy saadhu ne nagar men sakhiyon ke saath kreedaa karatee huii apanee kanyaa ko vivaah yogy dekhakar aapas men mantraṇaa karake ‘kanyaa vivaah ke lie shreṣṭh var kaa anveṣaṇa karo’ - aisaa doot se kahakar sheeghr hee use bhej diyaa. Usakee aagyaa praapt karake vah doot kaanchan naamak nagar men gayaa aur vahaan se ek vaṇaik kaa putr lekar aayaa. Us saadhu ne us vaṇaik ke putr ko sundar aur guṇaon se sampann dekhakar apanee jaati ke logon tathaa bandhu-baandhavon ke saath santuṣṭ chitt ho vidhi-vidhaan se vaṇaikaputr ke haath men kanyaa kaa daan kar diyaa. Us samay vah saadhu baniyaa durbhaagyavash bhagavaan satyanaaraayaṇa kaa vah uttam vrat karanaa bhool gayaa. Poorv snkalp ke anusaar vivaah ke samay vrat n karane ke kaaraṇa bhagavaan us par ruṣṭ ho gaye. Kuchh samay ke pashchaat apane vyaapaarakarm men kushal vah saadhu baniyaa kaal kee preraṇaa se apane daamaad ke saath vyaapaar karane ke lie samudr ke sameep sthit ratnasaarapur naamak sundar nagar men gayaa aur apane shreesampann daamaad ke saath vahaan vyaapaar karane lagaa. Usake baad ve dono raajaa chandraketu ke ramaṇaeey us nagar men gaye. Usee samay bhagavaan shreesatyanaaraayaṇa ne use bhraṣṭapratigy dekhakar ‘ise daaruṇa, kaṭhin aur mahaan dukh praapt hogaa’ - yah shaap de diyaa. Ek din ek chor raajaa chandraketu ke dhan ko churaakar vaheen aayaa, jahaan donon vaṇaik sthit the. Vah apane peechhe daudte hue dooton ko dekhakar bhayabheetachitt se dhan vaheen chhodkar sheeghr hee chhip gayaa. Isake baad raajaa ke doot vahaan aa gaye jahaan vah saadhu vaṇaik thaa. Vahaan raajaa ke dhan ko dekhakar ve doot un donon vaṇaikaputron ko baandhakar le aaye aur harṣapoorvak daudte hue raajaa se bole - ‘prabho! Ham do chor pakad laa_e hain, inhen dekhakar aap aagyaa den’. Raajaa kee aagyaa se donon sheeghr hee driḍhxtaapoorvak baandhakar binaa vichaar kiye mahaan kaaraagaar men ḍaal diye gaye. Bhagavaan satyadev kee maayaa se kisee ne un donon kee baat naheen sunee aur raajaa chandraketu ne un donon kaa dhan bhee le liyaa.

Bhagavaan ke shaap se vaṇaik ke ghar men usakee bhaaryaa bhee atyant dukhit ho gayee aur unake ghar men saaraa-kaa-saaraa jo dhan thaa, vah chor ne churaa liyaa. Leelaavatee shaareerik tathaa maanasik peedaa_on se yukt, bhookh aur pyaas se dukhee ho ann kee chintaa se dar-dar bhaṭakane lagee. Kalaavatee kanyaa bhee bhojan ke lie idhar-udhar pratidin ghoomane lagee. Ek din bhookh se peeḍaixt kalaavatee ek ghar gayee. Vahaan jaakar usane shreesatyanaaraayaṇa ke vrat-poojan ko dekhaa. Vahaan baiṭhakar usane kathaa sunee aur varadaan maangaa. Usake baad prasaad grahaṇa karake vah kuchh raat hone par ghar gayee. Maataa ne kalaavatee kanyaa se premapoorvak poochhaa - putree ! Raat men too kahaan ruk gayee thee? Tumhaare man men kyaa hai? Kalaavatee kanyaa ne turant maataa se kahaa - maan! Mainne ek ghar men manorath pradaan karane vaalaa vrat dekhaa hai. Kanyaa kee us baat ko sunakar vah vaṇaik kee bhaaryaa vrat karane ko udyat huii aur prasann man se us saadhvee ne bandhu-baandhavon ke saath bhagavaan shreesatyanaaraayaṇa kaa vrat kiyaa tathaa is prakaar praarthanaa kee - ‘bhagavan! Aap hamaare pati evn jaamaataa ke aparaadh ko kṣamaa karen. Ve donon apane ghar sheeghr aa jaayen.’ is vrat se bhagavaan satyanaaraayaṇa punah santuṣṭ ho gaye tathaa unhonne nripashreṣṭh chandraketu ko svapn dikhaayaa aur svapn men kahaa - ‘nripashreṣṭh! Praatah kaal donon vaṇaikon ko chhod do aur vah saaraa dhan bhee de do, jo tumane unase is samay le liyaa hai, anyathaa raajy, dhan evn putrasahit tumhaaraa sarvanaash kar doongaa.’ Raajaa se svapn men aisaa kahakar bhagavaan satyanaaraayaṇa antardhaan ho gaye. Isake baad praatah kaal raajaa ne apane sabhaasadon ke saath sabhaa men baiṭhakar apanaa svapn logon ko bataayaa aur kahaa - ‘donon bandee vaṇaikaputron ko sheeghr hee mukt kar do.’ raajaa kee aisee baat sunakar ve raajapuruṣ donon mahaajanon ko bandhanamukt karake raajaa ke saamane laakar vinayapoorvak bole - ‘mahaaraaj! Bedee-bandhan se mukt karake donon vaṇaik putr laaye gaye hain. Isake baad donon mahaajan nripashreṣṭh chandraketu ko praṇaam karake apane poorv-vritaant kaa smaraṇa karate hue bhayavihvan ho gaye aur kuchh bol n sake. Raajaa ne vaṇaik putron ko dekhakar aadarapoorvak kahaa -‘aap logon ko praarabdhavash yah mahaan dukh praapt huaa hai, is samay ab koii bhay naheen hai.’, aisaa kahakar unakee bedee khulavaakar kṣaurakarm aadi karaayaa. Raajaa ne vastr, alnkaar dekar un donon vaṇaikaputron ko santuṣṭ kiyaa tathaa saamane bulaakar vaaṇaee dvaaraa atyadhik aanandit kiyaa. Pahale jo dhan liyaa thaa, use doonaa karake diyaa, usake baad raajaa ne punah unase kahaa - ‘saadho! Ab aap apane ghar ko jaayen.’ raajaa ko praṇaam karake ‘aap kee kripaa se ham jaa rahe hain.’ - aisaa kahakar un donon mahaavaishyon ne apane ghar kee or prasthaan kiyaa.