Satyanarayan Katha Chapter 2: The Poor Brahmin and the Woodcutter

In the second chapter Suta ji tells who first kept this vow on earth.

The poor Brahmin of Kashi

In the beautiful city of Kashi lived a very poor Brahmin named Shatananda. Tormented by hunger and thirst, he wandered daily for alms. The Lord, who loves Brahmins, saw his distress, took the form of an old Brahmin and respectfully asked: "Why do you wander the earth unhappy every day? Tell me; I wish to hear."

The Brahmin said: "I am very poor and wander for alms. If you know a remedy, kindly tell me."

The old Brahmin, the Lord, said: "Lord Satyanarayan grants what one desires. Keep His excellent vow and worship, by which a person is freed from all sorrows." Having explained the method, the Lord in the form of the old Brahmin vanished.

The Brahmin keeps the vow

The Brahmin resolved: "I will surely keep the vow the old Brahmin described." Thinking of it, he could not sleep all night. Rising in the morning, he made the resolve of the vow and set out for alms. That day he received much wealth in alms, and with it he kept the Satyanarayan vow with his relatives.

By the power of the vow the Brahmin was freed from all sorrow and blessed with every kind of wealth. From then on he kept the vow every month. Keeping the Satyanarayan vow, he was freed from all sins and finally attained rare liberation.

The woodcutter

The sages asked: "Who else on earth kept this vow, having heard of it from that Brahmin?" Suta ji said: once, as the Brahmin was keeping the vow with his relatives according to his means, a woodseller came. He set his bundle of wood outside and went into the Brahmin's house. He was parched with thirst, but seeing the Brahmin at the vow he bowed and asked: "What are you doing, and what fruit does it bring?"

The Brahmin said: "This is the vow of Satyanarayan, which fulfils every wish. By its power I have gained wealth and grain."

Hearing this, the woodcutter was overjoyed. He drank water, took the prasad and went to his town, resolving: "With the money from selling wood today, I will keep the excellent vow of Satyanarayan." Carrying the wood on his head, he went to the beautiful quarter where the wealthy lived, and that day he received double the price.

Delighted, he bought ripe bananas, sugar, ghee, milk and wheat flour, all in "one and a quarter" measure, came home, called his relatives and worshipped Lord Satyanarayan and kept the vow properly. By its power he was blessed with wealth and sons, enjoyed happiness in this world and at the end went to Vaikuntha.

What this chapter teaches

• God can come in any form to show the right way; even a stranger's good advice is His grace.
• The vow is for everyone, rich or poor, learned or not: a Brahmin and a woodcutter both kept it.
• Passing on what is good is also merit; the Brahmin told the woodcutter of the vow.
• The fruit came with resolve joined to honest effort (begging alms, selling wood).