Ganesh Chaturthi Vrat Katha – Chapter 4: Beginning of the Vrat Katha

Beginning of the Vrat Katha

After being freed from the curse of the moon, joy spread among the creatures. However, in a kingdom on Earth, the importance of the Ganesh Chaturthi fast was about to be revealed, the observance of which brought forth the consequences of the king's mistake, and the sages explained the remedy for that mistake.

The Rise of Unrest in the Kingdom

Once upon a time, a mighty king ruled in a prosperous kingdom. He was always ready to help his subjects in their happiness and sorrow, but due to arrogance, he sometimes strayed from the path of righteousness. His queen was extremely religious and a great devotee of Ganesh Ji. She observed the Ganesh Chaturthi fast with great devotion every year. There was an atmosphere of happiness and prosperity in the kingdom, but a little arrogance was growing in the king's mind, which was going to cause trouble for the kingdom in the future. He thought that everything was fine in the kingdom because of his power.

One day the queen said to the king, "Your Majesty, the Ganesh Chaturthi fast is approaching. This year you should also observe this fast with me. This will bring more auspiciousness to the kingdom." The king listened to the queen, but thought in his mind, "I am the king, what is the need for me to fast? The kingdom runs on my power." He replied to the queen, "Queen, you observe the fast. I will be busy with the affairs of the state."

Violation of the Fast and Arrival of Suffering

The day of Ganesh Chaturthi arrived. The queen worshiped Ganesh Ji according to the rituals and observed the fast. The king remained busy in his royal affairs. In the evening, the queen asked the king to bring the prasad, but the king arrogantly refused to take the prasad. That same night, the king had a terrible dream. He saw that his kingdom was being destroyed, the subjects were sad, and Ganesh Ji was angry with him. He woke up terrified in the morning. From that day onwards, many kinds of calamities started coming in the kingdom. Crops started getting destroyed, the subjects started getting sick, and unrest spread in the kingdom.

The illusion of Ganesh Ji is boundless. The king realized his mistake, but it was too late. He understood what happens by insulting the gods. Everything is auspicious only by the grace of Ganesh Ji and suffering is removed only by his worship. The king realized that arrogance is the biggest enemy, which leads man towards destruction.

Arrival of Sages and Remedy

The king called the chief sages of the kingdom and asked them for a way to atone for his mistake. The sages told the king that he had violated the Ganesh Chaturthi fast, due to which this suffering had come. They said, "Your Majesty, you will have to worship Ganesh Ji with a sincere heart and observe the Ganesh Chaturthi fast according to the rituals. Only then will you get rid of this crisis." The sages told the king the method of the fast and described the glory of Ganesh Ji. Hearing this remedy, the king saw a ray of hope and became ready to atone. Now the king, queen, and subjects were eager to worship Ganesh Ji together, from which the story of the fast and salvation will begin in the next chapter.