Purushottam Maas Katha: Adhyaya 24 | पुरुषोत्तम मास कथा: अध्याय 24

If a maiden observes a fast, she obtains a virtuous, long-lived husband; a man desiring a wife obtains a woman who is virtuous and devoted to her husband.

Manigreeva said, 'O Brahmin! I used to live with my virtuous wife in the beautiful and wondrous city full of scholars. I was wealthy, of pure conduct, and always engaged in helping others, but at some point, I developed an evil mind. Due to my evil mind, I abandoned my dharma, engaged in relations with another's wife, and constantly consumed forbidden substances. I was always involved in theft and violence, so my relatives abandoned me. At that time, the mighty king looted my house. Later, whatever wealth was left was taken by my relatives.

Thus, being rejected by everyone, I resided in the forest. Living in this dense forest with my wife, this wicked soul of mine sustains himself by constantly killing animals. O Brahmin! Please have mercy on this sinner at this time. By the accumulation of ancient merits, you have come to this dense forest.

O great sage! I have come to your refuge with my wife. You are worthy of being gratified by your teachings. By what means can my intense poverty be destroyed in this very moment, and I attain immense wealth and roam around happily?

Ugradeva said, 'O noble one! You have been gratified. Because you have shown hospitality to me, I will now tell you the good fortune that will befall you and your wife. Without vows, without pilgrimages, without donations, without effort, your poverty will be removed, this is what I have considered.

After this month, the third Sri Purushottam month is about to come. In that Purushottam month, with care and according to the prescribed rituals, both of you, husband and wife, should offer lamps to please Sri Purushottam Bhagavan. By that offering of lamps, your poverty will be destroyed from its roots. The lamp should be offered with sesame oil. If you have the means, the lamp should be offered with ghee. But at this time, due to living in the forest, you have neither ghee nor oil.

O sinless one! Manigreeva! Throughout the Purushottam month, you should offer lamps with Ingudi oil regularly with your wife. After bathing in this pond daily with your wife, offer the lamp. In this way, you should observe this vow in this forest for one month. Pleased with your hospitality, I have given this teaching, which is said in the Vedas, for both of you, husband and wife.

Even offering a lamp without proper rituals increases Lakshmi for humans. If the lamp is offered with proper rituals in the Purushottam month, then what more can be said? The deeds mentioned in the Vedas and various kinds of donations cannot equal even the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month. All pilgrimages, all scriptures cannot attain even the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month.

Yoga, charity, Sankhya, all Tantras also cannot attain even the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month. All vows like Krichchra, Chandrayana, etc., cannot equal the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month. Reading the Vedas daily, performing Gaya Shraddha, residing on the banks of the Gomati River cannot equal the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month.

Thousands of eclipses, hundreds of Vyatipata cannot equal the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month. Excellent places like Kurukshetra, forests like Dandaka cannot equal the sixteenth part of the lamp offering in the Purushottam month.

O child! This extremely secret vow is not worth telling to just anyone. It bestows wealth, grains, animals, sons, grandsons, and fame. It destroys the barrenness of a barren woman and bestows good fortune to women. It restores a fallen king to his kingdom and grants creatures their desired fruits.

If a maiden observes the vow, she obtains a virtuous, long-lived husband; a man desiring a wife obtains a woman who is virtuous and devoted to her husband. A student obtains knowledge. One who desires success obtains success well. One who desires treasure obtains treasure. One who desires liberation obtains liberation. Without rituals, without scriptures, whoever offers a lamp in the Purushottam month in any place, obtains the desired fruit.

O child! What more can be said if one offers a lamp with proper rituals and rules? Therefore, one should offer a lamp in the Purushottam month. At this time, I have told you about this lamp offering that destroys intense poverty, may you be well, I am pleased with your service.'

Agastya Muni said, 'In this way, that excellent Brahmin, remembering Sri Hari Bhagavan, who holds the flute with two arms, went to Prayag. Both of them, following Ugradeva from their ashram, resided near him for some months, and with joyful hearts, both husband and wife bowed to Ugradeva and then returned to their ashram.

Arriving at their ashram, with their minds fixed on Purushottam with devotion, those two, husband and wife, dedicated to the Brahmin's devotion, spent two months. After two months had passed, the glorious Purushottam month arrived. In that Purushottam month, devoted to their guru, they offered lamps, abandoning laziness, and continued to offer lamps with Ingudi oil for wealth. In this way, the Sri Purushottam month passed for both of them as they offered lamps.

By the grace of Ugradeva Brahmin, having a pure heart, they went to Indra's abode when the time came. After enjoying the pleasures there, both husband and wife, by the grace of Ugradeva, took an excellent birth in Bharatkhand on Earth.

In your previous birth, you were Manigreeva, who was engaged in hunting deer, and you became famous as King Chitrabahu, the son of Veerabahu. This Chandrakala, who is your wife now, was your wife named Sundari in your previous birth. By the virtue of her devotion to her husband, she is a partaker of your other half. Women who are devoted to their husbands receive half of their husband's merits. By offering lamps with Ingudi oil in the Sri Purushottam month, you have obtained this unobstructed kingdom. What more can be said about the man who offers an unbroken lamp with ghee or sesame oil in the Sri Purushottam month. This is the fruit of offering lamps in the Purushottam month, there is no doubt about it. What more can be said about the one who observes the Sri Purushottam month with fasts and other rules.

Valmiki Muni said, 'In this way, Agastya Muni, after narrating the story of King Chitrabahu's previous birth and receiving the hospitality offered by King Chitrabahu, and giving him eternal blessings, departed.

Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter of the Purushottam Maas Mahatmya in the Sri Brihannaradiya Purana ॥24॥