Sheetla Mata Katha – Chapter 3: Humility and Worship

Humility and Worship

The village was in chaos due to Indra's wrath. A terrible epidemic of smallpox spread due to the anger of Sheetala Mata. The villagers were terrified and worried, realizing their mistake in not recognizing the form of the Mother. Now they were burning in the fire of repentance.

The Fire of Repentance

There was screaming and crying all around. Children, old, young - all were groaning from the red pustules of smallpox. At first, people had considered this disease minor, but now that it had taken a terrible form, they realized their foolishness. The village lanes were deserted, and sounds of crying were coming from the houses. People's hearts were filled with fear and sorrow. Even the sun in the sky seemed sad, its rays appeared weak.

An old woman, sitting with her granddaughter in her lap, said tearfully, "O Mother, we made a big mistake. We did not recognize you. Forgive our ignorance. What should we do now? How can we get rid of this disease?" Her granddaughter was burning with fever. Red pustules had appeared on her face.

Praise of Sheetala Mata

Some elders of the village gathered and decided that they would worship Sheetala Mata and seek her forgiveness. They installed an idol of Sheetala Mata in a quiet place. All the villagers sat before the idol with folded hands. The priest began chanting mantras, and everyone together started praising the Mother. The entire village echoed with the mantra "Om Hreem Shreem Shitalaye Namah."

The villagers sang songs in praise of the Mother, described her glory, and asked for forgiveness for their mistake. "O compassionate Mother, we are ignorant, we are foolish. Take us under your refuge. Forgive us. We will never commit such an offense in the future. We will always respect you and worship you." Tears welled up in many people's eyes as they praised, their hearts filled with repentance. With the grace of Mata Sheetala, some patients began to show improvement.

Offering of Stale Food

Knowing that Sheetala Mata is fond of cold, stale food, people collected leftover food from the night. Kheer, puri, sabzi - whatever they had, they offered it to the Mother as naivedya. They prayed to the Mother to accept this prasad and rid their village of the disease. They resolved that they would worship the Mother every year on the day of Sheetala Ashtami and offer her only stale food.

After offering the naivedya, the villagers consumed the stale food as prasad. Their hearts were now filled with devotion and faith, not fear and despair. They believed that the Mother would surely hear their prayers and forgive them. With the power of Mata Sheetala, peace and health gradually returned to the village. Now, what was needed was the Mother's complete forgiveness and blessings, for which the villagers were eager. The next chapter will tell if the Mother will be able to forgive her devotees?