Guru Pradosh Vrat Katha
Pradosh Vrat falls twice in every month. This fast is observed on Trayodashi Tithi of Shukla and Krishna Paksha. When this fast falls on Thursday, it is called Guru Pradosh Vrat. After the worship of Pradosh Vrat, it is most important to read its story.
Guru Pradosh Vrat is considered to be very auspicious and fruitful. By observing this Pradosh Vrat, one gets the blessings of Lord Shiva as well as Lord Vishnu . It is believed that the person observing Guru Pradosh Vrat gets the same benefits as donating 100 cows. According to the rules mentioned in the scriptures, any fast is considered complete even when you recite its story during the puja.
Guru Pradosh Vrat Katha
Once there was a fierce battle between Indra and Vritrasur. At this time, the gods defeated and destroyed the demon army. Seeing his army destroyed, the demon Vritrasur became extremely angry and prepared for war. Due to the illusion of the devil, the ghost devil took the form of a terrible demon. When the Indra gods saw him, they consulted Indra and invoked Guru Brihaspatiji. The Guru immediately came and said, “O Devendra!” Now listen carefully to Vritrasur. Vritrasur was the first great ascetic who dedicated himself to his work and performed severe penance on the Gandhamadana mountain to please Lord Shiva. Once upon a time there was a king named Chitrarath. The beautiful forest near you was his kingdom. Now the saints with pure hearts enjoy this forest. This is a unique land for the darshan of God.
One day Chitrarath willingly went to Mount Kailash. Seeing the figure of the Lord and Jagadamba sitting on his left side, Chitrarath laughed, folded his hands and said to Shiva Shankar, “O Lord.” We are fascinated by Maya and are under the control of women due to being imprisoned in worldly affairs. But nowhere in the world of the gods is anyone seen sitting with a woman. When the omnipresent Lord Shiva heard these words of Chitrarath, he laughed and said, “O King.” I drank the deadly poison called Kalakuta. However, you laugh at me like ordinary people. Then Parvati angrily looked at Chitrarath and said, “O wicked one, you have ridiculed me as well as the omnipresent Maheshwar, you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions.”
The members present are great practitioners of the sacred scriptures of pure nature, Sanaka Sanandana Sanatkumara and are ready to worship Shiva after the destruction of all ignorance. Foolish king, you are very intelligent, I tell you that you will never make fun of such saints. Now you become a demon and fall from the plane. I curse you that you go to earth now. When Jagadamba Bhavani gave this curse to Chitrarath, he immediately fell from the plane, took the form of a demon and came to be known as Mahasur. A sage named Tavashta had created him by great penance and even today the same Vritrasura remains celibate in devotion to Shiva. Therefore you cannot defeat him. Therefore my advice is that you should observe Guru Pradosh fast so that you can conquer the mighty demon. All the gods were pleased to hear the words of Gurudev and on Thursday Trayodashi Tithi (Pradosh Vrat) was observed with due rituals. Due to which Vritrasura was defeated and gods and humans became happy. They said Jai Lord Shiva Shankar.
This is the belief
According to mythological belief, when the Halahal poison came out from the churning of the ocean, Mahadev drank this terrible poison to save the universe. This poison was so intense that after drinking it, Mahadev's throat turned blue and due to the effect of the poison, his body started burning unbearably. Then the gods reduced Mahadev's burning sensation with water, Belpatra etc. Since Mahadev had saved the world from the effect of poison by drinking poison, the entire world and the gods were indebted to Mahadev. At that time all the gods praised Mahadev. Mahadev was very pleased with this praise and performed Tandava in a happy mood. When this incident happened, it was Trayodashi Tithi and Pradosh Kaal. Since then, this date and time of Pradosh Kaal became very dear to Mahadev. At the same time, his devotees started the tradition of worshiping Mahadev during Pradosh Kaal on every Trayodashi day. This fast came to be known as Pradosh Vrat .
Pradosh Vrat Puja Vidhi
Wake up early in the morning on Pradosh Vrat day, take a bath and wear yellow clothes. One should avoid wearing black clothes on this day. Sprinkle Gangajal in the entire house. And anoint Lord Shiva with Panchamrit. Then apply tilak with yellow sandalwood. Offer Bhang Dhatura and Belpaksh to Lord Shiva and worship him with flowers.
Do not make these mistakes on Guru Pradosh Vrat
1. Cleaning the temple- Cleaning should be done before worship on the day of Guru Pradosh Vrat . Also, Tulsi leaves, Ketaki flowers, Kumkum and coconut water should not be offered on Shivling on this day.
2. Do not quarrel- Do not quarrel or argue in your house on this day, even if you are wrong. People observing the fast should not have a bad conscience towards others. The person observing the fast should avoid theft, lies and violence. 3. Do
not eat tamasic food- Do not eat tamasic food on the day of Pradosh Vrat. Avoid consuming foods that contain garlic or onion. You should not consume meat or alcohol on such days.
4. Do not sleep for too long- One should not sleep till late in the morning on the day of Pradosh Vrat nor should one sleep during the day. Rather , one should meditate on Lord Shiva throughout the day.
5. Do not touch Shivling- Women should not touch Shivling on the day of Pradosh Vrat. Doing this makes Goddess Parvati angry.
6. Do not wear black clothes- Do not make the mistake of wearing black clothes on the day of Pradosh Vrat. Black is considered an inauspicious colour. Be sure to wear red or yellow clothes on this day.