Vasishtha said to King Janaka: of all the days of Kartik, Monday is the one dearest to Shiv ji. On that day anyone at all — a woman or a man, of whatever birth — who keeps the upavasam the whole day, bathes in a river, gives what they can, offers abhishek to Shiv ji with bilva leaves, and eats only after seeing the stars in the evening, keeps the Somavara vrata. Let them stay awake that night reading the Purana, bathe again at dawn, give sesame, and feed the poor as far as they are able; if they cannot, let them at least feed three Brahmins well before they eat. Whoever can, should take neither meal nor fruit on that Monday. Shiv ji gives such a person Kailasa. Then Vasishtha told the king a story from long ago.
In the land of Kashmir there lived a Brahmin who kept his family by serving as a purohit. After many years a daughter was born to him, and she was named Swatantra Nishthuri. He gave her in marriage to Mitrasharma, a young Brahmin of Saurashtra who had learned the four Vedas and the shastras. Mitrasharma lived by right conduct, was kind to every creature, never spoke an untruth and had God's name always on his lips, so that people called him a second Brahma.
But Nishthuri, proud of her youth, abused the elders, struck and cursed her husband and his parents, and kept the company of other men. At last her husband's parents drove her out of their house for the shame she brought on the family. Mitrasharma, gentle by nature, would not send her away and bore with all she did. The neighbours, sick of her temper, gave her the name Karkasha — the harsh one — and from then on everyone called her by it.
One night, as her husband lay deep asleep, Karkasha rose quietly, brought a heavy stone and struck him on the head, and he died. Alone and in secret she carried his body out by the back way, threw it into a ruined well at the edge of the village and covered it with rubbish, then came home as though nothing had happened. After that she lived as she pleased, drew young wives away from their homes and their husbands, and made money from their ruin.
But youth does not last, and time does not stand still. Her youth left her; sores broke out on her body and then leprosy, and she wasted away in pain. The men who had once sought her out would not even walk down her street. So Karkasha died in misery — and in all her life she had never once listened to a Purana. Yama's messengers took her before Yama, and Chitragupta read out the account of her deeds. For each wrong she had done she was punished in its turn, and at last she was thrown into the hell called Kumbhipaka.
When those torments were over, she was born a dog in the land of Kalinga. Starving, she went from house to house; some beat her with sticks, some cursed her, some chased her away. Now one Monday of Kartik, a learned Brahmin of that place kept the Somavara vrata. He went without food all day, and in the evening, when he had seen the stars, he set the bali offering of rice on the raised step outside his door and went in to wash his hands and feet. In that moment the dog came and ate the offering.
That food had been offered by a man keeping his vrat with care; the day was a Monday of Kartik; the dog herself had eaten nothing all that day; and she had eaten prasad in a house where Shiv ji's puja was offered. Because of all this, the memory of her past births rose in her. She cried out, 'Best of Brahmins, save me!' The Brahmin came out and saw no one but a dog, and went back in. Again he heard, 'Save me, save me!' He came out once more and asked, 'Who are you? What is your story?'
The dog said, 'Fifteen births before this one I was a Brahmin's wife. I lived wickedly, killed the husband I had married before the fire, and died a leper in old age. I suffered the great hells at the hands of Yama's messengers, and by the merit of my forefathers I was born this time a dog. Today I ate the bali offering you set here after keeping the Kartik Monday vrat, and knowledge has come to me. Best of Brahmins, do me this great kindness: give me the merit of one Monday of your vrat, and set me free.'
Hearing this, the Brahmin understood how great the Kartik Monday vrat is. He poured out water and gave her the merit of one Monday. At once a pushpaka vimana came down. She bowed to everyone there, and as they all watched she rose into it and went to Shiv ji's presence. 'Have you heard, King Janaka?' said Vasishtha. 'So you too should keep this Monday vrat of Kartik, and come near to Shiv ji.'
[object Object]
