Budhaashtamee Vrat
(Chap 54) Krishn said - "Now I tell you the importance of Budhaashtamee Vrat. If somebody does this Vrat he never goes to Narak (Hell). Listen to a story in this regard. In the beginning of Sat Yug, there was a son of Manu - Raajaa Il. One day he went for hunting and arrived in a forest near Himaalaya following a deer. As he entered the forest, he became a woman. In fact that forest was the recreation area of Shiv and Paarvatee Jee. It was Shiv's order there that whoever man will enter that forest he would turn into a woman. For the same reason as Raajaa Il entered that forest he turned into a woman. Now he starting wandering in that forest as a woman. He was not able to understand as where was he.

At the same time Chandramaa's son Budh saw her, he got attracted to her and made her his wife. (As a woman his name became Ilaa). So Budh had a son from her named Pururavaa. He was the first king of Chandra Vansh. The day Budh married Ilaa, it was Ashtamee (the 8th day) that is why it is known as Budhaashtamee in the world. This Ashtamee is the destroyer of all sins.

Now I tell you another story. There was a king named Nimi in Mithilaa kingdom. He was killed by his enemies in a battlefield. His wife's name was Urmilaa. When Nimi had lost his kingdom, Urmilaa started wandering here and there. Later she went to Avantee Desh with her son and a daughter. She started serving a Braahman. Since she was very poor, when she ground the wheat, she used to steal some wheat from there and used to satisfy her family's hunger. After some time she died.

Urmilaa's son had grown up. He came to Mithilaa from Avantee, got his kingdom back and started ruling there. His sister Shyaamalaa was now of marriageable age. She was very beautiful. Hearing about her beauty, Avantee's king Dharm Raaj married her. One day Dharm Raaj said to Shyaamalaa - "You can do whatever you like, but never go to these seven places which are locked." Shyaamalaa agreed, but she always had a curiosity to see those places.

So one day, when Dharm Raaj was busy, she opened one lock and saw that Yam's people were dipping her mother Urmilaa in the hot oil in a wok (frying pan or Kadaahee). She got very embarrassed to see that, so she locked it. Then she unlocked another place. There she saw that Yam's people were grinding her mother on a stone and her mother was crying. When she unlocked the third door, she saw Yam's people nailing her mother's forehead. In the same way, in the fourth room, she saw that terrible dogs were eating her mother. In the fifth one she was beaten by iron rods. In the sixth one she was ground like sugar cane; and in the seventh one thousands of worms were eating her and she was smeared with blood all over.

Seeing this Shyaamalaa thought, "Which kind of sin my mother committed so that she is suffering so much. Thinking thus, she told everything to Dharm Raaj. Dharm Raaj said - "Dear, That is why I told you not to open these places because you will be sad after seeing them. Your mother stole wheat because of the affection of her children, don't you know this fact? This is the result of the same. If somebody takes Braahman's wealth even with affection then also one's seven downward descendents go to the lower species; and if somebody steals, then his family goes into Narak till these Sun and stars are there. Whatever wheat grains she stole, the same are eating her in the form of worms."

Shyaamalaa said - "Whatever my mother did, I know all that, but now you tell me the way so that she can come out of this Narak." Dharm Raaj said - "Dear, Seven lives before this life, you were a Braahman woman. At that time you did Budhaashtamee Vrat along with your friends. If you give its fruit to your mother with proper Sankalp then she can be free from all this." Immediately Shyaamalaa took bath and donated the fruit of her Vrat to her mother. Because of the fruit of that Vrat, her mother got a Divine body and went to Swarg along with her husband and stayed near Budh (Mercury) planet.

Now you listen to the method of doing this Vrat. Whenever a Shukla Ashtamee falls on Budh (Wednesday), keep fast on that day and eat only once. In the morning (before 12 pm) take bath in a river, bring a pitcher full of water from there, establish it in the house. Drop some gold in it, keep some sweets also in in a bamboo pot. Keep fast for eight Budhaashtamee and keep these following sweets in those eight days in this order - Laddoo, Halavaa, Vatak, wheat flour fried in Ghee, Sohaalak and fruits, flowers, Phenee etc. Then she should eat herself with her friends. She should listen to Budhaashtamee story also before eating. Make an idol of Budh of one Maashaa or 1/2 Maashaa (4 Rattee) gold, worship it with incense, flowers, sweets, yellow cloth, Dakshinaa etc with the following Mantra. ( see the Mantra on p 433)

Later reciting the following Mantra she should donate that idol, along with food, to a Braahman. ( see the Mantra on p 433 ) Braahman should also read this Mantra after taking the idol. ( see the Mantra on p 434). Whoever keeps Budhaashtamee Vrat with this method, he gets everything - sons, grandsons, prosperity, long life and dies in a Teerth place and lives in Swarg till Pralaya.